Probably more than any other type of establishment, when you walk into a pub first impressions count. Within a few seconds you just know if you are in the right place, I recently was.
As I walked into The Alfred Tennyson in Belgravia, a busy lunch service was underway, I was warmly welcomed by a waiter and taken to my table. My companion for lunch joined me and we ordered drinks before perusing the menu.
My guest for lunch was Chris Moore, former CEO of The Clink, a group of prison restaurants, with previous experience of running restaurants for operators including Fenwick and Harrods. He is currently President of PathNorth, an organisation that helps CEOs broaden their definitions of success. Lunch was a chance to catch up and glean some additional feedback for this review from someone who ran restaurants rather than my writing about them purely from my perspective as a consumer. Another advantage of having Chris as my lunch guest that day was local knowledge, his stint at Harrods meant he knows the area well.
The menu is new following the appointment of Stevie Phillip as Head Chef. It forced me into study, options required narrowing down, ordinarily what I order jumps out at me, not here. Torn between the Beef Tartare and Gin Cured Salmon I selected the latter to start, and for main course Roast Rack of Lamb. Chris opted for Poached Asparagus, Slow Cooked Egg, Warm Tartare Sauce, Parmesan for his starter and Duck Breast for main. We also ordered some Jersey Royals and Broccoli.
We ordered a glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with our starters, fresh and fruity with just the right touch of tartness, it complimented our respective fish and seafood starters well. It was so good that we ordered another of the same with our mains.
Gin proves to be an elegant flavouring for the salmon in this dish from Stevie Phillip with Pickled Radish, and Green Goddess Dressing adding further notes of vibrancy.
The lamb was pink, tender, fatty, and rich. A selection of peas, broad beans, braised baby gem, alongside a Mojo Verde sauce made the dish almost look as good as it tasted. The Jersey Royals were served cooked with Wild Garlic Pesto, if I could have ordered a second bowl all to myself, I would have, they were sensational.
We were busy discussing the starter and main selections when chef Stevie Phillip joined us, “what did we think”? Chris highlighted the duck, I banged on about the Jersey Royals, and we both agreed we were very much enjoying our lunch. We confessed to spending quite some time selecting our choices and started to discuss the wider menu. Stevie explained how he had put the menu together, with a focus on provenance through key supplier relationships, people he knows and trusts to deliver consistently.
As the dishes were so good I think they all deserve a mention, so…
- All meat is sourced from high welfare farms in the UK and Ireland via three suppliers, Walter Rose & Son, a family butcher founded in Devizes, Wiltshire in 1847. Taste Tradition, Ripon, North Yorkshire, who specialise in native rare breeds. Hannan Meats in Moira, County Down, Northern Ireland.
- Wild British game is sourced from estates in Berkshire and North Yorkshire.
- All seafood is supplied by the Wright Brothers, through their Brixham Market depot on the Devon coast, using wild fish landed by day boats and sustainably farmed seafood.
- Fruit and vegetables come through New Covent Garden Market, from the finest UK and European farms and growers.
- Salad is hydroponically grown in central London by Crate to Plate for maximum freshness, with a zero-carbon footprint in terms of transportation and arrive in The Alfred Tennyson kitchens within 24 hours of being harvested.
- Specialist products are supplied by Brindisa, Natoora and La Credenza.
Stevie has obviously put a lot of research into provenance, and sustainability, it shows and doubtless is in part why the pub is heaving with diners mid Thursday afternoon.
We discussed the main course options there are three or four simple or basic options, including a burger, and a beef and ale pie, Stevie highlighted the fish and chips option, Battered Haddock, Chips, Mushy Peas, Tartare Sauce. When I mentioned it had made my final two prior to ordering he encouraged us both to try a small plate. Why not.
A full plate, in fact a very full plate arrived with a generous portion of Haddock centerpiece. Having already eaten two courses somewhat apprehensively we both sampled the fish and chips. Somehow, we devoured the lot. Simple food done well is hard to beat, and this fish and chips will certainly make it onto my order when I next visit.
At this point you are undoubtedly thinking they must have skipped dessert, not a chance. We had seen various dessert options landing on other tables, it would have been amiss. I think when food is so good, eating more than normal is all too easy, so I did.
I opted for Vanilla Panna Cotta, Yorkshire Rhubarb, if you like both components separately combined, they are more than one plus one. The Panna Cotta was velvety smooth, the vanilla tasted of marshmallow, and the rhubarb had just the right amount of zest to balance the sweet and sour equation.
We agreed we had very much enjoyed our visit to The Alfred Tennyson and will return soon. Thank you to Stevie Phillip and brigade for the fine food experience, and to the front of house team for exemplary service. Oh, and thank you also to Madame Foie Gras for arranging.
