When I was invited to a London gastro-pub for review, I should have known there would be more to it than that.
Although it seems it’s impossible to traverse London for a review without being caught in the pouring rain, once we walked within the Alfred Tennyson it was clear we had entered its own ecosystem. Neatly tucked away in Belgravia, the city pub offered a microcosm of its surroundings, with people from all kinds of walks of life bringing scattered around the surprisingly large bar area.
For a weekday early evening, I was surprised at how busy the pub was, and in particular how loud it could be. The bar was filled with noise and energy, and if this puts you off it’s important to note that the venue has a dining room, boardroom and loft bar all available for private hire should you be scouting for events and require a little less hustle and bustle. If you have the opportunity for a little more tranquillity I’d take it, because it would give the food more of a presence and a chance to shine.
When it came to the food, we were impressed with how many specials were on offer. Because the menu depends on what fresh ingredients they can source, it meant the specials selection was very inviting. From the specials board included delicate, gooey scotch eggs, erupting in flavour for starters, followed by a sublimely prepared venison for main, because there was nothing that could have stopped me from sampling some Tennyson venison.
On the regular menu, the Hebridean Lamb fell off the bone and straight into the mouth, but there was plenty on offer if you were looking for something lighter, including the burger of the day and some good old-fashioned beer battered fish and chips. What was particularly pleasing to me was how generous the portions could be. It’s not abnormal – in fact it’s often expected – for higher-end restaurants to offer less food on the plate as a trade-off for its quality, but The Alfred Tennyson offered plenty of high quality food per dish.
The energy of the bar area where we ate is not for someone looking for a quieter, more intimate experience, and I’d recommend choosing a different seating area unless you’re bringing a lot of friends. If you’re looking for the atmosphere however, the Alfred Tennyson will endeavour not to disappoint. The Tennyson holds regular events, and lives up to its name by holding dinners such as its Poetry Day celebration, where the award winning Eley Williams read a selection of poetry between meals.
Walking back out into the evening gloom, the light and noise of the Tennyson poured out onto the quiet Belgravian street, the pub certainly left an impression on us. In the centre of a city as hectic and massive as London, you’ll find plenty of cookie-cutter, same-old venues that simply do their job and leave you satisfied; but with the Alfred Tennyson, the personality of the building, the food, the other diners and the staff all collided to tell a the unique story of a unique venue.
What we ate
White Park beef croquettes
Homemade scotch egg
Hebridean Lamb
Special board Vennison
Baked lemon cheesecake
Bramley apple pie
The Alfred Tennyson: 10 Motcomb Street, London, SW1X 8LA; 020 7730 6074; reservations@ thealfredtennyson.co.uk
