Canton Arms

Great food BUT why is it chefs use salt by the bucket load - does it make food taste better or just the customers thirsty! CUT IT DOWN
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8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Thursday, April 14, 2011

Went to the Canton for a Tuesday lunch. Bread beautiful, house wine and beer excellent. Poached Arbroath Smokie was excellent, as was the cold roast beef on dripping toast. The signature chocolate pot was, as always, divine. I love this place and don't understand why it isn't packed at lunch as well. Visit it on a day off, it's well worth it.
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ST
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, October 19, 2010

I am thrilled to have this gastropub in my neighbourhood! I have eaten here very regularly since its opening and have always experienced the most amazing food. Must say I love the shared dishes - there's something special about being able to go back for seconds and thirds because they're very generous on portions here! Service has always been excellent. Staff are friendly, well-versed and can give you a decent recommendation food and drink-wise! As much as I like Anchor and Hope, and Great Queen Street, this is my pick of the bunch! Shhhh...I don't want everyone to know about this gem.
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Duggie
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Friday, September 17, 2010

I was really disappointed to read the 2 reviews for the Canto that were negative, so I decided to go again to check.

We went on a Tuesday night and were sat at the bar end of the restaurant as there were two of us.

We had the charcuterie plate to share, then the beef pie. The service was efficient and pleasant, and any requests we made were dealt with quickly. The place was clean (didn't go to the loos).

This with two glasses of house white and a pint of beer came to £47.

The food was, as I have previously experienced, fantastic. The pastry on the pie was better than I could ever make, and the home made pates etc were excellent.

Very busy even on a weekday night so try to get there early.

Perhaps the two bad reviews were blips - my experiences at the Canton have always been terrific.
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ST - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, April 13, 2010

I agree with Mike Tench. We went for Sunday lunch today. We have eaten in the Hope and Anchor many times and never had a bad meal. We have read good reviews of the Canton Arms and it is a pub I know well from the past. The previous post about the cleanliness was accurate - it is not very clean. We had missed the the roast - it was finished but the duck leg sounded good. It arrived after an hour. The duck felt like it had sat under a warming lamp for too long, the peas were insipid. The whole was poor. We had wanted to order pudding but we were too hungry to risk it. We went home and cooked a decent dessert up in less time than it would have taken the kitchen at the Canton. I cannot see what the fuss is about this place and would not recommend it at all.
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3 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 1
Sunday, April 11, 2010

Had a fantastic meal at the Canton Arms last night with a friend. We went for the special of beef pie for two - I would never usually order a beef pie but the waiter was so enthusiastic about it that he swayed me, and I am so glad he did! The pie was genuinely one of the best things I have eaten in a long time, the beef (shin I think) was succulent and tender, the sauce was delicious, and the suet crust was tremendous! Initially, at the site of an enormous pie arriving at the table, both of us felt a little overwhelmed and that we would never get through it all, but immediately on tasting it we fell silent until we had devoured it all, making sure to pick off all the bits of crust still on the dish. Man it was good. I want to eat it again now. The greens that came with it were perfectly cooked and deliciously buttery. Glasses of prosecco to start were lovely and only 3.95, our red wine was really good and mellow and very reasonably priced and it is also great to see that they do carafes as well as wine by the glass and bottle. A totally fantastic night, I will recommend to all but am a bit scared that all these great reviews will lead to it becoming as busy as the Anchor and Hope, but perhaps the slightly more out of the way location will be a good thing.
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Julia
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, April 07, 2010

I have never written a review for this site before eating somewhere but felt compelled, on this occasion, to do so...but hopefully with good reason.

What was a fairly nasty boozer has been taken over and apparently enlivened by a team with a track record of success. I have now visited twice since the re-opening and it's pretty clear that they are going all out to provide an impressive, seasonal menu.

Staff are helpful and friendly. Asking for a pint of beer on Sunday, I deliberately looked slightly vague about what I wanted and was treated to a comprehensive explanation of the four beers on offer. I plumped for Golden Seahawk and was pleased to see it well-kept and well served. I later watched the same barman prepare an excellent Martini. Very impressive.

The menu looks incredible but...here's the thing...I can't eat here until it's had a good clean. Shabby chic is all very well but the whole pub is very very dusty and there were splatters of mud on the floors and on the table where I was sitting. The walls are bedecked with mirrors that look like they have come from an auction sale of 1970s grandmaternal furniture. It's not a good look. Perhaps the dim lighting is hiding the dirt?

I really want this place to work as I live nearby but guys...get some industrial cleaners in first, brighten the paintwork, sort out the rotting windows and watch the results!
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Craig Barrett
6 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Seems I'm in a minority of one here, but still: our visit was extremely frustrating. Starter of shin of beef in a soy, cucumber and chilli sauce was almost totally devoid of flavour - both meat and dressing - while another of beets, goat's curd and mint was just... bland. Mains were a bit better: lemon sole was slightly underdone but still a nice piece of fish and a rustic stew of globe artichoke, salsify and white beans was a hearty treat, though lacking in seasoning. Service was slight and forgetful and just a little bit smug, I'm afraid. Judging by the rest of the views here, it would appear I got them on a bad evening. Hope so.
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Mike Tench
6 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Sunday, April 04, 2010

I'm going to regret this but...

I have been to the Canton several times now and the food has always been amazing. Really innovative menus based on foods in season and beautifully cooked. Charming staff eager to please, the only problem is that it gets too busy and there's no system for booking for parties less than 8.

I sort of see the point. They want to encourage locals and with a booking system they would end up like the really popular west end joints that are booked up months in advance.

Try the Canton during the week, we managed to get a table for 2 on Thursday night. Definitely worth a visit, haven't had a disappointing meal there yet.

Well done to the owners, really fab set up.
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ST - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, March 31, 2010

I visited the Canton Arms this Saturday evening for dinner with 4 friends. Situated partly on a main road in Stockwell which isn’t exactly a known gastronomic destination with an unassuming exterior that could belong to thousands of other mediocre pubs in London I must admit that I didn’t expect to be wowed but inside was spacious, classically comfortable with dark wood panels and contained a mixed eclectic crowd.

They don’t take bookings and although we were told that if we arrived before 8 it wouldn’t be a problem, we still had to wait an hour for a table. After the bemusement of being refunded the few pounds we had just paid for a cheese toasty with chutney to nibble at the bar because ‘no, the kitchen haven’t run out, they’ve just stopped doing them for tonight’ I think I had unconsciously prepared myself for an average meal with slightly disappointing service but when we were seated things started to improve greatly.

The menu was short and good value, starters £4.50 – £6 and mains £9.50 – £13.50. The grilled octopus with chickpeas and aioli I shared with my boyfriend to start was quite delicious, chunks of plump octopus which were firm but not chewy and well cooked chickpeas in a thin briny juice that was packed with flavor and topped with a dollop of creamy aioli bursting with fresh garlic and perfect for mopping up with the good quality bread piled high on a small plate that was brought to the table unrequested. For main course we ordered the £62 shoulder of slow cooked lamb for 5 people (how convenient) which was served in a large roasting dish in its aromatic cooking juices and was truly rustic cooking at its best. It fell off the bone with the lightest touch from a spoon and had velvety soft texture and a rich earthy flavor and was served with a large pile of thick creamy celeriac mash. The devouring of this was accompanied by lots of throaty sighs (one of my friends actually growled with pleasure) and enthusiastic nodding at one another. We put in a futile request for the recipe afterwards but were met with smiles and a modest shake of the head from the waitress. All this was washed down with 3 bottles of the house red which at £12 per bottle was commendably drinkable. The head waiter mentioned to me that he hoped we hadn’t experienced slow service because they were short staffed but I never would have noticed as our waitress was prompt and unflustered and her demeanor warm and friendly.

The bill was £125 and with service came to £28 per head which was simply excellent value for the quality of the food. In many west end restaurants I have been presented with bills of well over double that amount for food that wasn’t even in the same league.

I went to the Canton Arms feeling slightly antisocial having had a lousy day and with not much of an appetite and I ended up having one of the best gastropub experiences I have had for a long time and fell asleep that evening with the kind of lazy contented smile that only great food (and a few selected other things) can give you. I will most certainly be going back.
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Jesse Broome
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Monday, March 29, 2010