The Prince of Wales

Who’d have thought it ? Two visits in as many weeks to areas of London with SW in the Post Code. Actually, not so strange. Before I ascended to the heights of North London a decade ago, I lived in various locations south of the river. My first job was in SW15 and (hard to believe, I know) I even did some courting involving many trips back and forth across Putney Bridge. So any return was always going to be very evocative and full of amazement at the rapid passage of time.

The Prince of Wales is situated on the Upper Richmond Road a short walk away from the rather ghastly Putney High Street (Chain coffee stores ? We got ‘em). It’s the elder sister of The Bull and Last in Highgate and the MO is roughly similar: a bunch of people with a lot of experience in the restaurant biz have got together, found some great ingredients, cook them with care and accuracy and serve them in a professional yet relaxed manner. Piece of piss, really. As I said in my post about the B&L, all (shudder) gastropubs should be like this but sadly aren’t.

In some ways I preferred the PoW. It’s a lot more relaxed. The Pub bit is separate from the restaurant bit so there isn’t the scrum at the bar to order food. On a Saturday lunchtime it was more or less full but things felt a lot less harried. And most importantly, you’ve no chance of running into Giles Coren. A deal closer or what ?

The menu here isn’t as diverse or as large (the small kitchen and brigade probably mitigate against that) but the food is terrific. I always order Scotch Eggs whenever they’re on the menu. This one was great: porky and herby and the perfect amuse with a well-kept pint of Black Sheep.

The Native Oyster season has finished but some Colchester Rocks were briny and delicious and were as good as you’ll find. Au Naturel is best when it comes to bivalves but a drop or two of lemon juice or some shallot vinegar is always interesting to try.

Small Cornish Squid was sliced and coated in a mixture that had a little paprika in the mix then quickly deep fried. It was some of the most tender I’ve tried (apparently flash freezing does the trick) and really didn’t need the accompanying dip or salad, decent though they were. They didn’t need a fork either – this was a job for fingers.

A slab of Rump Cap was cooked pink and was nicely beefy although the unctuous Wild Garlic Butter slathered over the top stole the show. Triple cooked chips were crisp and crunchy and the real thing – they’re not always. I didn’t think the wooden board thing added anything but it only really registered after I’d eaten my main course.

The signature dish in terms of what the other punters were going for appeared to be the Fish and Chips and the big hunks of Haddock with Chips looked the business, although seeing them on a board brought back unhappy memories of those I’d had at Tom’s Kitchen. Difference is, these examples looked much, much better, cost a tenner and were served with proper ketchup.

I’ve gone right off puddings in high-end restaurants. They tend to be an unwelcome sugar overload at the end of a usually very rich meal. I’ve had much better desserts in pubs which are restaurants, for example, The Red Lion. Like the Bull and Last puddings at The Price of Wales - well, the one I had – was impressive. A Salt Caramel Chocolate Fondant with Peanut Butter Ice Cream was rich and luxurious without being cloying – every mouthful brought a little smile (well, that’s as much as you’re going to get from me). A comped glass of Recioto widened that smile.

Coffee was superb – I knew it would be – and there was a very nice Calvados that spoke of apples and le trou normand.

Service from manager Bernie was friendly and on the ball and he seemed to breeze through a busy service, even with me interrupting and asking stupid questions. The kitchen seems to work without muss or fuss and turns out accurately cooked and tasty grub at what I think are very reasonable prices. It all looks so effortless, but of course that’s professionals for you – always making it look easy. Bastards.

dos's profile     Other reviews by dos     dos likes    

The Prince of Wales is the sister restaurant of the Bull & Last in Gospel Oak. The similarity in philosophy is evident from the blackboard proudly listing the various suppliers of the restaurant, such as Murrays Fresh Fish and Secretts Farm for vegetables. The compact dining room has bare wooden floors and tables, with the kitchen pass visible in one corner. At the Bull & Last there is a trio of stuffed bull’s heads on the wall, but here we have to make do with a single rabbit head on display.

The short menu is a little fancier than the one at the Bull & Last, reflecting the training of the chef Dominic Robinson, previously at Trinity and recently Tom Aikens. However we are still firmly in pub territory. Starters are around £6, main £10 - £15, vegetables £3.50 and desserts £5.50 - £8. The two page wine list is split between French and the new World. Examples are Duckbill Pinot Noir 2006 at £26 for a wine that costs around £7 in the shops, Marengo Pinot Grigio 2007 at £16 for a wine costing around £6 retail, and Mount Difficulty Pinot Gris 2007 at £29 compared to a shop price of about £17.

One thing of which I heartily approve is that the bread here is made from scratch, a choice of soda bread and excellent sourdough. This had excellent texture and was properly seasoned (6/10). Wild garlic broth was pleasant enough if a little thin, but correctly seasoned (2/10). An eel salad with apples and leaves dressed with lemon and marjoram dressing was a good idea, but needed more eel relative to the apple (2/10).

Haddock was deep fried in beer batter (using Fullers London Pride beer) and had both tasty fish and good, crisp batter (4/10). Triple-cooked chips were for me, just a little lacking in crispness; I suspect a few extra degrees for the oil at the final stage would help, but these were still better chips than you will find almost anywhere in London (5/10). A pre-dessert of pistachio parfait with orange sorbet, pomegranate seeds and Turkish delight had light texture and was a neat combination of textures and ingredients (4/10). Apple and prune crumble had good texture and carefully made vanilla ice cream (4/10).

Personally I found the menu a little less immediately appealing than that of the Bull & Last, as I felt the chef was trying to be just a bit fancier than pub food really calls for, but this is a matter of personal taste. Service from our Australian waitress was friendly and capable, and this is very good food indeed.

Andy's profile     Other reviews by Andy     Andy likes    

Great little gastropub in Putney, always packed on a Sunday with both a nice bright restaurant for those who want something slightly more formal and a great cosier bar area for those who, like me and the other half prefer our Sunday roast whilst working our way through the Sunday paper. The staff are incredibly, especially the Scottish bar man and the chef serves great bar snacks (freshly made pasties and scotch eggs) for those who can't face a full main. Not the cheapest gastro pub in the area - if you want cheap with slightly less atmosphere but still brilliant food then The Normanby 2 streets away if for you.