A neighbourhood pub is one of the cornerstones of Great British culture. Nowhere else does them as we do. In Brazil, a ‘pub’ is actually considered an upscale bar; it’s a swanky place, a place to impress and certainly not an every day joint. In Britain it couldn’t be more different. There are few vitals that make a good pub a great pub; namely quality food, drinks and ambience (at good value, of course). Recently I visited a good contender in this; The Hour Glass pub in South Kensington.
Whilst its press release describes it as a neighbourhood pub, I’m not sure who’s neighbourhood that is. I wish it were mine! It sits at the end of a very swanky street – about two mins from South Kensington tube spot. I’m not sure if its neighbours are the sit down with a scotch egg and a pint sort of folk, but I could be surprised!
It’s a tiny place, and curiously shaped as only old school megacity property can be. It’s narrow and tall, skinny rooms stretching over 2 floors. Downstairs is the pub proper, a room of wood panels and cask ales, and upstairs is the dining room. You’d miss it if you didn’t know it was there but when you do, it surprises again with its decor of elegance and chic. Wood panelling again on the walls juxtaposes quirky brass suspended lighting and an antique mirror. The kitchen is open and high windows front one side, bringing in lots of natural light. In short, it’s a lovely room to sit in and you feel a bit of a triumphant insider for having discovered it.
The menu themes itself around ‘the best ingredients left alone’ which I approve of. I’ve lost patience with the fuss and frills of many menus, tired as that sentiment is becoming. Behind the helm are Luke Mackay and David Turcan, the successful duo behind Brompton Food Market and a pair that ought to know their way around a kitchen. I prepare myself for a good meal.
I kick things off with a Rare Breed Cumberland Scotch Egg. I love a good Scotch Egg and this one is just that. The yolk is rich and runny, the filling salty and juicy, the coating crisp. Bang on, boys.
The Crab Parfait that came next made me chuckle a bit. This ‘best ingredient’ had been ‘left alone’ so much that it was hidden under its accompaniment of apple and watercress. I ate somewhere else that did this recently and served me a mixed grill hidden under a naan. Is this the culinary interpretation of Where’s Wally? STOP IT. Hide and Seek asides, flavours were good.
I also enjoyed their smoked eel, glazed with parmesan (I think it was parmesan) and horseradish.
Mains too continued well: roast rare breed beef was cooked excellently – pink and juicy – and the pork (albeit with burnt crackling) was tender and well flavoured. The gravy here was interesting (in a good way). It was quite sweet, like it had honey added to it, which took me by surprise a bit but enjoyed, and was silkily textured and entirely the right consistency.
If you ask me where The Hour Glass really shone, it was their puds. These were hands down, stand up, the best dishes of the day. Sticky Toffee Pudding with Milk Ice Cream was proper: thick, deep sauce, squidgy pud, ice cool, clean ice cream. I ate with a Brazilian and this was his first one and I let him try it. We’ve eaten at places before where I haven’t let him taste it because it’s not been up to scratch. We’re dating and Sticky Toffee Pudding is too important to be slandered to virgin eyes by someone buffoonish in pastry whites. This was a good one.
More surprising was a flourless cake with orange bavarois and yogurt sorbet, for this promised little and delivered LOADS. This cake was light and the bavarois as deep in orange as a garden in Saville. The yogurt sorbet was perfect – light, smooth and with a delightful sourness. Lovely.
Besides the food and the decor, the pricing is sympathetic (£6.5 for starters and £15 for the mains – not bad for London and the area especially) and the service is mostly good. The main waiter was excellent – friendly and knowledgeable – and looked to be the head front of house there. After he went off shift, someone else took over (or didn’t rather) who promptly forgot about us to the extent that we were left alone in the dining room for 20 minutes and saw ourselves out. Hey ho – the desserts made up for it.
The Hour Glass isn’t my neighbourhood pub, but it’s a pub I’d make the trip to. Good ingredients, good ambience, good drinks, good value – check and mate.
8/10
279-283 Brompton Rd SW3 2DY
020 7581 2497
hourglasspub.co.uk/
