Hill on
Haverstock Hill
94
Haverstock Hill London NW3 Tel: 020
7267 0033
Michelin
have just published their first Eating
Out in Pubs Guide to the United Kingdom.
Out of the 500 countrywide that made
the grade, only forty in London achieved
this prestigious accolade. One of
these is The
Hill
, which has recently re-opened after
a major refurbishment. In the heartland
of a very rock and roll part of Camden,
it has long been the drinking den of
many a north London celebrity. As if
to prove a point the first person I saw
when I walked in was Chris Evans, as
this is the sort of place where he would
feel confident that no one is going to
bother him.
The
pub's interior is something of a
drawing room cum wine bar. The atmosphere
is warm and friendly, the mood laid
back, with funky soul music playing
at a low level. Overall the atmosphere
is that of an exclusive private club,
not a gastro-pub at all, and plenty
of cosy tête à têtes were being conducted
around the room. The new décor was
very much to my taste, a sort of
faded French elegance. Slim Corinthian
gilded beams and pillars gave way
to a contemporary, Boho style dining
area, with velvet chairs, 18th century
mirrors, chandeliers and blue and
gold French Rococo styled walls.
The official dining area only seats
about twenty and is rather cramped,
however, meals are served throughout
the room, and, weather permitting,
on their smart new terrace complete
with space heaters.
The
fairly short but enterprising menu
consisted of five starters, nine
main courses, and four puddings.
My guest had her eye on the baked
ratatouille tart to begin; yet by
8.00pm on a Thursday evening, they
had, surprisingly, run out. The remaining
choice consisted of the soup of the
day - haddock and chorizo chowder,
or a grilled king prawn Caesar salad,
a platter of cured meats or a tuna
fish Niçoise. So not a great choice
for vegetarians. My guest asked if
they could do her a vegetarian Niçoise:
they obliged and she was extremely
pleased. It was very fresh, colourful,
with plenty of fresh herbs, different
lettuces and beautifully sliced tomatoes
and peppers. It was attractively
served with the correct, warm wedges
of egg and both green and black olives
with a very tasty dressing. I chose
the chowder which had a velvety texture,
plenty of substance, however I found
it a little on the glutinous side,
with a rather bitter aftertaste for
my palate.
I
was drinking a very smooth and buttery
chardonnay from Argentina, it was
lightly oaked, with a hint of vanilla.
My guest tried a glass of the house
white, La Croix 2003, a humble French
vin de pays. A mild bouquet, dry,
not too grapey - her verdict, a good,
honest and pleasant quaffing wine!
One
of the three blackboard main course
specials was a grilled lamb steak
served with sweet chilli glaze and
pumpkin puree. The generous helping
of lamb was seared and succulent
and came served a with good jus,
the chilli glaze adding a peppery
kick. It was artistically served
in a bowl style platter, the meat
nestling on a nutty pumpkin purée
and a French bean base, all receiving
very good marks. This went well with
a glass of Rioja, Marques De Grinon
2001, which was smooth and fruity,
with almost a port like quality.
My
tower of spinach, crisp fishcake
and poached egg with chive hollandaise
was pure comfort food, a wonderful
texture of tastes, all very well
cooked, the fishcake, meaty and robust,
the egg, creamy and not overdone.
This was accompanied by a glass of
Italian Pinot Grigio, 2003 from Mezzacorona,
it had a light bouquet and good,
grapey overtones.
To
finish, I had a poached pear and
Masala Sabayon. This came trendily
served on a rectangular plate, the
firm but tender pear being saturated
in the superb sabayon sauce and finished
with a drizzle of coulis - divine!.
Our other choice was the fruit and
nut brownie with vanilla ice cream.
Again it was attractively presented,
the home made ice cream flecked with
real vanilla, served separately in
a ramekin dish, the brownie resting
on a lake of sauce very similar to
that served with my pear. The brownie,
although a little on the dry side,
was very nutty, and in fact, we decided,
almost a chocolate equivalent of
Christmas pudding.
The
bill came in at £72 including service.
Overall, this meal just got better
and better. Normally, I'm not a huge
fan of pub culture, however, I would
be thrilled if The Hill was somewhere
I could call my local.
Louise
Elgin, October 2004
For
more information about the Hill and
its siblings, goto: www.geronimo-inns.co.uk
The
Hill is open Mon-Sun 4pm - 11pm
for drinkers and closes at midnight
for diners.
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