The Prince Arthur has had a great run of kitchen residencies lately
It started with Hot 4 U in the early post-lockdown period, which was followed by chef Vivienne Westwood, and now Joe Couldridge has taken over the kitchen. Joe has come from Stokey’s The Clarence Tavern, with stints at Hawksmoor and Leroy also to his name.
Inside, it’s still the same old Prince Arthur of course and it really is a brilliant neighbourhood pub. A lovely corner site on a quiet residential road just north of London Fields, it’s got all the old charm of proper boozer with the big curved wooden bar, rickety old tables, green banquettes, and fireplaces. It was absolutely rammed on the Thursday night we visited too, with a live jazz duo playing in one corner and a great atmosphere all round.
The menu switches up fairly regularly, with a short selection of small plates, three larger dishes, and a few specials always on offer. On Thursdays and Fridays there’s a set lunch menu (three courses for £25) and what we hear is a banging roast on Sundays.
On our visit, we loved the crisp oblong polenta fries served with a spicy mayo, and the beautiful deep-fried veal sweetbreads, coated in a perfect spiced batter and served with some crunchy salad to cut through the richness. Don’t skip the Wildfarmed bread with salted butter either.
From the larger dishes, we had pan-roasted monkfish served in a light tomato consommé, plus the pickled beetroot, pesto, caramelised Roscoff onion and watercress tart all wrapped in crispy filo pastry. We also couldn’t resist one of the specials, the gigantic spider crab claws, with a lemon and green peppercorn sauce – the crab was perfectly cooked and this was probably our dish of the night. There are some exemplary chips too, so don’t miss those.
Desserts bought some 10/10 spectacular fresh-from-the-oven madeleines served with lemon curd – an old-school spread you really don’t see enough of these days. The chocolate cremeaux with rhubarb and cream was a banger too.
The only slight letdown for us was the wines, other than the ever-dependable Rathfinny English fizz. But there’s a great beer selection on draft, including a few from local Dalston legends 40ft, so best to stick to the pints we reckon. All in all, though, The Prince Arthur has nailed the neighbourhood pub formula, and this new kitchen residency from Joe is the icing on the cake.
95 Forest Rd, London E8 3BH
theprincearthure8.com