Gastropub crawl

[Bloated]

Last night I went on a 'pub crawl' of three gastropubs in the Olympia/Shepherd's Bush area

starters at Cumberland Arms (Olympia end of North End Rd):

roast pumpkin soup with chili and yoghurt (£3.50): this was smooth, tasty and the garnishes olive oil, fresh tomato and yoghurt were improvements

fettucine with capers, chili, anchovy, and olives (£5.50): the fettucine was "undercooked" and the anchovies were not "melting"

the bread and dipping oil were poor

mains at Havelock Tavern (Masbro' Rd):

tortelloni filled with sweet potato and goat's cheese served with pinenuts, parmesan and rocket (£9): The tortelloni were very nice

curried pea and potato filo pastry with tzaziki, roast tomatoes and lettuce (£6): this was basically a samosa, OK tasting

bread here was excellent, with butter

desserts at Anglesea Arms (Wingate Rd):

poached pear with toasted gingerbread, chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream (£4.25): quite nice you had to have ice cream in every spoonful though, the other tastes were too powerful without it

buttermilk pudding with citrus coulis and biscotti (£4.25): very nice panna cotta style dessert, citrus appeared to be lemon

cappucino (£1.75): "not the proper foam" "burnt tasting"

no bread eaten here

a pleasant evening. The food was served promptly at all three pubs.

[MobyP]

A dedicated job, if you don't mind me saying. What made you chose all three? Was it the 'pub,' the 'crawling,' or the 'food' that decided it?

I'm glad you liked the tortellini at the Havelock. They pull through, in my opinion.

If you ever venture a little further south, I just had lunch at the Ebury - also a gastro pub. A foie gras/regular duck liver mousse, that was the best I've ever had. A generous ceviche of salmon with daikon and pangrattato and small fresh curry leaves. An unbelieveable slab of pork belly - the crackling was like a fragile pane of glass. Served with Robuchon style mash, and choucroute. Then some plump, juicy jumbo prawns - six I think - that were larger than any langoustine I've ever had (for a tenner - so quite a bargain).

I'd heard that the chef from the Blumenthal-connected brasserie in Brey was there - but he'd apparently left at New Years - to be replaced by a former chef from Chez Bruce (the manager told me the name, but it slips my mind). Giles Coren just reviewed it this weekend.

[Suzi Edwards]

i love the idea of a gastropub crawl.

checks wallet, loosens belt in anticipation.

[curlywurlyfi]

ooooh yes me too me too. love the idea of travelling dinner. didn't urbane suburban dwellers do them in the 70s between houses? (lots of fondue and melon balls methinks.) we could also go to The Atlas (Earl's Court 2 side of the Old Brompton Road). Mmmm, smoked salmon with tzatziki + bulghur wheat + green beans.

[MobyP]

Is that the appetiser, or pre-amuse?

And what's next?

[MobyP]

I just discovered that the Atlas, spoken of fondly in these pages, is literally crawling distance from where I live. It's like finding money in an old pair of jeans. So - I'm off to try that one out (Scott and Fi have both given it a recommendation).

And I want to keep this gastro-pub-crawl idea alive. Obviously it's a job for professionals and grown-ups, but I think I'm capable. I feel prepared. And my belt has at least one unused notch (there's a three-second echo in my wallet, but that's another issue entirely).

Maybe late feb?

Actually, there might be a game here. What was that mathematical problem chosing a path through the seven bridges of a city - Gottingen, was it? - for a travelling salesman, without crossing the same bridge twice. We could have an evening where someone has to connect three gastro pubs, all within access of each other, for three different courses - and the only rule is, you're not allowed to cross any bridge in Gottingen!

It'll be bigger than monopoly.

[curlywurlyfi]

and its name shall be calleth: Pub Club.

Fi

[Bloated]

Referring to the Giles Coren review of The Ebury- it seems to be a restaurant on a site previously occupied by a pub. Is this correct?

I prefer places where you order and pay at the bar myself- more informal

[MobyP]

You are correct in both, possibly all five, respects. Although the restaurant is actually upstairs - like the Oak used to be. Downstairs is a gastro-bar pretending to be a pub.

And after tasting the food, I'm inclined to give it the benefit of the doubt!