Lots Road Gastropub

Gastropubs are not the category of restaurant that I visit frequently... I just can't warm to the concept: pubs will eternally put me off for the smokehouses that they are and for being full of that unpleasant smell of spilled pints everywhere... not really inviting and definitely not where I'd naturally come for food. Of course, I seem to invariably rate all pubs after that horrible place across the road from the agency I used to work for in Camden (Rowleys, for those in the know) which must be one of the worst example of the lot. But in most pubs I have come across, the stench is abominable and if the countless pints (the wines are undrinkable) that you down in an evening with your colleagues don't finish you off, then their complimentary sandwiches, passed around to make people falsely believe they can actually stomach a few more drinks, certainly will. Or is it just the British attitude to drink (over to the pub at 6pm and drink at record speed to make sure you're absolutely larried by pub closing time at 11pm) that puts me off? I don't know.
The other reason, of course, lies in the name... I am never quite sure whether the "gastro" in the name stands for "gastronomic" or "gastro-enteritis", not surprisingly after my past experiences at the culinarily less ambitious specimens.
Last Saturday, though, I put all inhibitions aside... I had originally planned to introduce Jeanne to Wizzy, a modern Korean restaurant in Fulham, but we had to find that it had sadly closed down - proving that great cuisine is not necessarily a recipe for success, you need to have the service to match, which Wizzy really didn't.
So we had to make a decision in a hurry and went for Lots Road, a gastropub near Chelsea Harbour. Although the road where it's situated is not a prime residential location (in fact, it is situated right opposite the Chelsea and Fulham vehicle compound, which made me feel quite paranoid about my car being parked on a yellow line) but busy during the week due to its many antique shops and auction houses, the pub was actually fully booked when we arrived, but we managed to secure a wobbly table in the back. Lots Road Pub & Dining Room did have none of the unpleasant smell and stuffiness (though I did find the smoke too intrusive towards the end of our meal when the lazy afternoon boozing crowds seemed to start taking the place over), in fact, its interior is very unusual and bright for a pub - stripped wood flooring, L-shaped bar with a tiny open kitchen on the one end, basic wooden tables and chairs, a massive bunch of fragrant lillies and a comfortable leather sofa in the back of the room.
We had a hard time making a decision on what to order, made even more difficult by the fact that 40 cm of baby are making my stomach shrink more and more every day. The menu is less adventurous than other Gastropubs, no giblets, chicken liver and friends, but there was the obligatory salad with grilled goats' cheese and a number of fish options, which is always welcome... I have a feeling that their Sunday menu needs to cater for families living in the area, so the à la carte mains were leaning heavily towards Sunday Roast in various shapes and guises - the selection of dishes might be different during the week.
We started off sharing both starters: a crab and avodcado salad, with a pleasant mix of leaves tossed in a subtle vinaigrette which was slightly on the oily side - sadly, the bread I asked for never made it to our table.

Parfait of foie gras was heavenly smooth and lighter than expected, served with yummy hazelnut bread and a thick, glossy and onctuous onion marmelade, I have to admit this was my favourite dish.
For mains, we asked to have a steak mince burger with bacon and cheese split in half, which wasn't well received in the kitchen, as we heard, as it was "the busiest time of the day"... I didn't actually realise that cutting something in half was such a complicated and time-consuming operation, but maybe I'm missing something here!
The burger halves came nicely arranged on two separate plates (the picture does not do it justice), with a generous helping of thick-cut chips made of new potatoes, lacking a bit of salt but otherwise delicious, and the burger automatically was cooked to medium, which is a rare and pleasant find.
We couldn't resist dessert and although we've became good friends over the years, we're not close enough to be sharing our desserts... we'll let each other have a taste of our orders, but that's as far as we'll go, greedy as we are!
Jeanne's chocolate brownie with crème fraîche had been re-heated and under pressure, the hot oven had made it far too hard on the outside, and there wasn't enough left of the moist and yummy inside.
My apple & currant crumble mainly stood out for the lack of currants... I had seen a plate of it earlier on the adjacent table which seemed to be a rich red as you'd expect, but I guess it had been too popular a dessert and they'd simply run out of berries. Even though I found the topping a bit too dry and not crispy enough, sort of like oat flakes simply poured over the cooked fruit, I still loved the taste of it, not being one to resist warm apples.
All in all, a very pleasant Sunday lunch - and with £20 a head (one glass of wine and a large bottle of water included) it was quite reasonably priced as well.

Lots Road Pub and Dining Room
114 Lots Road
Chelsea
London SW10 0RJ
Tel: 020 7352 6645
Nearest tube: Fulham Broadway (District Line)

Comments

[simonetta]

Johanna, I did not know you were expecting a baby... congratulations!
Nice blog. Sometimes I love to hear you can still have a reasonably good meal in London (not just a pizza), for the price you mention!

[David]

Yeah, now that you're eating for 2, you can wolf down all that foie gras and brownies..

(well, not at the same time!)

[dianne]

Hi Johanna

Just a short message, to let you know that my euro-parcel from Claudia of Dolce, has arrived! The contents were a wonderfull suprise. I've currently got PC problems but will hopefully post to my blog today or tommorrow

Dianne

[johanna]

oh yes, david, i am glad i am not having the weird cravings you see in the movies... i keep reminding myself that i will have to lose all that weight that i gain some day, so i ty to be relatively good. doesn't always work!

simonetta, you're right, it is incredibly difficult to find good value for money in london... but there are some gems ;-)

[S. Worthen]

I'm really looking forward to next year's smoking ban. Already pubs are better than they were when I've lived in this country in years past; but no smoking at all - how that will improve all parts of the experience.

I haven't tried many of London's gastropubs, but the one I keep going back to is The Dovetail, a Belgian gastropub near Faringdon. (It's a City pub, so only open weekdays.)

[Jeanne]

Oh yes - bring on the day they ban smoking in all eating places!! But that aside, lunch was good if unadventurous, and very reasonably priced. Reason enough to prise me away from my computer (and husband!) on a Sunday afternoon :-)