If you'd never been in a Youngs pub before and somebody offered you a big wad of cash if you could guess which was the busiest, you'd probably begin your search in Richmond at the White Cross. You'd see the riverside gardens crammed all Summer and you'd be congratulating yourself on how easy the task was, probably already spending the dosh you had coming. If though you got a whisper that you were slightly wide of the mark, perhaps you'd head to the iconic Dog and Fox in Wimbledon village, maybe even to the Founders on the south bank. You'd be wrong again however and if you didn't know, my guess is all the head scratching in the world wouldn't lead you to the right answer.
The truth is of course that although all of the aformentioned are massively busy and fantastic pubs in their own right, none of them can claim the title of the busiest. I'd forgive you for not guessing it by location and situation, but that mantle belongs indisputeably to the Ship at Wandsworth. You'd never have picked it, tucked away as it is behind a bus garage and beside a cement works, but nontheless it remains a fact.
The last time we went (about 18 months ago) it was on a Friday lunchtime. I remember it very well because we sat in the restaurant and I had the best fish and chips I'd ever had, except for the Magpie cafe in Whitby (and those of you who've been there will know it's high praise to be mentioned in the same breath) . The batter was crisp and flavoursome, the chips top notch, the fish snowy fresh and even the minted pea puree (not a favourite of mine) was pretty good. All in all that first visit made a huge impression, and we were always keen to return.
The head chef at that time was David Faunch (now at the Devonshire in Chiswick), and it was going to be interesting this time to see how things were under the stewardship of new head man, Shaun Harrington. We arrived in the bar about 8pm on a Saturday night in November, and it was absolutely banged out. The clientelle was lots of young (well younger than me anyway) professional types, lots of light blue oxford shirts with the collars turned up and blokes in rugby shirts or rowing tops. Very pleasant bunch infact, lots of wine, very female friendly and overall exactly like the sort of place I'd want to go. We got served quickly and the service had all the hallmarks of the management team here, happy, smiley and uber efficient. The bitter was lovely (quite important that) and we made our way through to the restaurant. Good job we'd booked, because that was cakeoed too, and we got stuck into studying the menu.
The menu itself was short, but only in the sense that it wasn't filled up with dishes that you just know for a fact that nobody ever orders. All of the stuff on there was potentially a seller, and although the fish and chips wasn't there I was more than tempted by a nice bit of rib-eye or the pork belly for which the pub is famous. For starters I had lamb rump which was superb, my Dad had a tomato soup which he said was "bloody incredible", my mum had a provencal tart which she said was "nice" (she's difficult) and Sarah had a red mullet (I think) escabeche which was lovely. My brother had a fois gras thing which was beautful. As usual I stuffed my face with the fresh bread which kept coming, and I must also say the service was absolutely top notch.
For mains I went for a rare rib-eye, and though it was lovely I should have gone for the belly pork (as I absolutely implore you to do if you go). My bother had that, and it was spectacular. He offered me a taste, and I made sure I got a few chips into him to fill him up so I got about the last 1/3 of his pork as he ran out of steam. Sarah had a seabass dish which was superb, Mum and Dad had steaks and all round the food was fab, really excellent. We did get a dessert menu, but just couldn't fit any in. We had some coffees, paid the bill and came home.
The only thing I can possibly find fault with is that I belatedly realised that the fish and chips was actually available all along. It was on a big blackboard (or redboard in this case) but as I had my back to it and it was on the opposite wall, I didn't see it. Somebody on an adjacent table did, and from the look of theirs I can safely say it hasn't changed much. I would probably have gone for it just for old times sake, but to be honest even though I now know about it I'm still going to go for the belly pork next time I go.
You should too. Do yourself a big favour and go to the Ship, pubs don't get busy and famous by accident and this one is no exception. The Ship is right at the very top end of food pubs (and indeed drinking pubs). It fully deserves its place alongside the likes of the Angelsey, the Devonshire, the Lass O Richmond Hill and the Hampshire Hog. We are lucky in South West London to have such fantastic operations within easy reach, forget your brasseries and your bistros and use these pubs, they are better.
IMPORTANT-In the interests of fairness it is only right and proper that I point out that The Ship is owned by the same umbrella pub company as my pub, The Alexandra. Equally, the industry renowned and award winning management team at The Ship I am happy to count as friends. They are Oisin Rogers (General manager @Mcmoop), Phil White (restaurant manager @Philwhite101) & John the pub manager (@Johnny_rocket). That said, that isn't why I've given it a glowing review. The reason for that is that it's flippin' superb.
Sunday 20 November 2011
Thursday 3 November 2011
Dinner at The Alglesea Arms- the 14thefrog review.
We'd heard great things about the Angelsea Arms, and to be totally honest by the time we got there I was absolutely starving. It was pretty busy when we arrived, and the bar had a lovely warm feel about it. We hadn't booked, and being a party of eight I actually thought it might be a bit dodgy getting in. As it was though, they pulled two tables of four together and we were in business.
The menu was printed on paper and dated, so much of it obviously changes daily. It's not long by any means, eight starters and five mains along with a few sides and desserts. There's also a specials board, from memory there's about four or five mixed dishes on this as well. It certainly isn't cheap either, (country pork terrine starter £8.95, pork chop main £15.50), and when you consider there's the old "discretionary" service charge of 12.5% on top because we had the temerity to be in a party bigger than six, it certainly starts to rack up fairly quickly.
The guys all went with Harvey's bitter (4%, £3.75 a pint, again not exactly chirpy) and the ladies all went with bottles of wine. The service was efficient enough without being massively over-attentive or smiley, but within about 15 minutes or so we were getting bread and starters. The bread was lovely, and of the starters I tasted all were excellent and I think mine was the best (which doesn't happen often). I had a rare roast beef salad with harseradish cream, and as I say it was flipping lovely. There was probably more horseradish than you need, but the beef was beautiful and there was a fair old whack of it too (£8.75 plus 12.5%). I also tried some of the curried parsnip soup which was good (£5.50 plus 12.5%), and some parma ham and poached pear (£8.95 plus 12.5%).
For a main I went with a grilled chicken breast with lentils off the board. It was a really tasty dish, and once again all the different mains I tasted were very good. The cheapest main was a Lamb neck (£15.25 plus 12.5%), and like I say this was pretty near faultless cooking in every dish. The service by this stage was becoming slightly more functional as the staff were coming under a bit of pressure, but overall the girls who were serving us were efficient without ever being particularly smiley or friendly. A couple of people went with cheeseboards afterwards, one or two had desserts but as I'd eaten the best part of a basket of bread I was pretty full so I swerved it.
It's easy to see why the Alglesea Arms has such a good reputation, the food is outstanding. It's up there and comparable with the very best in London pubs in my view, the fact that it was packed on a Wednesday night while other pubs around it were empty illustrates that. If though they are going to charge at the very top end of the scale as they do, and if they are going to lump a 12.5% service charge in as well, I'd expect and hope for service which is more than just taking an order/dropping a plate off. To do that they need in my opinion to employ one more waitress during the busy periods to give the staff more time. The other alternative of course would be to drop the 12.5 "discretionary" service charge altogether, then let everyone tip on merit of good service.
All in all though I'm glad I went to the Angelsea Arms. It does great food. You should go too, just make sure there's not more than five in your party. If there is, sit on two tables which have an 18 inch gap between them and pretend you don't know each other. That way, you'll be able to decide on your own tip level.
The menu was printed on paper and dated, so much of it obviously changes daily. It's not long by any means, eight starters and five mains along with a few sides and desserts. There's also a specials board, from memory there's about four or five mixed dishes on this as well. It certainly isn't cheap either, (country pork terrine starter £8.95, pork chop main £15.50), and when you consider there's the old "discretionary" service charge of 12.5% on top because we had the temerity to be in a party bigger than six, it certainly starts to rack up fairly quickly.
The guys all went with Harvey's bitter (4%, £3.75 a pint, again not exactly chirpy) and the ladies all went with bottles of wine. The service was efficient enough without being massively over-attentive or smiley, but within about 15 minutes or so we were getting bread and starters. The bread was lovely, and of the starters I tasted all were excellent and I think mine was the best (which doesn't happen often). I had a rare roast beef salad with harseradish cream, and as I say it was flipping lovely. There was probably more horseradish than you need, but the beef was beautiful and there was a fair old whack of it too (£8.75 plus 12.5%). I also tried some of the curried parsnip soup which was good (£5.50 plus 12.5%), and some parma ham and poached pear (£8.95 plus 12.5%).
For a main I went with a grilled chicken breast with lentils off the board. It was a really tasty dish, and once again all the different mains I tasted were very good. The cheapest main was a Lamb neck (£15.25 plus 12.5%), and like I say this was pretty near faultless cooking in every dish. The service by this stage was becoming slightly more functional as the staff were coming under a bit of pressure, but overall the girls who were serving us were efficient without ever being particularly smiley or friendly. A couple of people went with cheeseboards afterwards, one or two had desserts but as I'd eaten the best part of a basket of bread I was pretty full so I swerved it.
It's easy to see why the Alglesea Arms has such a good reputation, the food is outstanding. It's up there and comparable with the very best in London pubs in my view, the fact that it was packed on a Wednesday night while other pubs around it were empty illustrates that. If though they are going to charge at the very top end of the scale as they do, and if they are going to lump a 12.5% service charge in as well, I'd expect and hope for service which is more than just taking an order/dropping a plate off. To do that they need in my opinion to employ one more waitress during the busy periods to give the staff more time. The other alternative of course would be to drop the 12.5 "discretionary" service charge altogether, then let everyone tip on merit of good service.
All in all though I'm glad I went to the Angelsea Arms. It does great food. You should go too, just make sure there's not more than five in your party. If there is, sit on two tables which have an 18 inch gap between them and pretend you don't know each other. That way, you'll be able to decide on your own tip level.
Drinks at the Hampshire Hog-the14thefrog review.
I'd been meaning to go to the Hampshire Hog ever since Ed and the crew from The Engineer took on the lease. The Engineer had been a hugely successful gastro outlet and former home of our current head chef (David Ahern, @corkgourmetguy) so we always had a passing interest in the people from there. It made the national trade headlines when Mitchell & Butler decided to take the pub back into the managed house division. The great and the good from Primrose Hill were up in arms, and the celebrities amongst them ensured the campaign recieved maximum publicity. Go back into managed it did though, so Ed and his team decamped and took on a new lease, this time at the Hampshire Hog.
So when we found ourselves in Hammersmith three weeks after it had opened, it seemed rude not to at least stick our heads around the door and say hello. Our party had made prior plans to eat elsewhere, but nontheless given the place is a "pub and pantry" we decided to bob in for a couple of beers.
The first thing which strikes you when you walk in is that the interior is very white, really white. It's kind of cool/minimalist and on the Wednesday night we visited all of the front area was full. The second thing which struck me is that the bar servery is really small. I think this is because they've utilised the right hand bar as a "pantry" which is a nice idea, looks a bit like a posh deli. If it was me I wouldn't do that, I'd make it back into a bar and do cocktails as well as real ale in jugs, cloudy cider, mulled wine and all that stuff, but that's probably just me. I'd also have some bloke no doubt called Nige' who dropped by to strum away on his acoustic from time to time, but once again it's probably just a personal thing.
Anyway back to real life. On our visit there was a little fella behind the who was fair enough, but plonked in the middle of the serving area was a female member of staff on her laptop. To her right was one of those little blackboard signs with the annoying "No service here" written on it. This was a bit pointless in reality as it was surrounded by empty glasses anyway. There were plenty of other staff working, but despite all of them looking cool enough to feature in a Calvin Klein/Gap ad' (seriously some of them were really uber, uber cool), none of them showed any inclination whatsoever to actually work behind the bar itself. The net result of all this was that a) you couldn't actually get served, and b) although we had been waiting five minutes a newly arrived female punter got served before us. The drinks were reasonably priced and nicely served though when we did get them so no complaints at all there, I think the fella behind the jump just hadn't noticed us, it happens. The "laptop in the middle of the bar" routine though is bollocks frankly, it simply has to be said.
Other than that, I quite liked the gaff but if did feel more like a restaurant with a bar rather than a pub with a restaurant. This maybe intentional for all I know, and I must say the food which was coming out looked great. I would change the "pantry" side of things to address that and to warm the experience up a bit, and I'd also let the staff know that such uber coolness sometimes needs softening with a few more smiles and welcoming looks. Those of us who are uber uncool (and there's a lot of us out there) sometimes like to feel like we're part of the gang, rather than a visitor who is kind of welcome as long as he borrows his cup of sugar and buggers off sharpish kind of way.
We will go back to sample the excellent looking food and to see Ed who's a great guy. It's only just opened and they've had some teething problems with equipment, energy supply and stuff so it could well that this explains the slight lack of wow factor from the bar of things. I think they'll get ti right though, and Chiswick/Hammersmith will be lucky indeed if they end up with another Engineer on their doorstep.
So when we found ourselves in Hammersmith three weeks after it had opened, it seemed rude not to at least stick our heads around the door and say hello. Our party had made prior plans to eat elsewhere, but nontheless given the place is a "pub and pantry" we decided to bob in for a couple of beers.
The first thing which strikes you when you walk in is that the interior is very white, really white. It's kind of cool/minimalist and on the Wednesday night we visited all of the front area was full. The second thing which struck me is that the bar servery is really small. I think this is because they've utilised the right hand bar as a "pantry" which is a nice idea, looks a bit like a posh deli. If it was me I wouldn't do that, I'd make it back into a bar and do cocktails as well as real ale in jugs, cloudy cider, mulled wine and all that stuff, but that's probably just me. I'd also have some bloke no doubt called Nige' who dropped by to strum away on his acoustic from time to time, but once again it's probably just a personal thing.
Anyway back to real life. On our visit there was a little fella behind the who was fair enough, but plonked in the middle of the serving area was a female member of staff on her laptop. To her right was one of those little blackboard signs with the annoying "No service here" written on it. This was a bit pointless in reality as it was surrounded by empty glasses anyway. There were plenty of other staff working, but despite all of them looking cool enough to feature in a Calvin Klein/Gap ad' (seriously some of them were really uber, uber cool), none of them showed any inclination whatsoever to actually work behind the bar itself. The net result of all this was that a) you couldn't actually get served, and b) although we had been waiting five minutes a newly arrived female punter got served before us. The drinks were reasonably priced and nicely served though when we did get them so no complaints at all there, I think the fella behind the jump just hadn't noticed us, it happens. The "laptop in the middle of the bar" routine though is bollocks frankly, it simply has to be said.
Other than that, I quite liked the gaff but if did feel more like a restaurant with a bar rather than a pub with a restaurant. This maybe intentional for all I know, and I must say the food which was coming out looked great. I would change the "pantry" side of things to address that and to warm the experience up a bit, and I'd also let the staff know that such uber coolness sometimes needs softening with a few more smiles and welcoming looks. Those of us who are uber uncool (and there's a lot of us out there) sometimes like to feel like we're part of the gang, rather than a visitor who is kind of welcome as long as he borrows his cup of sugar and buggers off sharpish kind of way.
We will go back to sample the excellent looking food and to see Ed who's a great guy. It's only just opened and they've had some teething problems with equipment, energy supply and stuff so it could well that this explains the slight lack of wow factor from the bar of things. I think they'll get ti right though, and Chiswick/Hammersmith will be lucky indeed if they end up with another Engineer on their doorstep.
Lunch at the Orange Tree, Richmond-The @14thefrog review.
I once worked in the Orange Tree, about 16 years ago. Me and Sarah were trainee managers then, and they used to get all the trainees together on rugby days to give them a bit of "character building" by letting them experience a properly busy pub. I'm not sure it overly contributed to the construction of my character such as it is, but it was a fun day anyway and unbelieveably busy. England v Ireland it was, and my first order was "19 pints of Guinness" to a fella with ginger hair and a tweed jacket on.
Most people who live in South West London would have an Orange Tree story. "Iconic" is an overused word when it comes to pubs, but for some it is appropriate and the Orange Tree is one. It's famous for its rugby days, just like The Dog and Fox is famous for the tennis fortnight, and I suppose whatever happens that will always be the case. All that said, there's only only one tennis fortnight a year just like there's only so many rugby matches, and both of these great pubs deserve to be taken seriously for the whole of the 52 weeks.
The Orange tree has at its helm these days one of the best operators in the in the industry in Oisin Rogers, "Osh" to his normal mates, "Ohsh" to his posher ones. He also runs the famous (and iconic) Ship in Wandsworth, and is bringing a large amount of his award winning expertese and know-how to bear on the Orange Tree. The result is a revamp of the pub area which has given the place a completely new look. Gone is the dark and dingy "stain resistant" rear area with easily removeable furniture, and in is a light and airy new feel. Still traditional in its way, but more homely and appealling, more of a contempory dining area.
The menu comes up hand written on an A3 (I think) piece of paper. It contains all the old pub classics, but in sharer/tapas sizes as well as the normal plate-buster options. The prices range from about a fiver to around a tenner. I tried the signature (and very good) warm scotch eggs, the fish and chips in crispy batter, burgers homemade with a pink middle and lovely flavour, a chicken burger which looked a bit like a KFC fillet burger with its homemade crispy coating, a really unctious macaroni cheese and a really clever "Atkins" dish of steak and eggs. The chips (home-made and top notch) come in these really cute little baskets with greaseproof paper in. Everything was really top quality, my personal favourite being the macaroni cheese. My only criticism would be I'd like a big hunk of crusty bread on the side, but maybe that's just me. It was really top quality pub food for which I'd be prepared to go out of my way for. Generally, it all looks like it's pitched about right to me. There are loads of poncey restaurants in the immediate vicinity if you fancy that sort of thing, so the Orange Tree has got smart and given itself a real point of difference with it's homely menu which is keenly priced.
I ought to really add a couple of points here in the interests of fairness. I should declare an interest that The Orange Tree is owned by the same umbrella company which the Alexandra (our pub) is owned by. Equally, it is only fair to point out that Osh is a mate and therefore I would find it difficult to be highly critical. That said if it was crap I wouldn't review it, pure and simple. If it was average I'd say so (I think our scotch egg is better for instance). It isn't crap though, it isn't average either, it's really good and if you go I've no doubts at all you'll agree.
As a footnote to the footnote anyone who says ginger haired people aren't attractive should meet Jo who runs the gaff (I think). She's very lovely, smiley and uber-efficient, staff traits which are typical of this particular operator. Osh is going to do the basement area up next, and it's long overdue. When it's done I'm going to go back, it's worth it just for the macaroni cheese and to get the smile from the staff. I'll tell 'em I'm coming so they can get some crusty bread in.
Most people who live in South West London would have an Orange Tree story. "Iconic" is an overused word when it comes to pubs, but for some it is appropriate and the Orange Tree is one. It's famous for its rugby days, just like The Dog and Fox is famous for the tennis fortnight, and I suppose whatever happens that will always be the case. All that said, there's only only one tennis fortnight a year just like there's only so many rugby matches, and both of these great pubs deserve to be taken seriously for the whole of the 52 weeks.
The Orange tree has at its helm these days one of the best operators in the in the industry in Oisin Rogers, "Osh" to his normal mates, "Ohsh" to his posher ones. He also runs the famous (and iconic) Ship in Wandsworth, and is bringing a large amount of his award winning expertese and know-how to bear on the Orange Tree. The result is a revamp of the pub area which has given the place a completely new look. Gone is the dark and dingy "stain resistant" rear area with easily removeable furniture, and in is a light and airy new feel. Still traditional in its way, but more homely and appealling, more of a contempory dining area.
The menu comes up hand written on an A3 (I think) piece of paper. It contains all the old pub classics, but in sharer/tapas sizes as well as the normal plate-buster options. The prices range from about a fiver to around a tenner. I tried the signature (and very good) warm scotch eggs, the fish and chips in crispy batter, burgers homemade with a pink middle and lovely flavour, a chicken burger which looked a bit like a KFC fillet burger with its homemade crispy coating, a really unctious macaroni cheese and a really clever "Atkins" dish of steak and eggs. The chips (home-made and top notch) come in these really cute little baskets with greaseproof paper in. Everything was really top quality, my personal favourite being the macaroni cheese. My only criticism would be I'd like a big hunk of crusty bread on the side, but maybe that's just me. It was really top quality pub food for which I'd be prepared to go out of my way for. Generally, it all looks like it's pitched about right to me. There are loads of poncey restaurants in the immediate vicinity if you fancy that sort of thing, so the Orange Tree has got smart and given itself a real point of difference with it's homely menu which is keenly priced.
I ought to really add a couple of points here in the interests of fairness. I should declare an interest that The Orange Tree is owned by the same umbrella company which the Alexandra (our pub) is owned by. Equally, it is only fair to point out that Osh is a mate and therefore I would find it difficult to be highly critical. That said if it was crap I wouldn't review it, pure and simple. If it was average I'd say so (I think our scotch egg is better for instance). It isn't crap though, it isn't average either, it's really good and if you go I've no doubts at all you'll agree.
As a footnote to the footnote anyone who says ginger haired people aren't attractive should meet Jo who runs the gaff (I think). She's very lovely, smiley and uber-efficient, staff traits which are typical of this particular operator. Osh is going to do the basement area up next, and it's long overdue. When it's done I'm going to go back, it's worth it just for the macaroni cheese and to get the smile from the staff. I'll tell 'em I'm coming so they can get some crusty bread in.
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