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Please note, Sylvan Oak has now closed. Time Out Food editors, MARCH 2020.
Earlsfield is the unlikely location for the second branch of a well-regarded restaurant in Findon, in rural West Sussex. And Sylvan Oak does feel like something transplanted from the country: a smart, special-occasion sort of place, and slightly old-fashioned. The service is attentive and good on detail: our enquiry about a food allergy had the staff double-checking everything, just to be sure. The low noise levels are a refreshing change to the bustle of most London restaurants, with only a discreet Nouvelle Vague-esque soundtrack playing softly in the background. And the Modern European menu is fixed price, so there are no nasty surprises when the bill arrives: two courses for £30, £36 for three.
With prices this high, culinary expectations can also be raised. Halibut was perfectly cooked, served on two neat discs of fondant potato but with a salsa verde on top. Meat cookery was exemplary, with venison that was properly tender and pink; however, the accompanying vegetables, potato mash and broccoli, showed a lack of imagination. The desserts were perfectly made, but seem to be pitched at diners who don’t eat out much: crème caramel, chocolate fondant and vanilla cheesecake may thrill in Findon, but in London they seem a little passé, even if there was a pea shoot garnishing our dessert.
Though not at the culinary cutting edge, Sylvan Post is perfect as a smoothly run neighbourhood restaurant with no nasty surprises and satisfying dishes.