The Blurb
Loci Pubs was founded by brothers Ben and Ed Robson, and their childhood friend Adam Gostyn. After years spent working at the heart of London hospitality, they aspired to find once-loved pubs and transform them into proper locals, with exceptional food.
The latest addition to their small chain with outposts in St John’s Wood, Hampstead Heath and West Hampstead has arrived in Kensal Rise. It’s only been open a week but The William is already full and the menu looks enticing.
The Style
The traditionally styled pub is cosy with roaring open fires, William Morris wallpapers painted black panelling, modern light fittings and Chesterfield-style banquettes. The exterior has been sensitively restored in dark blue and the black and white striped awning gives it a small town deli-feel. Inside, panelled walls are painted in warm muted tones and additional walls have been thoughtfully panelled to match the many original features. There’s a spacious garden out the back which will be a lovely place to sit in warmer seasons.
The Crowd
West London families in all their iterations. Well-behaved children in knitted woollen bonnets chow down on pillowy focaccia and foodie couples like us are having a pre-Christmas catch-up with friends.
To Eat and Drink
Our server offers us some water and we order a carafe of the house red… naturally there are other options, but it’s a Sunday at the tail-end of December so I’m afraid our hands are tied.
The menu is succinct. Something I find reassuring in a pub – it’s always so much better to do a few things confidently than try to please everybody. Both in the culinary world and in life I suspect… but that’s another matter.
Reading back over the menu as I write, there are a few dishes that I regret not trying; buttermilk fried chicken or whole prawns and mussels served with crispy bread and rouille. We begin with the carbonara croquettes and I’m glad we do because they are sensational. The creamy filling features diced spaghetti, which sounds weird… it isn’t. We also have a stone bass with clementine, pickled kohlrabi and herb oil. The two dishes are very different but complement each other beautifully.
For the main course, we both chose a roast. I have the pork belly which is delightfully tender with crisp, bubbly crackling. My husband chooses the sirloin of beef, which is well-rested and just the right shade of pink. Both are served with a Yorkshire Pudding (so big you could wear it as a hat), roast potatoes, thinly sliced cabbage and an unctuous gravy,
We absolutely do not need it, but for the sake of journalistic parity, we feel obliged to try a dessert. We share a sticky toffee pudding. It is rich and spicy with copious amounts of creamy toffee sauce. We both agree it’s one of the best we’ve ever had.
In a Nutshell
The pub has only been open a week, but the service was seamless. The staff are a real credit to this place, they are utterly charming from start to finish and only go up in my estimation once I realise that they had no idea that we were writing a review.
The William has it all, excellent food, impeccable service and at roughly £50pp for a three-course lunch with wine… it is pretty good value.
The Details
The William is open on a Sunday from 12-8pm.
786 Harrow Road, London, NW10 5JX
