The Pub
On an unassuming corner, a lovely pub.
Good friends are nearly always conducive to finding new and interesting pubs. And so it was earlier in the week that I found myself hungry, pint-less, and late arriving at a Greene King pub opposite Baker Street station. A few of my partners in crime had already had the opportunity to quaff a pint (or two) and eat when I arrived. I, however, decided to heed the advice that we would be moving on to a more salubrious establishment as soon as the final straggler arrived.
After a roughly 10 minute walk, that felt more circuitous than it actually was, we arrived at the Lord Wargrave. The weather was still warm and the pub rather stuffy in the heat so we made camp at one of the tables outside.
The interior of the pub is in a modern style and there is an impressive range of whiskies lining the wall behind the bar. Their website boasts that there are over 150. The staff were quick to greet us and chatty. Due to the décor and location it had a very urban pub vibe.
I only wish I had more time to sample their whiskies...
The Food
Gloriously rare.
I went for the flat iron steak and asked for my usual of "as rare as you can do". They did not disappoint on that front. The picture above might be a little deceptive due to the patio lamp reddening it but I can assure you the steak slices were mostly red. The salsa verde on top of the steak added a nice touch but wasn't so spicy as to ruin the flavour of the meat.
The fries were decent as a side to the steak but I probably wouldn't order them on their own. I generally prefer steak cut chips when ordered as a snack. That being said my friend ordered the loaded fries as a small plate and they looked delicious.
All in all this was a lovely steak for £15.50 and better than you normally receive in the average pub. Good value for money when you factor in the location and atmosphere of the pub. The full menu is available on their website.
The Beer
Captain Lockwood IPA. Apologies for the presentation, I was thirsty.
You can't really discuss a pub without discussing the beer. There were 4 cask ales on tap as well as numerous chilled beers and ciders. The pint was well poured (with the minimum of head you expect to see in the South) and the staff offered good recommendations.
I went for the Captain Lockwood (Truman's) which was described as a "hoppy session IPA". Judging by the photos on their website this is a regular at the pub. It was the kind of IPA I prefer without a strong hop flavour but I'm still not sure I could drink that many back-to-back. This isn't particularly a surprise though as I'm more of a malt fan. I wasn't exactly sure whether to go with 3.5 or 3.75 out of 5 when I rated it so went for the lower rating. If I had a few more I could probably see my rating rising to 3.75/5.
I followed that up with the N7 IPA (Hammerton). Sadly I neglected to take a photo of this one. Perhaps the fact that this was an American style IPA and therefore chilled made it easier to drink than the Captain Lockwood. It also might be that the stronger citrus flavour combats the hop. This scored a solid 3.75/5 from me.
Dr Wilko
