The Bishop SE22 8EW

Date: Sunday 29th November, 2009

Choice: Ellen

Who was there: Heather, Claire, Justin, Angel, Ellen & Siobhan.

Guests: Carrie & Jon

This bar/pub on Lordship Lane is a popular place for the cool and hip young families of East Dulwich. Our table was beside such a young family, complete with dog. The Bishop actually has its own resident dog - a massive, but very friendly Weimaraner, whose name we unfortunately we forgot to ask. He wonders around the pub checking on the patrons.

We came to this pub because Angel & Ellen had been here for drinks a few weeks ago and Angel spied the massive Yorkshire puds and decided this is a place we needed to come!

The 'slow-roasted' beef briskett was wonderfully tender, moist but just a little too salty. It tore from itself and was served with a delicious horseradish! It had the perfect kick. The gravy was served on the side in a small jug, but it was the perfect amount. Potatoes were 95% there, a little floury but did not detract from the meal.

Ellen said the beef was just like her Mum makes.

The Pork was had by Heather, and Justin scored her cracking which he said was a generous serving and was pretty damn tasty.

The veggie option was a Pumpkin & Mushroom 'Wellington', Claire is not a big fan of pastry but she said it was the perfect balance and the centre was generously filled with really flavourful mushrooms.

The desserts were very good too. Angel had the Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding which was so light he was convinced (and asked) that it was pancakes! It was very rich and chocolatey and was served with warm custard. Ellen and Claire shared the Rhubarb Crumble (served with cream) and they said it was the perfect mix of sweet and sour, and the top was wonderfully crunchy.

Mains: £12 for the Beef & Pork, £10 for the Veggie option.

Desserts: £4 for all

website: No

Bookings: yes

Phone: 020 8693 3994

The Goat SW11 1EQ

Date: Sunday 8th November, 2009

Choice: Justin

Who was there: Claire, Justin, Angel, Ellen & Siobhan.

Guests: Jenny, Jill & Gavin

On Battersea Rise, a 10 minute walk from Clapham Junction station, this pub is very big. It has a mix of furniture and reminds us of an American bar. There is a mural on the far wall and a mix of wallpaper and paint on the walls. We had booked but as we got there early they gave us a choice of tables.

The Roast menu was comprehensive, covering Pork, Chicken, Beef, Lamb and Nut Roast, all with masses of vegetables and Yorkshire pudding.

Between the 8 of us we had the Beef, Chicken and Nut Roast. With a couple of sides of Cauliflower cheese.

The Beef was overcooked and needed the gravy to give it some moisture and unfortunately there was not a lot of gravy, but they were happy enough to give us more. The Chicken was massive - 1/2 a chicken and it came with a tasty bread sauce.

The vegetables were great, perfectly cooked carrots, parsnips, swede & kale. The roast potatoes were worth a special mention, they were light and fluffy. The mash on the other hand was a bit lumpy.

The Yorskshire puds were amazing. Crispy on the outside and soft in the middle from the gravy.

Claire gave the Nut Roast a 7/10. It was supposed to come with a Beetroot and Horsradish chutney bit this was missed (they also forgot to put celery in the Bloody Mary).

Claire and Angel shared the 'Shared Dessert' which consisted of a very, very tasty Brownie, 3 profiteroles, a slice of vanilla cheesecake, berry compote (which we asked to have on the side) all covered in a chocolate sauce served with vanilla bean ice cream. It was really good and quite a large serving - it did need to be shared!

Mains: £7.95 for the Beef, Chicken & Nut Roast.

Desserts: £4.40

website: www.thegoatpub.com

Bookings: yes

Phone: 0207 350 0349