Over the years, some of the best meals I’ve had in London have followed a hellish journey on the District line. That meandering green bit on the tube map will take you from Ealing to Upminster, if you've got the time, and there are some great meals to be had along the way. (The Establishment at Parsons Green or Tayyabs near Aldgate East, for example). The next time I’ve got a day to spare, I might even go to Wimbledon - if only to test my theory that food simply tastes better when you’re forced to wait for it.
Last Friday, our District line destination was West Brompton. Once there, we stumbled from sunny Old Brompton Road into a dark and cavernous gastropub now known as The Pembroke. It used to be one of London’s most famous gay pubs, The Coleherne, but after a refurb from Realpubs last year, the grand old building has been transformed into a thoroughly modern pub and dining room.
The predictable gastro flourishes are all there - chandeliers, ‘feature’ wallpaper, leather banquettes - but it looks rather good in a comfy, unpretentious way. There’s a horseshoe-shaped bar and an upstairs room full of Chesterfields for the drinkers, while the smart dining area to the rear is a cosy space with a view of the semi-open kitchen. The daily-changing menus are written in flamboyant script on huge blackboards, while ‘ironic’ floral lampshades swing above roomy booths. On our visit, they were adding the finishing touches to a small but sunny first floor terrace that will undoubtedly prove popular this summer.
Still a ‘proper pub’ at heart, the bar offers a decent range of beers and real ales, while the wine list is concise, food-friendly and well-priced. The menu is similarly appealing, with classics like Shepherd’s Pie and fish and chips sitting alongside more modern options like seafood tempura and lamb with herb couscous. With plenty of carefully sourced ingredients on offer - the cheese, for example, comes from La Cave a Fromage in South Ken - the price are quite remarkable. Only the steak comes in at £17, with most other dishes coming in at under a tenner.
My tagliatelle with spicy chorizo sauce was exactly that - fresh al dente pasta with a fiery sauce of tomatoes, chunks of chorizo, plenty of garlic and a welcome hit of chilli. It’s the sort of dish you could easily knock up at home but if it’s on offer for £7 in your local, why would you? Having demolished the dish in record time, I helped myself to my companion’s chargrilled swordfish on a bed of baby spinach and avocado. With the added bonus of a fresh mango and red onion salsa, spiked with lime and coriander, it was light and full of flavour - a perfect summer dish.
For dessert, my white chocolate and vanilla cheesecake arrived not as a skinny slice but as a generous individual portion; the flavours lifted beautifully by a zesty scoop of passion fruit sorbet. A lemon crème brulee was less inspiring but still an enjoyable palate cleanser.
Whether you pop in for lunch, after work, or at the weekend; you could easily get comfortable here. The Earls Court gay community may still be mourning the loss of The Coleherne, but the new incarnation is working hard to win over the locals. The kitchen has proved it can cook reasonably priced dishes with flair but without fuss - how many of the new breed gastropubs can say the same? If we don’t return for the food alone, it’s certainly top of the ‘to do’ list when we’re next in Earls Court and it should be on yours too.
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