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Please note, the Deptford Esquire is now closed. Time Out Editors, July 2018.
‘Lahore meets London’ is the tagline for this pub and curry house at the top end of Deptford High Street, which is the union of Little Nan’s Bar and Masala Wala Café. These two are stars of the local scene, almost as iconic as Deptford’s anchor outside. I arrived excited.
A shopfront exterior was confusing, and it opened into a narrow room that was bar-like but without an actual bar. A small back restaurant was cold and quiet, but family portraits, hanging hops and pictures from Pakistan warmed things up. (At weekends, a DJ spins in the window, sort of playing out to the high street.)
Bottled craft beer choices were exotic – Royal Tanninbomb IPA from Yeastie Boys was an earl grey flavour explosion. Whistle Pils from local Villages brewery was the pick of the bunch on tap, while ‘Deptford Love Juice Lager’ on the menu turned out to be just Red Stripe.
In a midweek curry-and-pint deal, I had the heavenly murgh masala – on-the-bone chicken with kale in a fragrant, lightly spiced sauce. It arrived without the pleasant aromas and noises you’d expect from an open kitchen, because the food here is pre-prepped during the day.
So, neither pub nor curry house atmosphere have been unlocked, but for a local bite and pint, it’s anchors aweigh!