The Bull & Last

Friday, July 01, 2011 - The cheeks were magic. Just magic, the bone marrow tasted like it was seasoned or at least treated somehow, and it had this sort of peppery ragu like flavour, with a powdery mince texture. Mixed with the cheeks amped the meaty flavours to the max. It was just bloody brilliant. The risotto was just comfort food central. Soft flavours, smooth textures, porridgey, gloopy, hearty, it embraced all of the ox cheek's volcanic meatiness. Whatever idea of 'gastropub' food we have, the potential of complex yet simple concoctions, modern day interpretations of what grub can taste like, this is everything we talk, hype and dream about. Oh and the missus' roast cod - fabulous too, silky flaky textures... and well, let's stop the adulation eh.

Sunday, January 18, 2009 - Perfect comfort food, then, but done with no little refinement. Perfect ingredients too and, a nice touch here, instead of hiding the provenance of the ingredients in the menu they’re proudly displayed over the bar… A model for pubs of the future ? Possibly, but certainly a model pub for today. Other hostelries please take note.

Monday, December 15, 2008 - The. Best. Chips. In. London. Indeed, the chips at the Bull and Last are so good that you are reduced to talking in point form. The secret is the triple cooking. The chips are parboiled, then roughed up so that they can be as crispy as possible, deep fried, roughed up some more and then fried again. The result is chips that are light and fluffy inside, crunchy on the outside and incredibly moreish.