Perseverance

[magnolia]

Circeplum suggested Perseverance 63 Lamb's Conduit Street awhile ago - same 'hood as Cigala and Embassy - and it's really good. Raucous and cosy pub downstairs. I'm not a beer person but my crowd was pleased with the selections (I'll edit in the options later, as my 'sources' are still asleep..)

Once you haul yourself up the rickety stairs by holding onto the flocked wallpaper, you enter an oasis of calm, a handful of tables overlooking Great Ormond St complex. Menu proclaims Justin Saunders as chef. Name rings a bell but I'm not sure why.

I didn't take notes so this is from memory - starters between £6-8 included stuffed piquilo pepper, marinated artichoke & roasted tomatoes; gazpacho; mushroom risotto; ham-hock and foie terrine with girolles; and some others. I can't comment on any of them except the ham-hock & foie terrine because all of us had it, even though I called it first.

It was a very generous portion and served with good, warm, thick slices of toast. Obviously they know where to get their bread

Mains, between £12-16 included: sea bass; rump of lamb; duck confit; steak; and scallops. Sorry I can't remember the preparations/ accompaniments very well! I had the scallops, which were large and juicy, served with white asparagus and what was meant to be fennel purée (but which wasn't puréed, though I don't like fennel so I left it anyway) in an orange/vanilla "vinaigrette" which 'made' the dish. I'd like the recipe.

There were about five scallops, I could have done with a couple more but I ate some of the duck confit that Friend ordered - juicy, oozy, wrapped in pancetta - excellent sweet & salty combination, served with bitter mixed leaves. A couple of bites and I was sated. The steak person said his was perfect. We then all dug into a vanilla crème brûlee which was huge and just as it is meant to be, I can usually take or leave cb, this one came with chocolate short bread, so I used that to scoop up the crème after Greedy had eaten off all the sugar topping.

As for wine: they had two bottles of a red (I'll edit this in later too) and I had a glass of Portugese white, which went very well with the scallops. All in £40 each, including service (we didn't have coffees or water) much of this down to the wine. Note they leave the 'gratuity' line in the bill even though service is included, I hate that but I'll forgive them - service is friendly and effective even though I think there was only one waiter and a manager/maitre d' type for the dining room. Booking is recommended, there was one table that was late and I overheard a debate between the waiter and manager over whether to give the table away - I think they kept it empty for 1/2 hour. Not sure whether the ultimate occupants were the latecomers or hopefuls.

[Tonyfinch]

Circeplum suggested Perseverance  63 Lamb's Conduit Street awhile ago -  same 'hood as Cigala and Embassy -

Minor correction. It's near Cigala but nowhere near Embassy ,which is opposite the Museum of Mankind near Bond St.

[circeplum]

really glad you liked it, magnolia. i think it's a class act and i love lambs conduit st anyway.

by the way, did you notice if the bizarre empire across the road (chocolate coated scorpions etc.) is still in business?

[Kikujiro]

by the way, did you notice if the bizarre empire across the road (chocolate coated scorpions etc.) is still in business?

It is but it's now called Myna Bird.

[circeplum]

by the way, did you notice if the bizarre empire across the road (chocolate coated scorpions etc.) is still in business?

It is but it's now called Myna Bird.

same lunatic menu?

(i can't believe anyone actually went there more than once ...)

(sorry about off-subjectness.)

[magnolia]

I didn't look at the menu but one of my friend works on Lambs Conduit and says the place is always empty.

[Thomas Secor]

The Myna Bird has a similar menu, with some more traditional asian entrees. Its always empty. I heard the original chefs and backers took off, maybe selling it to the manager or some such.

Now, on to the more important topic of the Perseverance. I have been to the Perseverance about a dozen times over the last year and a half and have recommended it to numerous people. The food has always been good. The beer selection has always been bad (Kronenbourg, usually one real ale London Pride or some such, Stella and, horror of horrors, Miller Genuine Draft). Over the last six months, mostly since they have moved the dining room upstairs, I have seen a significant fall off in the service, and to some extent, possibly as a result, a fall off in the quality of the food. The last three times I was there the service was intolerably slow (20 minutes to get our first beer on the last go round, and over an hour before our starters came out of the kitchen) and the food at times has been cold or appeared as if it had been sitting in a warming oven for a bit. This might be acceptable in a (gastro)pub but for the fact that there only about 15-20 covers, and the restaurant is not part of the pub, but self-contained upstairs with its own dedicated staff.

All in all, still a good bet, particularly if you are anticipating a leisurely evening and are not hungry when you go. However, I thought it was a more lively and enjoyable place and I thought the service was much much better when they served food downstairs in the pub area.

[dallardice]

Anyone been to the Independence, the Perseverance's sister, in Upper St, Islington nr Highbury Corner? Thought it might be a cut above the average Upper St places (not difficult)