Tipped

Totally organic and overrated

August 05, 2008

We have been to the Duke of Cambridge twice before and really enjoyed both meals so we decided to take my sister and her family for Sunday lunch. We made a big deal of the fact that all the food, wine and even the loo paper is totally organic and they were obviously looking forward to the meal.
We probably should have realised that all was not well when we received a phone call stating that they were overbooked and could only seat us in the bar area - but we thought about it and decided that it must be worth it if they were so busy.
When we arrived we were told that they did have a table available in the restaurant so we went through and studied the menu chalked up on the blackboard. My first thoughts were 'my god that's expensive' followed by 'what are we (the kids) going to eat' then 'shall we just leave now?'. The menu was fine if you were vegetarian (which I am) but not if you are expecting Sunday roast with all the trimming (which everyone else was).

I decided to go for the polenta with salad and veg (which was boring and bland) and my partner went for the wild boar curry which, incidentally, was reported to be very nice, but for a small portion of curry and rice £16.50 seemed a little excessive. The best was yet to come - as we had 2 kids with us there wasn't anything on the menu that really suited them so we asked if they had a kids menu, to which the response was 'I'll just get it'. The next waitress came along and asked for our order and we explained that we were waiting for the kids menu to which she replied 'we don't have one but can do small portions of the chicken. The 'organic' roast chicken was £17.50, which when you are a family of 4 with 2 children makes for a very very expensive Sunday lunch. My sister, husband and the 2 children all opted for the chicken and were more than disappointed when a chicken leg, some carrots, potatoes and broccoli turned up far too quickly for something that had been cooked fresh. Not only was it expensive 'organic' it was all pretty tasteless and left us all feeling that we had been charged more than 50% extra for the privilege of eating organic food.

At the moment I'm very reluctant to go back to the Duke of Cambridge as I feel that it is feeding off its organic reputation and there are lots of other places with the same tag to try.

Tags: organic, gastropub

100% Organic Gastropub

October 11, 2007

Tucked away in the neighbourhood near Angel and a few streets from Regent's Canal, the Duke of Cambridge is surrounded by lovely Edwardian houses. It's a local place that draws a good crowd of 20 to 30-somethings, casually chillin' with friends.

The menu changes daily and they serve only fresh, seasonal and organic food, including line caught fish. You have the option of sitting in the dining room, which is still pretty casual, but slightly more formal than the main pub which is coated in large, odd sized and mismatched tables and chairs.

The food is delicious. We had beef stew with beer and chocolate one time and grilled salmon with lentils another time and many more (we've been at least a dozen times). They also have a seasonal soup on the menu and some kind of unique salad for starter. They also serve some organic beer, including St Peter's, which my husband loves. They've turned the beer bottles into olive oil containers set on each table to accompany the freshly baked bread they bring around to each table.

I have never had a bad meal here; my only fault is they are getting more and more expensive. I miss the days of cheap yet delicious gastropubs.

Tags: British, rustic, organic, fresh, seasonal, gastropub, vegetarian