Restaurants

By Guy Dimond

The Iron Duke has cast off his wellies and scrubbed up. The ground floor of this pub now has sputnik light pendants, stargazer lilies and framed Banksy postcards on the walls; it's nouveau pub. The beer's still the real thing, Adnam's or Greene King IPA, but the pub tables now sport 'reserved' notices.

The bar menu includes dishes such as crab bisque, char-grilled steak (at £17.50), and rum baba with grilled pineapple. It's all done in good taste and still looks like a proper pub, albeit one with the twang of Received Pronunciation English coming from every conversation.

Head for the first floor, and you're in a quieter, even more civilised space. The dining room's small, quite intimate, and very cosy. The menu was little different to the bar menu; the prices were almost identical.

The Duke's porcine connection to the Pig's Ear in Chelsea is evident in a starter of pig's head formed into a fishcake-like patty, served with tiny fried quails' eggs. The advertised accompaniment of pig's trotters on toast was missing, but sheepishly brought when we pointed out its absence.

A dish such as slow-roast shoulder of lamb is combined with the classic accompaniments of anchovy and garlic, a tower of aubergine and tomato, and lemon-roasted potatoes. Everything was done very nicely, though you are paying for pub food at restaurant prices.

In the best gastropub tradition, there's a choice of good wines by the glass as well as those two real ales. If you're looking for a proper old-fashioned boozer you might be disappointed by the changes to the Duke. But if you're looking for a proper contemporary gastropub, you'll be delighted.

Time Out London Issue 1946: December 5-11 2007