Best Gastropub in London - Time out

[Charlotte]

How's the Palmerston doing these days? I used to go alot - but got a bit fed up with the service - very slow and food could be hit and miss. Has you say downsouth, hopefully the success of the Rosendale will set a fine example.

[downsouth]

I've only tried to go once but the other half didn't like the tired look of the place.

Another recent review in the Independent from a W Dulwich resident no less!

http://www.independent.co.uk/living/food_and_drink/reviews/article2904328.ece

Something tells me after this award a few of these reviews will themselves be revised upwards. Critics are a fickle bunch.

[lozzyloz]

Glowing review but why does the media continue to describe South of the River as "Darkest South London". Does the sun not shine here or is it a reference to the occupants? Odd since many journalists live this side.

[downsouth]

I thought the same things as you. I think it's a ref to the residents.

[pk]

not been to the Rosendale so can't judge it, but of those i've been to (and there's a few) my favourite is definitely the Anchor and Hope on the Cut

[Charlotte]

Just booked the Rosendale for supper tonight, apparently fully booked we got the last table!!

[*Bob*]

South London.. you know.. poor transport links.. subsidence.. bad shopping..

HOME! I like South London. I always breathe a sigh of relief when I cross the river.

Have tried the Anchor & Hope and found it very much like the St John Bread n Wine in Spitalfields. ie, overrated. Ok, but no cigar. Maybe it's just not quite my type of food. I'm finding this current (ie last 10 years) trend of the gourmetfication (is that a word?) of little-used cuts of meat a bit.. annoying. It's like some chef's chest-beating competition to find the hardest possible thing thing to make taste good.

[downsouth]

pk - I was there (Anchor and Hope) last week for lunch but found the menu a turn off (Snail and Bacon etc..) so went to the Nelson on Union Street which was great! I may return to A&H in the evening perhaps.

[Marmora Man]

downsouth Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> pk - I was there (Anchor and Hope) last week for

> lunch but found the menu a turn off (Snail and

> Bacon etc..) so went to the Nelson on Union Street

> which was great! I may return to A&H in the

> evening perhaps.

A & H has improved immensely since smoking ban - waiting in a smoking room used to put me off. The Tapas place nearly opposite is worth trying if you haven't already. HAs a genuine "Granada" ambience and food.

[Christopher]

The Rosendale - very good - really like it - and definitely pushing the gastro and wine boundaries - but not very "pubby" is it - with all that ultra clean officey furniture in the bar area and its incredibly weak selection of real ales...

BUT

What a con that whole Time Out thing is!

The nominations were put together for this year's awards BEFORE the Rosendale was up and running properly in its current format!

The whole thing stinks of nepitism / over-active PR agencies...

Best gastro pub in London? The Rosendale? No way...

Best Gastro pub in SE London? Well, its better than the Herne & The Palmerston... for sure...

[SeanMacGabhann]

I think you could be spot on there Christopher...

I "take" Time Out every week as it is an entertaining read with a couple of good writers and listings - but I wouldn't trust it's opinion on anything....

[Charlotte]

Christopher - I think you are definately on to something there! As I said not really proper pub fare.

[downsouth]

I agree on the real ale isde of things - I constantly have a go. Get some decent bitters - Oakham, Crouch Vale or Hook Norton, some Belgian strong ales, a few US micro brewers and finish with some German hefes. Then I'd be content.

[AllforNun]

IT CAME THIRD - well don't me just what there own website says. Still a bloody fanatastic achievement, all the food in ED is SHITE excluding the cafe's and minus the Keebab shop, Thai Corner, some of the indians.

[downsouth]

No that's an old sign they've got on their website, they came 1st for GASTRO PUBS

http://www.timeout.com/london/eating-and-drinking-awards-2007/features/3493/3.html

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/restaurants/article-23412576-details/Gordon%20tastes%20defeat...%20again/article.do

[Tracy551162]

I live 10 paces from the Rosendale and was thoroughly dissappointed when it reopened. It's just a restaurant as far as I'm concerned. I have eaten there and the food and service are very good, but the menu is lacking in my opinion and whenever I scan it it's just not right. It's just a bit too poncey (I've eaten in lots of micheling restaurants in case anyone recons I'm not into food - poncey or otherwise). They know they make their money from food so whenever I walk in someone runs over to ask if I'm eating or drinking, they then point out all the empty tables available - erm, I'm sure I can see that for myself. I go to the bar to look at a menu and before I can pick it up someone has rushed over to pick it up for me. Wonder what would happen if they saw me about to scratch my arse....

Anyway the point is that The Rosendale needs to be either a restaurant or a pub. If it was a restaurant it would be fine, but it touts itself as a pub too, but everytime I try it in its pub guise I am left disappointed. There are no snacks, or small nibbley dishes or finger food, not even any crisps (huge mark up on those!) which would be nice with a pint. The decor is just not pubby at all. I feel like I'm in a show home living room. A pub should be somewhere you feel you can relax a bit, that's a bit rougher round the edges, but even when just having a pint I feel I need to sit up straight. A shame that I still don't have a decent local.

I am bored of Gastro pubs, they are everywhere and think it's a shame that there are no decent pubs in the area. Don't mean old mans pubs but more trad pubs like The Crown and Greyhound, by far the best place in SE London. I also like the EDT in East Dulwich and the COmmercial is good too. Please enlighten me where the others are!!

[Charlotte]

I agree with you Tracy.

It's not in East Dulwich but the Dulwich Woodhouse is supposed to be good.

http://www.timeout.com/london/bars/reviews/1714.html

[mockney piers]

Totally with you Tracey (I can't believe we have over 55 thousand Tracies registered on here?!).

A gastro pub should be a pub with a restaurant. The likes of the rosendale/palmerston want to have their cake and eat it, but it doesn't work.

2 very good examples are the princess (despite it's blimmmin flock wallpaper) and the fox tucked between shoreditch and the city.

Proper boozing pubs with crisps downstairs, poncey food upstairs. Fox the better pub, Princess the better food.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Ooh I second the Fox - used to work near there and went quite a few times

But if this thread is going to go down the "Gastropubs have gone to far" road then it is no longer "Best Gastro in London" thread - so if you don't want to get lounged I would suggest talking about places you do like

(you know what the Admin is like)

[Tracy551162]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll certainly give them a go.

It's also nice to see that people have a similar opinion as me on the Rosendale. I secretly hoped it would fail but that's not looking likely! :-)

i like the Hope and Anchor (Anchor and Hope) on The Cut SE1. Great food but a good flakey round the edges pub part.

[Brendan]

I?ve just looked up The Anchor and Hope. Has it always been there? Or was it called something else before? I?m just asking as 4 years back I used to work in the area and walked down the Cut every day and I don?t remember it. Or is my memory just going?

[SeanMacGabhann]

Hi Bren

It was definitely there 4 years ago.. maybe you were "cut" yourself ;-)

[Brendan]

Bah! I?ll not believe it.

I remember the pub on the corner opposite Southwark station (the Ring? I think it?s called) and then the Windmill further down and the tappas place on the other side of the road.

I am highly suspicious about the existence of this Anchor and Hope place though.

[downsouth]

Just walked past they're all still there! The A&H wasn't that busy though. It is quite an inconspicuous shade of grey.

[Tracy551162]

The Anchor and Hope is usually very busy on a Thurs/Fri night though, but it's a cosy place where you just squeeze yourself in to the gaps and randomly arranged stools and tables. The food is great.

The tapas place on the opposite side of the road is called Meson Don Felipe. It's great. I know I know, back to Gastro pubs.... :)-D