Age: Nearly 10 (since its current incarnation).
Previous incarnation: The Masque, which in turn replaced the 1960s vintage Locomotive. Nope, we don’t remember those either.
So what goes on there now? Lots of drinking. In fact, last month’s overhaul has torn out a wall or two and opened the interior up, making it feel more of a ‘vertical’ drinking space than before, with high tables, high chairs, and less food focus. Personally, we liked the previous cosy dining area, with its banquettes and slightly softer atmosphere – but hey.
What about the upstairs cocktail bar? Although it’s had a slight refresh, yes, that’s still intact, all distressed wood and leather armchairs. The secret walled courtyard upstairs is a corker – the scene of many a landmark birthday bash over the years.
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And is the food any cop? The surprise on our visit was that it’s now rather functional. Billed as the usual seasonal-modern-British affair, in fact it was surprisingly basic and less foodie than in its previous more gastropubby life. A pan-roasted chicken pearl barley stew with crème fraiche was light on the meat, with rather mild sliced chorizo, although there was a comforting home-cooking feel to it.
What was billed as ox cheek nuggets weren’t anything of the sort: they were huge breadcrumbed fingers not half as fun. A starter of bubble and squeak, black pudding, poached egg and lemony hollandaise was better – and would be a decent lunch in itself for a reasonable £7.50.
So what should I eat? By far our favourite dish was a chalked-up special of pan-fried hake supreme (ie. the best part of the fish) with sweet, earthy wedges of roasted beetroot, buttery spring greens and fennel. Nice – and not bad at £15. But as fans of Young’s other pubs, especially The Canonbury and the outstanding Bull & Gate in Kentish Town, this felt like a let-down in the kitchen department.
What’s the service like? This is where the experience really fell down. It took nearly an hour for starters to arrive in what was a very short-staffed pub (just two on the ground at our last count). And the mains clocked in at 80 mins after we sat down. We were, in fact, ready to leave at this point.
But are the staff friendly? Yes. Our waiter was a little confused by the dishes and what we’d ordered, however. He apologised. And then suggested we ate at lunchtime in the future – probably wise, if a little too #honest.
Craft beer tick? Tick. It’s a Geronimo/Young’s pub so that’s covered. And the wine is OK too, although our French pinot noir was incredibly light and a bit too young and fruity.
Do say: “Darling, meet you for a pint downstairs (or a cocktail on the upper terrace).”
Don’t say: “Sod this: let’s go to Granary Square.”
