Date: Sunday 19th September, 2009
Choice: Angel
Who was there: Claire, Justin, Angel, Ellen, Heather & Jason.
The Compass is in Angel, just at the far end of Market Street, it’s a gastropub, partnered with The Green in Clerkenwell. As they were doing some renovations (as you can see in the picture), it was very hard to find where the entrance was as none of the doors looked like they opened. Angel & Ellen arrived first, had trouble getting in, then watched and laughted as both Heather & Jason and Claire & Justin had the same problem.
To begin with there was no roast beef which left Justin and Angel very disappointed, so they had the lamb which unfortunately was quite tasteless and it was fatty, and there was not much in the serving.
The vegetarian option, a Nut roast, was absolutely amazing, Jason even commented that it was better than his own.
The lovely Yorkshire puds but were served cold which was disappointing , there was a pile of them beside the cooker in the pub and they looked amazing but just not even warm, and served with a tasteless gravy with chunks of onion.
Pork exactly as was expected, succulent and tasty with lovely crunchy crackling. They were a bit tight on the veggies, with only 1 bowl for 6 people!
Cauliflower cheese with macaroni was lovely and cheesy, a really nice texture.
Good portions if you also want dessert, which we did, the cheeseboard which had a nice selection and was for 2, the profiteroles were not that great, Heather did not enjoy them, and the ‘cheesecake’ was nice, but too much like a mousse to be cheesecake. It looked great though!
Mains: £12.95 for the Beef, Chicken & Pork.
Website: www.thecompassn1.co.uk
Bookings: yes (but online)
Phone: 0207 837 3891
Date: Sunday 14th March, 2010
Choice: Angel
Who was there: Claire, Justin, Siobhan, Angel, Ellen, Jason & Heather.
Not far from the green in Angel, this 'Shabby Chic' pub was very welcoming and comfortable. With as Siobhan said "Bloody good Bloody Mary's" and a 2for1 on Roasts on a Sunday, and it was Mothers Day!
We had some starters: Nachos and the Oil & Vinegar with bread - the Nachos were one of the best Jason & Heather had ever had they said. Ellen wanted to find out the brand of Balsamic vinegar they used as she really enjoyed it.
On to the mains and the Beef was tough, overcooked. The horseradish was really strong and perfect. The Lamb was realy good, perfectly cooked and not fatty, the gravy was really good too. The Vegetarian option was woeful. Bland. It was a nice idea but did not deliver on the expectations. Jason said it tasted like wallpaper paste.
It was very odd there were no roast potatoes - a roast staple - just boiled ones, but the other veggies were good.
The desserts were hit and miss as well, the Apple & Mixed Berry Crumble was really tasty and came with a lovely creamy custard. The Baked Cheescake on the other hand was bland and very dry, the menu said it came with 'fresh fruit' - half a strawberry was on the plate. Quite disappointing.
Mains: £12.05 for 2 the Beef, Lamb, Chicken or Veggie Roast.
website: http://thewinchesterbar.com/
Bookings: yes
Phone: 0207 704 8789
Date: Sunday 17th January, 2010
Choice: Jason
Who was there: Claire, Justin, Angel, Ellen, Jason & Heather.
On the corner of the Crystal Palace one-way system this cozy pub is part of a chain of pubs we have found in South London (they also have the Goat we went to in November).
The pub has a small retro clothing shop which you enter through the pub which is quite cool. Along Church Road there are some more retro shops we had a browse in after lunch.
We had the Beef, Pork, Chicken and Nut Roast, all which were very typical, the Chicken, Pork and Nut Roast were all well-cooked and very, very good and certainly all worth their price. The Beef was tough and there was not a lot of it, but the horseradish was nice and strong.
All mains came with carrots, spinach and also both mash and roast potatoes, the latter two sparking a conversation as to why many of the places we have been to serve more than one style of potato – any answers?
The chutney served with the nut roast was rather tasty too. The apple sauce that came with the Pork was mixed into the gravy.
We also ordered the cauliflower cheese (£2) side, it was good but there was not enough cheese compared to white sauce (but better than the caulifower cheese at The Goat).
Mains: £8.95 for the Beef, Chicken, Pork & Nut Roast.
Desserts: £3.50 for Brownie
Website: http://www.thewhitehartse19.co.uk/
Bookings: yes, but not on Sundays
Phone: 020 8771 9389
