Open Mon–Sat midday–3pm and 6pm–11pm; Sun midday–10.30pm
Fulham Road is a foodie’s dream, packed with restaurants from every corner of the world; Mexican, Thai, Japanese, Italian… You name it, it’s there.
However new kid on the block, The Penny Black Restaurant, aims to dedicate itself to providing the highest quality British cuisine of a bygone era. The menu is crammed with nostalgic dishes such as beef wellington, toad-in-the-hole and bread and butter pudding.
The restaurant’s dimly-lit exterior is alluring with a smart, formal feel and inside flickering candles illuminate elegant wine glasses and crisp fresh white table cloths reinforce the sophisticated feel. Unfortunately the lack of customers and nondescript music on our visit meant the place lacked atmosphere.
To start, my friend Aaron ordered the crayfish salad (£8) which came with a refreshing tomato and courgette relish seasoned with a basil dressing. The fusion created a light and tangy dish with an irresistible layered depth of flavour. My goats’ cheese salad (£6) with courgette, fennel and toasted pumpkin seeds had just a few small chunks of cheese but the dressing and bread brought it to life.
The main courses on offer featured prawns and crab to pork chop and rack of Welsh lamb but only offered one, somewhat uninteresting vegetarian option. Despite feeling as though I should order a hearty meat dish it was the fish that sang out to me. I ordered the roast halibut (£20), served with smoky grilled asparagus and juicy samphire drizzled with a creamy lemon and butter sauce. The lively citrus sauce and saltiness of the fish worked really well together and I scraped my plate clean.
Aaron, on the other hand, opted for the beef wellington (£25), a dish that had been raved about by the staff, promoted on the website and… Seriously failed to impress. The beef was unacceptably tough and the surrounding pastry was heavy and soggy. The accompanying fennel and potato bake was beautifully layered and crispy on top, but could not distract enough to save the disappointing dish.
For dessert we shared the grown-up jelly with gin and tonic sorbet (£6); the jelly tasted like mulled wine and the light, refreshing sorbet cut through providing a citric spark.
They have a very extensive wine list with glasses starting at £5.50 and accelerating rapidly. The average price for a glass of wine is around £10 but they have a lot of fine wines on offer, some of which are £50 a glass. Wines are offered by the glass, bottle, or carafe which is a nice touch.
The staff were fantastic, the interior was welcoming and the wine was superb. However the lack of ambiance and hit and miss menu means a little more work is needed.
Three-course meal for two, with house wine, around £110.
