THE PRINCESS VICTORIA: IMPERIAL GRUB

Sometimes it’s the small things that impress. I’d just had my Pork Board (how could you not order something called a Pork Board) when the friendly server asked me if I’d enjoyed it. I said I had, but there weren’t enough Pork Scratchings. She went away and returned soon after with a bowl of freshly cooked crisp piggy goodness. Things like that make me inclined to like a place.

I also liked the ale which, as anyone who drinks in the capital’s pubs will know, can be a bit crap. Here it was well kept and had that wonderfully fresh aroma and thirst- quenching ability that the best beers have. I’d especially recommend the Harvey’s Sussex Best if it’s on which was as good as I’ve had in Sussex itself.

Back to that Pork Board (yes we must). There were other porcine delights too: a little croquette of Pig’s Cheek with a tart sauce gribiche; a dense meaty GOS Pate with piccalilli; proper Ham; Salami and some rolled Pork Belly which spread easily onto excellent homemade Brown Bread. Speaking of which, that bread made a better match than the flat variety on the plate. There was nothing especially wrong with it or the almonds or the stuffed guindillas which all added a little Moro-esque touch to the dish, but to be honest I would have given them all up for another fried pig’s cheek. How ever would this dish be shared ?

Surprisingly, the only disappointment came with my main course. I’d heard the triple-cooked (yes, those again) chips here were the best in show. They certainly looked the part with a golden brown colour that said: eat me. The problem was they didn’t have those extra layers of crunch that the best examples have - I’m thinking of the Bull and Last here. In the end they were just superior fat chips and you all know what Dos Hermanos think of those.

The rest of the plate was textbook stuff – not surprising given co-owner and chef James McLean’s CV. Rib Eye, although not the Gigantor-like specimens DH are used to was notably good meat and had the taste of the grill (mmmm…grill). There was a fine Béarnaise to dip my fat chips into, some neatly trimmed, squeaky green beans and some dried Tomatoes that had a very intense taste of, get this, Tomato. Whatever next ?

Affogato (Italian for drowned) is an espresso with a scoop of Ice Cream in it. Sounds like an interesting way to combine pud and coffee if you’re in a hurry but next time I think I’ll stick to a bowl of the stuff, ice cream that is, and a coffee to follow.

The Bull and Last is our current standard when it comes to Gastropubs, or pubs with restaurants as we should probably call them to separate them from the chaff, but in many ways the dining experience is more enjoyable at The Princess Victoria.

I’ve already talked about the beer but the wine list, from other owner and ex-sommelier of The Capital, Matt Wilkin is better, there’s a proper dining room in which to eat and the atmosphere on a Saturday lunchtime is less hectic. Crucially though, you won’t get Giles Coren coming in on spec and nabbing your seat.

That said, the B&L with its bar snacks (Black Pudding studded Sausage Roll anyone ?), its wider range of dishes and its two types of chips wins out in the all-important food category. If I lived anywhere in West London though (and not a day goes by when I thank my own personal god that I don’t) I’d be more than happy to have the Princess Victoria on my doorstep. Now, all they need to do is to fix those chips.

THE ANGLESEA ARMS: AN ISLAND OF GOOD TASTE

If Gastropubs were like football teams The Anglesea Arms was once at the top its game. Back in the day (sorry) when the Gastropub was quite a rare bird indeed and it was seen as a means of producing good, uncomplicated food in casual surroundings and not as a delivery mechanism for hosing punters with massively marked up, pre-cooked food, The Anglesea Arms was generally acknowledged as the Head Honcho, the Chairman of The Board, the Big Cheese, if you will.

Places like The Eagle and The Peasant may have been around longer but the queues at the weekend attested to the fact that the cooking at this Hammersmith favourite was a bit special. Then something happened. AA went dark. I heard a rumour saying it was closed. Then HS told me it had got a new chef and apparently was worth trying out again, after all these years.

The Anglesea Arms is situated in a pleasant little area dubbed Brackenbury Village by the estate agents. This is usually a euphemism for a sketchy area that doesn’t have a tree that’s not been vandalised or a postbox free of dangerous graffiti. In this case though the attribution seems apt. Sitting in a pub cooled by larges fans and cradling a pint of Summer Lightning, the rather grim environs of Shepherds Bush (I can’t believe it’s exactly as I left it twenty years ago) and Hammersmith seemed far away.

There’s no booking here, which back in the 90’s might been a problem for the reservation-phobic DH. But now, on a sunny Saturday, people were arriving, sleepy-eyed, in dribs and drabs which meant nabbing a table wasn’t an issue.

I must admit that Summer Menus don’t get me er, tumid, nevertheless the reasonably-priced menu did have a few things that looked worth a punt although another type of fish (or in addition) wouldn’t have hurt.

Six Irish Rock Oysters were good and fresh although they were spawning. Not to the extent of those I had at Racine and not enough to mute the briny taste. It made me wonder though whether a) kitchens recognise this and b) if they do whether they send them out anyway. Just a thought.

Tongue had been cooked, coated in breadcrumbs and fried. The two large discs needed more salt but were still good and meaty. The little salad on the side didn’t really come together although the Tomatoes were excellent and the Marjoram was a nice touch. Some Sauce Gribiche would have been perfect here.

I have the feeling that the Head Chef at The Anglesea runs a tight ship. A request for a bowl of Chips with my Crab necessitated a little conflab in the kitchen before the nice lady serving me said “The kitchen only has a limited portions [of chips]…but you can have some”. The person who requested some after me wasn’t so lucky.

They turned out pretty good though. It seemed like they actually were “Hand Cut” and while not triple-cooked still had a crisp exterior and fluffy insides. A bit like me really.

With the Chips a dressed Crab provided plenty of messy fun. Retrieving smooth, intense, pate-like brown meat and sweet delicate white claw meat was followed by lots of cracking and sucking of exoskeleton and poking of fingers into various Crab orifices to get full value for the £12 price. Apologies to any neighbouring tables witnessing all this.

A Tavel Rose from Domaine De La Mordoree was good gear and went very well with everything although at a stonking 13.5% it belied the reputation of Rose as a light, gluggable Summer drink and had me walking a couple of inches off the ground as I left.

After chancing my arm with the chips finessing my pudding didn’t seem like a good idea. These days the Ice Cream ante has been upped and kitchens with any sort of rep all make their own. The stuff here was fine in taste although the texture too soft and smooth. For me The Bull & Last’s Ice Cream remains a standard.

Summer’s not a good time to really put a kitchen through it’s paces and it would be worth returning here later in the year, Autumn say, when more interesting stuff comes onto the menu. For now The Anglesea Arms remains a decent choice for a long relaxed lunch. If Gastropubs were like football teams The Anglesea Arms would be…Arsenal.