The
Perseverance, Holborn WC1
It
looks as though Louise Elgin
didn't have to try hard at
all...
There
are some areas of our great metropolis
of London that somehow remain
unknown even to a born and bred
Londoner like myself. As I wandered
down Lamb's Conduit Street last
night, passing wonderful and
quirky shops and interesting
looking restaurants, I was reminded
of exclusive Primrose Hill where
I have always aspired to live.
Although only a five minute walk
from soulless Holborn, this villagey
atmosphere seemed a world away.
Local residents
must be thanking their lucky
stars (and their house prices!)
for the likes of The Perseverance.
Once a rough Irish pub, complete
with regular drunken brawls at
closing time, it has now been
transformed into a welcoming
haven of good food, good wine
and general bon homie. Which
is to be expected from the likes
of Richard McLellan, who has
transferred his skills from time
spent in the kitchens of Aubergine
and The Mirabelle to form his
first joint venture with fellow
chef Billy Drew.
The night
we had chosen for our visit was
one of those London specials.
Vertical, lashing rain with a
dash of howling wind thrown in
for good measure. The perfect
excuse to snuggle up in a traditional
pub with some good food and wine.
The dining
room was upstairs, away from
the very convivial surroundings
of the downstairs pub and we
were shown up to the small, elegant,
rustic candlelit room.
The menu was
fairly short and sweet, with
six starters and five main courses
to choose between. Whilst pondering
what to order we began our evening's
drinking with a large glass of
Graham Beck Sauvignon Blanc (£4.50).
The initial flavour was a bit
uninteresting but it improved
with airing into a very quaffable
choice.
After much
deliberation, and changing of
minds, (well it's a girl's prerogative
after all!) I commenced with
the herb and scallop risotto, £6.50.
My guest chose the deep fried
mackerel with sweet pepper relish, £6.00.
It arrived well presented, the
mackerel itself not overcooked "as
it so often can be" my guest
remarked. The flesh was an appetising
white, not grey in colour and
a significant but not overbearing
flavour in a very light crispy
batter. "In perfect equilibrium
with the accompaniments". (Perhaps
the wine had already gone to
my guest's head!)
Meanwhile,
my risotto was excellent. The
scallops were tender and delicate,
the rice slightly bitey, remaining
very tasty and fresh. In fact,
I'd stick my neck out and say
it was cooked to perfection,
which is pretty high praise,
as we all know risotto requires
plenty of skill and attention
to detail. Other offerings we
were tempted to have chosen from
included French onion soup £4.50,
or goats cheese mousse with grilled
ciabatta, olives, capers and
cherry tomatoes £4.50.
With plenty
of room for more we moved on
to the next course. I had chosen
the gilt head seabream with globe
artichokes, confit potatoes and
red wine sauce, £12.95. The skin
was lightly crispy like my guest's
mackerel starter with the fish
having a firm texture and full
of flavour. The cream sauce mingling
well with the slices globe artichoke
and confit potatoes. Very good,
if a little rich. My ever enthusiastic
guest had chosen lamb rump with
sweetbreads £13.50. He said the
meat was superbly tender, the
flavours marrying well with the
sweetbreads, and the garlic and
shallot confit. " A balanced
selection of flavours which kept
the digestive juices flowing
in full flood", he remarked.
As a side order we had an excellent
bowl of chips. They arrived dark,
piping hot and full flavoured.
On the waitresses suggestion
we also ordered some mashed potato
which was buttery and delicious,
real comfort food!
Sticking
to wine by the glass, my guest
tried a large glass of Italian
Zinfandel, £4.20. He said that "Although
there was a hint of fruit it
was severely out of breath".
Put that in your pipe and smoke
it! Yes, I think he was now in
the process of getting truly
carried away! The rest of the
wine list varied around the £26.00
a bottle mark, but there were
prices to suit all budgets starting
from £10.90 a bottle. Other main
course choices included Daube
of pork with cep casserole, £11.50
and homemade herb gnocchi with
courgettes and mussels, £10.50.
Not a great deal on the menu
for veggies it has to be said!
For pudding
there were five to choose from,
all priced at £4.95. We shared
a coffee pannacotta. For me this
was the highlight of the meal.
Served cleverly as if a cappuccino,
it was light as a feather, in
taste and texture. Absolutely
first class. The other choices
all looked to heavy for us but
included sticky toffee and banana
pudding with brandy snaps and
vanilla rice pudding with caramelised
oranges. I've been told that
Sunday lunch downstairs in the
main part of the pub is not to
be missed. It's served between
1pm - 4.30pm (last orders, booking
advisable as very popular with
the locals). The thought of spending
a relaxed afternoon in a homely
atmosphere, with all the Sunday
papers, in the company of an
amicable, laid back crowd whilst
eating superb traditional English
food sounds the perfect antidote
to the British weather.
Louise
Elgin, March 2002
The
Perseverance,
63 Lamb's Conduit Street, London
WC1N 3NB
Tel:
020 7405 8278
