Open Mon–Sat 11am–11pm; Sun 11am–10.30pm
The style:
This traditional pub (dating from 1869) underwent a revamp a few months ago courtesy of Tom and Ed Martin (the guys behind Gun, Docklands, and The Botanist, Sloane Square). It still feels like a cosy pub with dark wood panelling and comfy seating; big black sofas in the bar area, a banquette in the restaurant area at the back of the bar, while smart wooden tables are dotted about. There’s also a billiards room on the first floor. The walls in the restaurant area are decorated with antlers, framed butterflies and stuffed foxes heads. We were seated under a magnificent 150-year-old bison’s head by the large open brick fireplace crammed with logs.
The crowd:
Well-heeled, good looking Sloaney friends and couples: Ralph Lauren polo shirt, Chino and Todd loafer-wearing boys and designer skirt, shirt and French Sole-clad ladies.
The food:
The very British menu sources from UK farms and niche suppliers, but we were surprised there wasn’t a vegetarian main option – the Cadogan Arms clearly isn’t a fan of veggies. The black-clad waitress said she’d speak to the manager (I’d have thought the chef would be more appropriate) and returned suggesting a mushroom and truffle foam risotto. It wasn’t quite what I had in mind on a hot August evening.
My friend, Lucy, started with seared scallops, black pudding and truffled cauliflower puree (£9.50) which was beautifully presented, adorned with pea shoots and perfectly cooked. My goat’s cheese and confit shallot tart with sweet onion dressing (£6.50) was equally good; flaky pastry, creamy cheese and sweet shallots. Lucy chose Welsh lamb rack, courgette flower, minted garden pea barley risotto and sherry jus (£15.50) and was warned her lamb would be pink, which it was: tender and succulent. We noticed it was the most popular choice among the diners. My risotto was too rich and garlicky for my taste and the stack of porcini mushrooms atop the dish were over salted. For dessert, we shared a lemon cheesecake with Pimm’s sorbet. The cheesecake had the desired firm, biscuity base and mousse-like topping, although the sorbet tasted more of raspberries than anything else.
The drinks:
The bar offers a few real ales including Fuller’s London Pride (£3.30 per pint) Adnams’ Broadside (£3.30) or Bitter (£3.10) as well as Bulmers and Bulmers Pear cider by the bottle (£4) among its draught and bottle selection, and a short, but varied selection of wines by the glass including an Alsatian riesling (from £5) and a gamay (£4.60). We were impressed by the house wine, ETM Cuvée Frères Martin, a blend of chardonnay, viognier and chasan selected by the owners from a vineyard in the Languedoc region of France (£15 a bottle).
