The Pantechnicon
'Great food and a sophisticated crowd' at The Pantechnicon

The Pantechnicon

Open Mon–Fri midday–11pm; Sat–Sun 9am–11pm

The style:

Situated in the beautiful, upmarket Motcomb Street, neighbouring the infamous Christian Laboutin store and Gordon Ramsay’s Petrus restaurant The Pantechnicon fits into its classy surroundings perfectly. Upstairs boasts a vast, formal dining room with grand oil paintings and enormous dark wooden tables whilst downstairs is a more casual affair; a light and breezy interior and windows fringed with attractive, al fresco drinkers sipping their midweek champagne (as you do).

The crowd:

Downstairs was busy with mid-30-something professionals enjoying each others’ company over fine wines and good ales. On our visit we even caught a glimpse of Gordon Ramsay! Arriving upstairs we felt somewhat tense, being the first diners but this quickly melted away as we were joined by an intriguing crowd providing some fantastic people watching, ‘Oooh she is attractive. What on earth is she is doing with that incredibly rich, old man?’, etc.

The food:

The Pantechnicon’s menu has a distinctly British feel in comparison to its sister establishments with dishes such as Devon crab, Old Spot pork belly and fish and chips. As soon as we spotted our fantastically presented starters we knew we were in for so much more than pub grub. My Ticklemore goats cheese stuffed artichokes with Cumbrian ham were matched perfectly with sweet and juicy cooked figs (£8). My friend Michelle opted for the Devon crab which was moist and fresh but unfortunately slightly bland (£9.50).

For my main, I was presented with an excellently cooked whole lemon sole with fresh samphire and a tomato and caper dressing – perfection (£19.50). Michelle’s pork belly came served with butternut, tomato and fennel and delicious coils of crackling that just burst in the mouth (£14.50).

For desert we shared the almond and vanilla cheesecake (£7) and the dark chocolate tart with honey comb parfait (£7). They were both delicious; the cheesecake was refreshing and the chocolate tart was totally decadent with the indulgent mix of soft, bitter chocolate and crunchy, sweet honeycomb.

The drinks:

As with any good gastr pub The Pantechnicon is proud to offer a good selection of both old and new world wines (from £4.50 glass), with a more extensive cellar selection available upon request. They also serve ales and boast a creative cocktail list (from £7) featuring intriguing treats such as the rum and raisin royale (£10.50). Downstairs is the perfect location for drinks on a summer evening.

The Pantechnicon, 10 Motcomb St, London, SW1; www.thepantechnicon.com; 020 7730 6074

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