Anchor & Hope, Waterloo

[robyn]

That sounds like a great meal. I've found lamb sweetbreads extremely diifficult to get hold of amongst butchers and the Borough mkt lot. I was told (by the Herdwick lamb people) that the sweetbreads are so small, they're not worth it to extract. Also, they go off faster than the regular meats - so you were lucky indeed to find them on the menu. How were they prepared?

I don't know how to cook sweetbreads. I leave it to the experts. So I don't know if there's any pre-preparation (like some par boiling). At the end though - these were sauteed - and mixed into a very light kind of stew. With veggies - like really terrific carrots (probably steamed or boiled) - and beans. You're right that they're small (not microscopic - perhaps 1-2 inches - but very unlike the 1 very large sweetbread - perhaps 4 inches in length - I had at Menu - which was lightly fried).

It was a terrific meal. I can't tell you how much we enjoyed almost everything we ate in London. Except that everything was almost twice as expensive as at home (we decided that basically ererything that cost a dollar at home cost a pound in the UK - except that the pound is $1.80!).

I will be getting around to posting everything we ate eventually. Just curious for another thread I'll be posting in - has anyone eaten at a place called La Fromagerie (think that's the way it's spelled). We ate lunch there after going to a food market near High Marylebone Road. Hope to write up that afternoon next. Robyn

[MobyP]

You mean Marylebone High Street - Patricia's place La Fromagerie is famous in London - her cheeses are on 3/4's of the high end menus (Aikens, for example). Her original shop is up in Islington. I guess in the last year she opened the bigger place off Marylebone High Street (next to the great Ginger Pig) with that long table so people can sit down. I've never eaten there, but they do sell the best pancetta tesa in the world (which they bring over from Italy regularly). It's pretty expensive, but the much of the food is immaculate.

[CheGuevara]

[i don't know how to cook sweetbreads. I leave it to the experts. So I don't know if there's any pre-preparation (like some par boiling). At the end though - these were sauteed - and mixed into a very light kind of stew. With veggies - like really terrific carrots (probably steamed or boiled) - and beans. You're right that they're small (not microscopic - perhaps 1-2 inches - but very unlike the 1 very large sweetbread - perhaps 4 inches in length - I had at Menu - which was lightly fried).

the best sweetbreads are the ones denominated "from the heart" - which lie in the thorax, vs. the more common ones found in the throat. at least that is how we call them in argentina.

sweetbreads are one of those cuts which seem complex and difficult to work with, but are actually quite simple. the traditional way of preparing sweetbreads is on the grill. you need to remove the "veins" or excess fat, clean them under water, and place in water until ready to grill. grill them whole, with a little salt, on both sides. once they are nicely grilled, butterfly open and grill on the inside. finish off with salt and serve with lemon wedges. i sould venture to say that the majority in argentina favour mollejas over any other offal or cut of beef in a bbq - they are an absolute marvel when done right.

second option is to parboil them - they will let off a lot of scum - (i would do this with ones purchased here unless very fresh) for about 3 - 5 minutes...very hard to oversook them, as they need to be well done. remove, cut into slices (thickness to taste), and grill. you can also use the broiler if you dont want to bbq them.

good sweetbreads should not be covered up in sauce and/or other ingredients.

enjoy!

-franco

[Suzi Edwards]

this is the year of the sweetbread for me. i'd never had them until my trip to the fat duck in january...and now i'm having them whenever i can. that said, i think the chef at sketch could do well to follow your instructions che, the ones i had on friday night (scented with cinnamon) left a lot to be desired. it was one long piece...about maybe five inches long, perhaps larger. which sweetbread would that be?

[Winot]

it was one long piece...about maybe five inches long, perhaps larger. which sweetbread would that be?

ET?

[MobyP]

Lizard. Or maybe goat.

[Suzi Edwards]

thanks for that mobes. it said lamb on the menu, but i was thinking which organ, not which animal....

[robyn]

You mean Marylebone High Street - Patricia's place La Fromagerie is famous in London - her cheeses are on 3/4's of the high end menus (Aikens, for example). Her original shop is up in Islington. I guess in the last year she opened the bigger place off Marylebone High Street (next to the great Ginger Pig) with that long table so people can sit down. I've never eaten there, but they do sell the best pancetta tesa in the world (which they bring over from Italy regularly). It's pretty expensive, but the much of the food is immaculate.

I figured La Fromagerie wasn't exactly undiscovered . But we stumbled on it. Late that morning (Sunday) - we went to the open air food market across the street. Just planning to look around and perhaps get some food to eat there. But the market was rather small (although the samples we had were very tasty) - and the only hot food was sausage which wasn't ready. So we went across the street - and "found" La Fromagerie.

Sat at one of the small tables - not the long one. Had 2 specials which were sitting in plain view. One was a salad of fresh peas (couldn't get enough fresh peas this visit), asparagus and fennel. The other was a veggie lasagna in phyllo. Both excellent - but not very filling. So we had a small cheese plate. The cheeses were exquisite - absolutely perfect.

I am not surprised that the place furnishes cheeses to high end restaurants. I am surprised that I read a message about Tom Aikens serving mediocre cheese - including an unripe Epoisses - because I don't think this place would sell either. With a beer and a glass of wine - lunch came to $80 (about 45 pounds). That's expensive in my book too - but by Sunday we were so shell-shocked by the high restaurant prices in general that it didn't bother us.

After we ate - we went shopping on Marylebone High Street (really liked the design stores and was pleasantly surprised that almost everything was open on Sunday). Then we walked to Regent's Park to look at/smell the roses (they were magnificent). Then we walked to Speaker's Corner and listened to everyone dissing the US (which is what we expected). And by the time we got back to the hotel - we figured we had walked off the calories in lunch . It was a very nice lazy Sunday - incorporating much of what I love about London. Robyn

[robyn]

the best sweetbreads are the ones denominated "from the heart" - which lie in the thorax, vs. the more common ones found in the throat. at least that is how we call them in argentina.

sweetbreads are one of those cuts which seem complex and difficult to work with, but are actually quite simple. the traditional way of preparing sweetbreads is on the grill. you need to remove the "veins" or excess fat, clean them under water, and place in water until ready to grill. grill them whole, with a little salt, on both sides. once they are nicely grilled, butterfly open and grill on the inside. finish off with salt and serve with lemon wedges. i sould venture to say that the majority in argentina favour mollejas over any other offal or cut of beef in a bbq - they are an absolute marvel when done right.

second option is to parboil them - they will let off a lot of scum - (i would do this with ones purchased here unless very fresh) for about 3 - 5 minutes...very hard to oversook them, as they need to be well done. remove, cut into slices (thickness to taste), and grill. you can also use the broiler if you dont want to bbq them.

good sweetbreads should not be covered up in sauce and/or other ingredients.

enjoy!

-franco

That's interesting. My husband and I both love sweetbreads - but I can't recall ever having them grilled. I suspect that's because I've never eaten them in a parrillada . Sounds delicious though.

And I don't think I'll ever make them myself because I don't think there's anyone who sells them where I live. They will remain an infrequent treat that we eat when we travel. Robyn

[MobyP]

When I was in California, Wholefoods ordered some for me at special arrangement (as well as other odd items). If there's one near you, you might be lucky.

They're not difficult or complicated to deal with, once you get past the initial oddness of new anatomy.

[robyn]

When I was in California, Wholefoods ordered some for me at special arrangement (as well as other odd items). If there's one near you, you might be lucky.

They're not difficult or complicated to deal with, once you get past the initial oddness of new anatomy.

Nearest Wholefoods is about 300 miles from here. The only time the area I live will be famous is next January - when we host the Super Bowl. I suspect it will be the proverbial 15 minutes of fame . Robyn

[howardlong]

Seriously considering going to the A&H tonight for the first time on my way home from work. Should get there at 5:30pm. Two questions...

1) A colleague of mine is intending to go to the Royal Festival Hall for a 7:45 perfomance after eating - is this do-able if we get lucky on an early table?

2) Is it mostly meat or is there much fish on the menu usually?

Cheers, Howard

[Winot]

1) A colleague of mine is intending to go to the Royal Festival Hall for a 7:45 perfomance after eating - is this do-able if we get lucky on an early table?

Yes, done it lots of times (we normally go to the A&H before the National Theatre). Some tips:

- Make sure you get your name on the restaurant list as soon as you get to the pub

- They don't let you sit down until all your party are there unless you order for the missing people.

- Let them know what time you need to be out when ordering.

- Push them for the bill as early as possible : in my experience this is where they fall down and it can get a bit rushed.

2) Is it mostly meat or is there much fish on the menu usually?

Mostly meat although some veg/fish. Think St. John in style.

Have fun.

W.

Edited June 17, 2004 by Winot (log)

[Janice]

Given the football is on, I think you'll be fine tonight.

We were there on Saturday, and it was quieter than usual even though England weren't playing that evening.

Food was great and there was plenty of fish on the menu. Crab on toast as a starter was particularly tasty.

Hope you like it

Janice

[howardlong]

Thanks to all for the heads-up. We all eventually arrived at 17:40, and I promptly put us down on the list.

I ordered a bottle of French Sauvignon Blanc at the bar for the four of us for £14 which was OK but not really cold enough. Sorry I wasn't concentrating so I didn't get the region, but I would stab an educated guess at it being Longuedoc purely from the way it was specifically described as being Sauv Blanc on the bottle itself - very unlikely for a Loire. It was also very much more in the Marlborough style rather than Pouilly Fume or Sancerre.

At 17:58, about a dozen folks in about four different groups huddled expectantly at the restaurant entrance in the bar: reminded me of waiting for a soup kitchen to open! I am lost as to why they were doing this, after all the staff come around to where you're sitting and invite you into restaurant when they're ready for you. Lining up isn't going to help.

One annoyance was that a guy who was obviously well known to the staff waltzed in at 17:55 and was first in - still, we all get preferential treatment sometimes.

Arriving on a football night was the best stroke of luck I ever had. The four of us were shown to our table at 18:05. We told them we were due to go to the theatre, and they took that into account. Although I was up for a starter and main, the other diners were not so sure due to the timing, so we ended up having a single course. Two had a deep fried squid starter (£6), one had a spanish ham starter (£6, like a Parma ham salad) and I had a pork special main (£12). He had a couple of green salads too.

I think that you could still comfortably managed two courses and make it to the theatre.

I have finally discovered that cameras on cell phones do have a function, for here is my pork dish...

I stumbled upon an excellent (for the money) French Longuedoc Chardonnay (Toques et Clochers Limoux Haute Vallee 2000). Well balanced, not too oaky and more than a hint of vanilla. For £21 well worth every penny, although I see it's only £9 on line.

My fellow diners were all very pleasantly surprised at how good the food was, especially the squid. The squid was not like your usual heavily battered rings. It was very lightly deep fried, and was the whole small squid body, together with the ink.

My pork was yummy, in particular the scratchings!

Sixty quid (they forgot to charge us for the Sauv Blanc) plus service for four.

I think that the haphazard booking arrangements are a big let down. It's not at all clear what the drill is. Two diners who'd plonked themselves down unawares in the restaurant were marched out.

I think that expecting your customers to guess what the esoteric dining etiquette is is not at all condusive to encouraging new clientele.

I am sure I'll return as I often pass it on the way home from work, but I'll choose a football night again.

Cheers, Howard

Edited June 18, 2004 by howardlong (log)

[robyn]

I have finally discovered that cameras on cell phones do have a function, for here is my pork dish...

Funny you mention that. When I was taking photos of the food at 140 Park Lane - one of the staff members was taking photos of the same food with a cell phone! First time I'd ever seen that. Even though I'm an old fart (relatively speaking) - I'm willing to learn . Robyn

[Romaney O'Malley]

Dinner at the Anchor last night. Had to wait an hour and a half for a table to it's as popular as ever.

I really enjoyed our evening it's great summer venue. Drinks in the bar to start. I like how they chill their glasses it's a nice extra and makes for a lovely chilly G&T (I felt guilty not going for a sherry but took a sledgehammer to my palate instead )

at 7.45 we were seated at a table next to the open windows which was an added bonus. The menu had me drooling so will get on with it.

I chose a salad of marinated salt cod, peppers and aioli followed by roast beef rump, green beans and anchovy. My companion ordered spanish ham and melon followed by roast leg of lamb with braised veggies.

The salad was delicious. Touch too much dressing for me but lovely tender chunks of salt cod and big strips of juicy roasted peppers. The base of the salad was rocket and it was presented all mixed together. I thought this was a good combination. The ham and melon was okay. The melon was perfect but I thought the ham might have been the last of a leg - still lovely flavour.

My friend's lamb was perfectly cooked and came with a big dollop of chopped herbs in olive oil - same texture as salsa verde but just herbs. The veggies were melting and sweet and included some scrumptious fennel. My beef came at room temperature as the waiter had informed me and was three good quality pieces of rump with a thick layer of fat that was crispy on the outside (yum yum). It had been left out a bit long though and so had dried out a bit but was full of flavour and the fat providing some necessary moisture. The beans and anchovies were just that and were yummy. We shared a carafe of Portugese red (sorry forgot the name) which was well suited to our mains - good and robust.

We were to full for dessert. Service was great and total bill came to £70 including 15% tip, wine, 2 large bottles of min water and two G&Ts.

They are closed from the 15th of August to the 30th of August.

Full menu as follows:

Dinner 12.08.04

Rossini £4

Lettuce, pea and ham soup £4.80

Leeks, feta and pine nuts £5.40

Terrine £5.20

Fois Gras Terrine £10.00

Beetroot, horseradish and watercress £5.00

Cuttlefish risotto £6.80

Spanish ham and melon £6.80

Smoked herring and potato salad £5.00

Warm snail and bacon salad £6.40

Grilled lemon sole, tomato and cucumber salad £14.00

Griddled sea trout, lettuce, peas and ham £13.60

Tomatoes and goat's curd on toast £10.80

Pigeon, semolin gnocchi and field mushrooms £11.80

Roast leg of lamb, braised vegetables and herbs £14.00

Vitello tonnato £13.80

Roast rump of beef, green beans and anchovy £15.80

Tamworth chump, bacon , turnips and prunes for four £60.00

Green salad £3.20

Lentils £2.40

Greens £2.00

Corn on the cob £2.20

New potatoes £3.00

Buttermilk pudding and summer fruits £4.60

Greengage tart £5.00

Lemon curd cake £5.00

Caramel ice cream £4.00

Watermelon £2.80

Cheese £6.40

Edited for spelling

Edited August 13, 2004 by Romaney O'Malley (log)

[alexhills]

i ate here a few nights ago and had a really good time. getting a table was no big problem, got there at 5.30ish and said i wanted a table for 2 and we were seated as soon as the dining room opened. it loooked a lot more hectic by the time we left though. the food was pretty great, no frills or showiness. i had a snail and bacon salad to start, which also had some roast red onions in, excellent very smokey bacon to go with. the snails added a good deal texture-wise, very soft and not at all chewy, but were pretty much perphiral to the flavor, i guess that the way with those little molluscs anyway... my brother's smoked sprats with horseradish were good and somehow felt very victorian!! we then shared a beef rib with chips and bernaise, the meat was really very good indeed - a massive slab with a beautifully seasoned outside and very rare in the middle, chips extremely thickcut and crisp, the bernaise could have been a little sharper i thought. had a chocolate pot for dessert that was good and very dense without being anything out of the ordinary.

drank a very good bottle of corbieres, thick, almost acidic and very alcoholic tasting but just perfect for the meat, then some nice armangac, then some somerset cider brandy the waiter suggested, very surprising, reminded me of the kind of exaggerated and slightly salty taste you get from dried apples, delicious though. an excellent though in the end rather pricey - blame the booze - meal. i'm going to go to st.john's bread and wine next week, be very interesting to compare the two...

[Janice]

I was there a week or so ago. We arrived at 7 and waited about half an hour for a table from a very comfortable spot at the bar.

The food was great. For starters we had smoked herring with russian salad and braised(?) lambs' tongues with some green stuff that I can't quite recall but I think involved spring onions - very juicy and tasty and not as scary as it sounds...

The main course was the highlight though - roast sea bass for two with anchovy sauce served in a little saucepan alongside. It also came with cauliflower and marrow dressed with capers. The sea bass was perfectly cooked and the whole combination was very successful.

Couldn't find room for pudding...

[Romaney O'Malley]

Think your menus sound better! Would definitely have had the rib or beef or the sea bass. The salt cod was really lovely though

The table wait didn't bother me so didn't mean to sound like it did. The staff were really nice and we just sat at a table by the window and people watched and drank lots of gin - I love summer in London

[Winot]

Quick pre-theatre meal and A&H on Friday. I had the grouse which seems pretty good value at £21 for a decent sized bird, entrails on toast, a good portion of watercress and bread sauce. The meat was rare and gamey, quite bloody but perfect for my taste. Didn't think much of the sauce but I think that's just me.

Other three all had fennel and comte gratin at about a tenner which was wolfed down - I didn't get a look in. That said, 2 of them were veggies so I guess they weren't interested in swapsies.

After getting all nervous about being in and out in time to get to the National they weren't actually full, and were very speedy at bringing the bill. They seem to have cottoned on to the fact that they attract a pre-theatre crowd and are getting their act together in this regard.

Great nosh and charming service as ever. Just wish they'd ditch those crappy little tumblers for the wine.

W.

Edited October 25, 2004 by Winot (log)

[Andy Lynes]

I have yet to eat at Anchor and Hope but I dropped in recently whilst showing a restaurateur from Vancouver around London's hot spots. I have to say that I was amazed quite how basic the place was, it reminded me of the sort of "estate" pubs I used to avoid going to in Portsmouth for fear of getting beaten up. I am no snob, but I can't seriously see myself going back there in a hurry, no matter how good the grub is.

[Winot]

I have yet to eat at Anchor and Hope but I dropped in recently whilst showing a restaurateur from Vancouver around London's hot spots. I have to say that I was amazed quite how basic the place was, it reminded me of the sort of "estate" pubs I used to avoid going to in Portsmouth for fear of getting beaten up. I am no snob, but I can't seriously see myself going back there in a hurry, no matter how good the grub is.

←

Andy, I'm surprised at you. To most of the diners in Anchor & Hope an "estate" is the place in Scotland where they go to shoot game. A hard coastal lad like you has got nothing to worry about. Besides, you'd be missing out on a great gastro experience.

[Andy Lynes]

A hard coastal lad like you has got nothing to worry about.  Besides, you'd be missing out on a great gastro experience.

←

That's the first time in my life that I've ever been described as a "hard", I suppose I ought to be flattered. The place was full with a very middle class wedding party when I popped in so I wasn't in fear of my life or anything, but the thought of trudging all the way to Waterloo to spend the evening in those surroundings is a bit depressing.

[robyn]

I have yet to eat at Anchor and Hope but I dropped in recently whilst showing a restaurateur from Vancouver around London's hot spots. I have to say that I was amazed quite how basic the place was, it reminded me of the sort of "estate" pubs I used to avoid going to in Portsmouth for fear of getting beaten up. I am no snob, but I can't seriously see myself going back there in a hurry, no matter how good the grub is.

←

I'm surprised at you! I'm an upper middle age upper middle class woman from Florida - and the only thing that was "hard" in the place were the chairs. OK - they didn't exactly spend a fortune on decorating - but my husband and I felt very comfortable there at lunchtime - next to a few tables full of professionals taking a work break and ladies getting together for a "let's catch up on gossip" meal. It's not as if you walk in and everyone (or anyone) is a punk rocker with purple hair and multiple body piercings. Plus the place is very convenient to the Tate Modern (only a 5-10 minute walk) - so it's ideal for tourists like us. Only possible minus is I don't think the place has airconditioning - so it wouldn't be high on my list on a really hot day. Robyn