From the Martin brothers (Gun, Botanist et al), a small and rather uneventful corner pub, just off Hatton Garden; it offers decent-enough simple fare, but it’s only its backing that makes it of any note.
There’s a natural tendency among restaurant critics (and guidebook writers) to follow the latest openings of operators they’ve heard of. Thus the Martin brothers – who first came to public attention as proprietors of the celebrated Gun, near Canary Wharf – tend to get their new establishments widely written up.
And so it was that we dutifully trudged off to Hatton Garden to write up their latest relaunched boozer. Turns out that it’s a small but elegant corner site, nicely revamped in a low-key traditional style.
On the food front, the aim seems to be to offer an upmarket take on usual pub fare, rather than a fully-fledged gastropub menu. Standards, though, were frankly pretty – well – standard. Soup had good enough flavour, but was served tepid and with a couple of slices of disappointingly uncrunchy baguette (and no buttter). A Scotch egg was a cold and unyielding thing, with a discoloured yolk. A tarte Tatin lacked much in the way of pastry.
For a quick lunch – which came to £22, including a glass of wine from a decent list, a competent cup of coffee, and service – this is a handy enough place if you’re already in the locality. Even if you’re proposing to write a review of it, however, it’s difficult to argue that it’s worth crossing town for.
