Bars & Pubs

By Guy Dimond

A now-defunct restaurant in Finchley, called Just Around the Corner, used an unusual gimmick: the menu had no prices, and customers were asked to pay what they thought the meal was worth. Clearly an effective crowd-puller, as the restaurant thrived for 15 years. And the same ruse has just been revived at the Clerkenwell branch of budget restaurant chain Little Bay.

I wish more restaurants would adopt this approach, not least some of the arm-and-a-leg restaurants in Mayfair. But even in shabby-chic Notting Hill, a little pecuniary modesty wouldn't go amiss. At The Commander, I just paid £22 for a small (five-ounce/140g) fillet steak. Just compare this with the price of a large fillet and chips elsewhere.

Of course, not all steaks are created equal. At The Commander, the steak is from leading butcher Ginger Pig – which even has a small concession in this former pub's courtyard, next to a bijou fish stall. The steak - which costs £39.50 per kilo, or £5.53 uncooked from Ginger Pig - was tender and flavoursome, the portion to price disparity partly explained by the addition of three grilled prawns and what the menu described as a peri-peri sauce (actually too tame in heat and too sweet to earn the name). But this still doesn’t explain the £3 for a cup of chips, or £3.50 for a rocket and parmesan side salad.

High prices are nothing unusual in London, but the combination with some disappointing dishes explains The Commander's low star rating. The 'Commander big salad' (£7.25) is a heap of mizuna leaves, bean sprouts, mirin and ponzu dressing topped with lotus-root crisps. It looked good, but our choice of adding lightly seared tuna (for an extra £4) was a mistake – the interior of the fish was fibrous and stringy, qualities which are not appetising in raw fish. I suggest giving the sashimi and sushi on the menu a miss too.

The rest of menu is fairly brief, with emphasis on simple ingredients such as crustacea (six oysters: 'market price' – ie upwards of £3 each), or simple dishes such as burgers or fish pie. The best dish was a small but densely flavoured chocolate tart (£6).

The Commander doesn't call itself a gastropub. Instead it prefers the monicker 'porterhouse and oyster bar'. But anyone looking for a pint of the landlord’s finest porter, or any other cask-conditioned ('real') ales, might be disappointed – on our visit the choices were of the lager or Guinness varieties.

The Commander's not without its saving graces though – the friendly atmosphere make it a great place to pop in for a glass of wine. The imaginative world wine list has more than 70 selections, from Brazil to Bordeaux, seemingly picked for food-friendliness. The mark-ups are not unreasonable, though around three-quarters of the list costs more than £20 per bottle. Twenty or so are available by the large (175ml) glass and small or large carafe in addition to the usual 75cl bottle. However, our wine orders took 20 minutes each time to make their way the five paces from the bar to our table; but the perky, cheery service can only speed up.

Time Out London Issue 2009: February 19-25 2009