Going against the grain of the fad that every gastropub in town seems to be adopting – yes, waving the flag for British food rendered with locally sourced British ingredients – is this pub doing the right thing by going in a more global direction with its food?
They say:
Time Out: “We’ll be back.”
Square Meal: “The Peasant is both a great gastropub & a brilliant restaurant.”
We say:
Clerkenwell’s an area that has seen its fair share of pubs and restaurants come and go. But then there are some that have stuck around for a while.
Though The Peasant – named in honour of the famous fourteenth century peasant uprising – is relatively new, boy oh boy, does it deserve to stick around for yonks!
The earthy ground floor, invested with reclaimed sofas and original pub furniture – not to mention a Victorian fireplace – features a nifty selection of tapas-style or even single dishes which are attractively priced.
This is also the spot where there are some pretty decent bin ends in the wine selection and a fine range of ciders and bottled beers.
But where the action’s really at is in the upstairs restaurant albeit where you get the bird’s eye view of the somewhat staid end of Clerkenwell.
Circus memorabilia abounds, giving the dining area an antique feel which is boosted further by the period candelabras.
Ignore all that though because what you are left is handsomely rendered cooking with zingy flavours.
Grilled scallops on an avocado puree with shallot, ginger dressing and shichimi pepper (a hefty £8.70 for a starter) really delivers in terms of scintillating taste.
Same goes for the main of confit of duck on wok fried nectarine with mange tout and coriander and cassava chips (£13.70).
What really nailed the meal though were two things: a side of watermelon, feta and basil salad with a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice (£3.50) – sparklingly refreshing I tell you – and a pud of mango, pomegranate and mascarpone fool with almond biscuit (£4.70) which was absolutely gorgeous.
This joint is jumping and deservedly so!
ADDRESS
240 St John Street
London
EC1V
tel, 020 7336 7726
POSTED...
Sat 19 Aug 2006 at 12:54pm
