Relatively Fashionable Gastropub Report #1: The Anchor And Hope
Having missed out on the ‘4 Ox Heart sandwiches which were my planned breakfast on Saturday, I was pleased to return to the Anchor & Hope for some St John related goodness. I wasn’t going to post this here – I’m not sure why you’d be interested – but the UberPumpkinGruppenFuhrer said I had to. Maybe this is because he has seen the A&H getting citations and tips and awards left, right and centre. He’s a fashionable sort of fellow.
So we started by sharing a cuttlefish risotto: it was very black (do cuttlefish have ink too? Our Dutch friends seem to call them inktvis – I suppose this means ‘inkfish’ – so I suppose they do) with flecks of green parsley. Quite a lot of lemon made it sharp but there was also a bitter flavour in there, maybe lemon zest (“delicieux casseron…”) or even a bit o’ bitter gourd. The cuttlefishmeat itself was outrageously good, tender, and it’s always a treat to find a tentacle in your meal.*
Talking of tender: SLOW COOKED LAMB SO TENDER YOU BARELY HAD TO CHEW IT, served with minky old aubergines. I hate aubergines, but I’m assured they were very nice. Or: a lovely big roast leg of rabbit as part of “rabbit chorizo and peas.” The chorizo added a certain smokiness to the coney and the peas were chickpeas and other crazy pulses as well as actual peas. There was a pancetta element to this music also, and the juices this came in may have been the highlight of the meal. Lastly: “greens”. “What greens are they?” “Spring Cabbage.” “BRING US GREENS.”
A sweet would have been an insult.
’40 inc (surprisingly good) pint of Eagle and two glasses of wine. Seemed fair.
*I’m sure there are exceptions to this rule but I can’t imagine what they might be.