Sunday, a day for gluttony April 29, 2007
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Cafes & Restaurants,London , trackbackOff I wandered, down through the Bloomsbury Squares to parts south of the river and the rather wonderful Anchor and Hope, to meet up with Leanne, Crg, Aboodi and Dom for another Sunday lunch of far too much food, good wine and excellent company.
The meal started with wee nibbles – pate on bread, beautiful sweet small tomatos, a classy version of bubble and squeak and jamon – which started arriving at about 1.30, so it pays to be early. I ordered a bottle of Txacoli, in honour of a holiday I’m planning in Pais Vasco in June, and found an excellent summer wine, light, crisp and slightly crackling. Dom tells me it should be poured from a great height to aerate it, but the glasses were small and the threat of it ending up all over the tablecloth too great.
The first course was a leek and crab vinaigrette, with soft, succulent leeks and slightly tangy crab which went well with the wine.
To go with the roast, we moved onto a rich, velvety Douro to complement the rare beef and dripping potatoes. The only nod to getting our five a day was ‘grass’, a warm salad of lettuce and mint which tasted a lot better than it sounds. The food is served in big dishes on the table, for guests to help themselves, and more comes round as the plates empty. Its the kind of place where you leave just knowing you’ll have to eat again in a day or two.
We then moved on to cheese, which isn’t really my thing, and a lemon pudding which is. A small bottle of Manzillac pleased my sweet tooth, and then coffee with Armagnac finished it all off well.
This place at least ties with the Norfolk Arms as the best Sunday lunch around. The only downside was the way they were emphatic about turning up at 1.30 or else we’d lose the table, but the hors d’oeuvre were good reward for punctuality. Ignore the negative reviews in the link above. It’s just regulars trying to keep a good thing to themselves. I may have to post one myself.
Technorati Tags: Anchor and Hope, Sunday Lunch, London
Comments»
I like the sound of the warm lettuce and mint salad. My husband often makes mint pesto which is absoltely delicious. It’d be great to see more mint used – it’s one of my favourite herbs.
Interestingly, I clicked on the Anchor and Hope link provided, and it says that it’s closed on Sundays.