Bars & Pubs

Located in Columbia Road (famous for its Sunday flower market), the Royal hardly needs to make an effort. Happily, it does. If you haven’t booked into the first-floor dining room (all mismatched tables, linen cloths and soothing eau-de-nil paintwork), try to find a seat in the bustling bar below; it’s worth it. On our visit, the chaotic crowd – funky 1940s land-girls, middle-aged couples (with dogs, flowers, aging relatives and children) – was served by a waitress as cool as a cucumber but friendly with it. Antipasti was a breadboard piled with chorizo, salami, cured ham, crumbly creamy feta, a spicy sauce and houmous. Half a dozen oysters served on ice with lemon and red wine vinegar were fresh and creamy. A simple main of warm mackerel and salad was delicious, but the prize went to the sunday roast: a mound of tender beef atop roast potatoes, savoy cabbage, roasted carrots and parsnips, covered in delicious gravy with a fluffy yorkshire pud on top. Beers change regularly; Adnams Bitter and London Pride are likely candidates. The wine list is well-rounded and reasonably priced; a house red Les Serres vin de pays (£12.50) was fine, but the recommended Syrah Reserve (L’Archet 2004, £24.50) was superb.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008