Tucked into the grand, slightly hushed bulk of the Templeton Garden Hotel, a stone’s throw from the busier end of Earl’s Court, Sprout is quainter than its posh address implies. It’s just the one bar table and a single row of seating and tables opposite. Cosy? Yes. Cramped? A little. But the real trick up its sleeve is the gorgeous garden. The interior feels like a beautifully curated potting shed, complete with hand-painted branches and buds creeping along the wall by mural artist Tess Newall. A brilliant chameleon of a spot, Sprout works just as well for killing an hour before a train as it does for settling in to make a proper night of it.
The interior feels like a beautifully curated potting shed
Every drink is anchored to one specific ingredient, colour or garnish. This season, that star ingredient is the humble tomato, for reasons our waiter is happy to passionately explain. Sprout’s market-stall philosophy sees them highlighting fresh herbs, ripe fruit and vibrant veg. The Gojuchang Cobbler is a case in point, mixing Rémy Martin VSOP, peach, and fiery gochujang, which is then clarified with yoghurt, and capped with a white chocolate disc you’re ordered to eat first. It shouldn’t work, but the tangy yoghurt beautifully tames the heat. By rights white chocolate and chilli should be sickly, but the yoghurt keeps it in check. We soak up some of the booze next door at hotel’s in-house restaurant, Pippins, where padron peppers turn up in a generous bowl alongside a chicken and leek tagine and plate of truffle fries ordered purely, we insist, for balance.
Order this
The Tomato Collins, a blend of San Marzano consommé, strawberry wine, Courvoisier, and Aperol, finished with a cheeky wobble of tomato jelly. It tastes uncannily like a very good bowl of pasta sauce that somehow also gets you drunk.
Time Out tip
Skip dessert. The Rhubarb Ramos, is topped with a fluffy rhubarb cream, making it one of the most interesting puddings-in-a-glass we've had in ages. It’s almost like a rhubarb milkshake once the froth settles in and worth the wait while the bartender shakes it.