The Harwood Arms – London
Walham Grove
London SW6 1QP
BY NEAL MARTIN |
The Food:
Venison Scotch egg
Muntjac pâté en croûte with pickles and walnut
Slow cooked beef cheek, crispy shallots with black winter truffles and spinach
Malted treacle slice with stout and crème fraiche ice cream, served with candle and a chorus of “Happy Birthday”
The Wines:
In the third part of my 50+1 birthday celebrations, I gathered some of my oldest pals at The Harwood Arms, clearly making up for last year’s cancellation of so much as a party popper going off. At first appearance, you might describe Harwood Arms as a gastropub. But let’s be very clear - this is a gastropub of the very highest order. Banish those images of pork scratchings, bangers ‘n mash and toad-in-the-hole (American readers are doubtless typing those dishes into a search engine and wondering exactly what kind of toads are considered a delicacy in this strange country). Consider that one of Harwood’s co-founders is no less than Brett Graham of Ledbury fame, and that it has well-deserved awards, and you immediately and correctly deduce that the standard of cooking is a notch higher than your Toby’s Carvery.
