The City Flogger
our review
London/City wine bars eh? They all seem to be going for the Dickensian feel even when in the basement of modern office blocks. They are mostly underground and mostly full of men in suits and the occasional lady. It’s a concept that works, because chaps like a no-nonsense sort of place where a chap can meet other chaps for some honest food and a bottle or two of wine.
City Flogger, the name refers to the device that drove corks into bottles not some public school after games entertainment, is part of the Davy’s group. Each is a little bit different, but each sticks largely to the formula. A large bar area divided up by olde-worlde wood screens, blackboards with olde worlde messages such as ‘port and fine wines decanted daily for your convenience’ and a room at the back for proper sit down dining.
The Flogger has a simple menu one that eschews anything Johnny Foreigner and largely sticks to England, Ireland and Scotland, although I’m not sure about Wales but then who is? And so there is pheasant pate this Autumn which didn’t look all that wonderful on the plate and the eater prodded it suspiciously, but it tasted good and gamey with only the beetroot relish and baby figs in rum syrup threatening to overwhelm the flavour somewhat. Potted crab had a thick disk of hardened clarified butter as it should and was fresh. The only duff note was the toasted bread; white sliced without even its crusts removed to disguise its humble origins. Why this should be served, when the bread already produced as sides was decent enough to accompany the starters, was a mystery but it introduced a rather unnecessary downmarket note to the dish.
Sausages and mash is classic comfort food and the bangers were porky and perky with some rich onion gravy and fluffy mash that could have been a bit richer with butter and cream, but I suppose they don’t want too many patrons leaving the place feet first, which is fair enough. A dish of cold thick-sliced ham was really rather good and with a scattering of new potatoes well doused in butter plus a tumble of well-dressed salad it made a meal that was satisfying without being too filling.
Of course this was a wine bar so I should point out we were quaffing (no one just simply ‘drinks’ in a Davy’s) a bottle of Rioja we had been ‘upsold’ by the waitress. A pretty fair price for a decent bottle of red that had the guts to deal with all we ate. Finally a plate of warm treacle tart that was a bit shattered, as if it had been dropped and then hastily reassembled, but which was good and gooey plus a plate of cheeses that came for once with a proper big choice of crackers.
The Flogger won’t be looking to win Michelin stars, but it flogs a perfectly respectable meal in a cosy environment. I do miss the fug of fag smoke in these kinds of places though. Things just aren’t the same without it.
Nick Harman - December 2007
your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne
Always found this restaurant to be very good value but always spoilt by the very, very slow service that has sometimes ruined the experience for us.
Also, their steak and kidney pie was tremendous but not often to be found on the menu these days..
Comment on this reader review
steven
Overall rating 
Food 8 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
this place was a good eat i loved it!
Comment on this reader review
alex goetz
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
