Apart from a Duffy song, Warwick Avenue has been one of those quiet stations that has stayed out of the limelight. With elegantly, pristine houses and spotless footpaths, it’s unsurprising for local residents to value the understatedness of their neighbourhood. One of the hidden gems in the area is the Prince Alfred pub.
With its beautifully carved wooden facade, you sense this is a pub heavy on details and tradition. Not many pubs these days still have snob screens that divide up the bar to give customers added privacy. The cellars in the basement is also another option for groups looking for private space with extra intimacy
The main restaurant area utilises royal blue leather seating with elegant, dark wooden tables along with an assemblage of historical photos. It is brighter and airy than most pubs because of the giant greenhouse window feature at the centre of the pub making great use of natural daylight.
The presentation of the food here is what you would expect from a Michelin-starred restaurant: classically presented in the most appetising fashion possible. The smoked salmon parcel with finely chopped potatoes inside and crème fraîche was pure summer on a plate. Whilst the smoked mackerel salad was equally appealing in presentation and taste.
I don’t often express this point of view, but the main courses exceeded the already high standards of the starters. The crispy Suffolk pork belly was as guilty and divine tasting as you would hope for. It was hardly surprising that the waitress explained this was one dish customers kept coming back and wanted more of. The caramelized onion puree and apple sauce went addictively well with the pork, along with the finely chopped cabbage at its base.
The cod fillet was fleshy and fresh in taste and it’s rare to find kale pesto and black pudding matched with this dish, but it made for an extremely appetising and flavoursome combination. Their extensive wine list is helpfully divided into clearly headed sections, so making it less of a time-consuming affair for you to find a wine to match with your main course whether you like your white wine to be crisp and fruity or mineral and complex.
They have all the classic desserts here including sticky toffee pudding, their own take on an Eton mess and cheese sharing boards, but if you want a lighter option to go with the warmer weather, then their grilled pineapple with nougat glacé and raspberry sauce is the ideal choice.
Along with the starters and main courses, the components matched up to create each dish has been exceptionally well thought out. This might be a neighbourhood pub, but the high standard of the food along with the decor makes it well worth travelling across town for.
baldwin@townfish.com