The Anchor and Hope has a reputation as one of the best gastro pubs in London, it was certainly one of the earlier gastro pubs before the boom began and every pub turned ‘gastro’. The menu changes frequently to match seasonal produce, and to give the die hard regulars a bit of choice.
Inside is wood, lots of wood – mismatched tables, chairs and during a lunchtime people are packed in. They don’t accept bookings except for Sunday lunch although when we visited at 1pm on a Friday arvo we managed to score a table.
The menu is quite specialised, each dish features an ingredient which may not please your usual pie and mash eater. To start the Nettle soup was something else both in flavour and colour.
For main the Roast Sasso Chicken with gratin dauphinoise was full of flavour, rich and stodgy – perfect for a rainy day. The only grumble we had was there just wasn’t enough gratin dauphinoise but on the plus side it meant we had room for dessert.
Almond tart, strawberries and vanilla ice-cream sealed the deal, homemade and school diner like. All in all a pleasant meal, but if you’re a fussy eater this one’s not for you!
Anchor & Hope, 36 The Cut, London SE1