Mon–Fri 11am–11pm; Sat 9.30am–11pm; Sun 9.30am–8pm (last food orders)
What is the Henry Root? They seem a bit confused themselves – if you look at their website you’ll see a sign that says ‘a wine bar with cake’ and another that says ‘bistro’. I’m hoping they become their stated intention, which is to become ‘a neighbourhood hub’. If I lived nearer I’d be in there as much as I could afford, so interesting is the food and wine they serve there. The décor also has multiple personalities; one section a small library, another bright and brasserie-like. On the walls you can find old theatre flyers, Her Majesty winking and some early (and now fairly innocent-looking) erotic photography by the loos. Lastly, perhaps as a warning not to over indulge, Mr Creosote sits above the kitchen (Google if you don’t know your Monty Python).
Don’t be fooled by the sense of humour displayed on the walls. One mouthful is all it will take to convince you they take their food very seriously here. The charcuterie board (£12.90) was a good place to start with soft garlicky slices of saucisson, some black pudding that was textured like burgundy-coloured cottage cheese and a humdinger of a pork terrine. A beautifully tart picalilli added some colour to all those meaty pinks. Pork cheek dumplings (£8) dissolved wonderfully on the tongue, complimented by some Beaujolais that skipped over my palate leaving several flavours in its wake.
A note on the wine list – it’s huge and though it might be paradise for an oenophile, it just looked intimidating to me so I asked the manager Finn to help me out. A note on Finn: do ask for him. He’s on the website and worth a look as, ladies, he’s pretty hot. He was also bang on the money with every wine that he came up with to go with the food and exudes a friendly enthusiasm for everything you’re about to put in your belly. If you’re indecisive about what to eat or drink, put yourself in his hands and you’ll never regret it.
Onwards. Bream with grapefruit, orange and coriander (£14.50) was light and lively while her eight-hour slow-cooked breast of lamb with baby leeks and salsify (£14.50) brought on mild food envy – it was more melt-in-the-mouth meat.
Fabulous chocolate tart with vanilla salt (£6) will only work if you’re into the current vogue for salty chocolate and she wasn’t. On the other hand, the vapours of the Barkham Blue cheese (£3.50) left me with a head full of stink that I loved.
Doing wonders with a small kitchen and about to become a neighbourhood secret the locals won’t want to share, The Henry Root is great dining. Go.
Dinner for two with wine and service, around £100.
