Anchor & Hope

We haven't visited for a couple of years and it seems to have gone markedly downhill. Only a 30 minute wait for a table on a Saturday night but we were seated at a table for 6, sharing with 2 other couples which was a surprise to all of us. Service was haphazard at best - lengthy waits for ordering, bread, water, plates being cleared etc. Food was generally fine, but my cuttlefish and chickpeas was 70% chickpeas and the "English Lop" was a small portion of pork stew. All just a bit disappointing from a place that used to be one of our favourites.
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Jane Lancaster
6 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Saturday, September 10, 2011

I used to be a regular both in the bar and restaurant at the Anchor & Hope and had taken many groups of friends there over the years, but things seem to have changed of late and I do not intend to return despite it being very conveniently located for me; although the bar staff are helpful and usually charming, neither the current bar manager nor the general manager should, in my opinion, be employed in hospitality.

They are both rude and arrogant, no doubt fuelled by the constant flow of customers. Each is quite happy to lose custom rather than back down over a legitimate complaint or handle it as one would expect in a decent establishment.

Things are quite different at the Anchor & Hope's sister restaurant in Great Queen Street; the food is equally delicious (probably better given the occasionally heavy hand administering salt at the A&H) but my experiences of service there are that, although it is also busy, the staff are able to cope and are universally professional, charming and efficient.

What a shame the owners don't seem to realise the value of happy customers.
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5 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 7
Saturday, February 05, 2011

It just feels like home.
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, January 19, 2011

t's a pleasingly comfortable deep red space, built out of the base of a horrific 60's block on The Cut, just down from the Old Vic and virtually next door to the Young Vic. Despite the restaurants (it's also home to Meson Don Philipe, Livebait, Baltic, at least 2 species of Tas and many others) and theatres, it is still a residential area, attested to by the loud children playing knock-door-run (or some felonious version thereof) with the local shopkeep.

The local crowd, large even on an early lunchtime, look like they've just come from a performance at the slightly arthousey Young Vic next door. They know it's important to get in early as they don't take bookings. By 12.30 you can see why. It's absolutely rammed, all rickety rough sanded tables in the snug dining room taken, many other wanna-eats crowding the similar sized bar on the other side, chugging back early pints of Youngs Broadside while they wait for a table. We popped in on the off-chance having met here for a beer, were tempted to stay, and helped out by the friendly staff who found a table within minutes.

You can see the influences and shared heritage from places like St John. From the casual tumblers of tap water (brought unrequested with no bottled water upsell) and wine to the portions of beautifully soft, chewy sourdough that whet our appetites, it's unfussy, uncomplicated, casual dining. The menu is focussed around game and offal, with a few fish dishes (though not much for vegetarians) and I've got to say that I hadn't been looking forward to a main course as much as this for some time.

With so many things on the seasonal menu I knew whatever I went for I'd be envious of the rest. The hare ragout with semolina gnocchi sang to me from the list, but was rather disappointing in delivery. The ragout was packed full of flavour, the hare slow braised to tender gamey perfection, but the sauce was a little too stew-like for me, the juice a little too light, and the semolina 'gnocchi' a slightly tasteless slab that didn't soak up enough of the juice. Two of the others had the confit of duck, dark soft flesh flaking off the bone, skin salty and crisp. We shared a generous portion of buttery greens, unnecessary due to the large portions but eaten swiftly. The puddings were excellent. A tart and sticky damson bakewell tart came hot from the oven and lasted seconds. Nico Polo's pistachio cake was pronounced similarly excellent.

Don't be put off by the potential for a wait if you don't live locally. It's a laidback place worth travelling for, so turn up, relax at the bar and put your name down. Surely you're with someone you can have a couple of relaxed drinks with? And besides, the best things come to those who wait.
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www.grumblinggourmet.com - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Sunday, October 31, 2010

this was such a pleasure! What a wonderful experience. Great simple food. We really enjoyed sitting outside. The service was good and the concept superb!

We will go again and recommend friends to stop in before a show.
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Divinia
8 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Thursday, September 09, 2010

This isn't a place if you are in a hurry. It's not a place to take your Mum. Or if you prefer turf to surf. It's just rather frantic and disorganised. The bar is not a fantastic place to wait for a table to eat as it gets very busy with both drinkers and would-be-eaters. But, if you grab and table and drink your way to hunger, the food is good quality.

We ate a couple of divine starters (snails & bacon, mussels) and really enjoyed both our fish mains (wild salmon, roasted skate) and sides (bolied potatoes, greens). Despite the rubbish glasses, the muscadet and garnache were both good quality and Elgood's summer ale was a great summer thirst quencher.

Ohhh, but the service. Our man forgot our drinks order (both the water and the wine), didn't clear our starter plates for 10 minutes and the sides appeared far too long after the mains. Our service charge was £0.00. He didn't argue.
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Matt - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Friday, August 06, 2010

I love Anchor & Hope - the food is incredibly fresh and interesting as was the rhubarb prosecco we had to begin with. The service is limited, but doesn't that keep the prices on the food so reasonable? At first I was annoyed I had to share a table with strangers but as soon as I tasted the food, I quickly changed my mind. Great place I will always recommend.
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JS - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Monday, July 12, 2010

The food here is usually very good.

The service, as many people indicate below, isn't. The haughty staff here need to get a grip, frankly, or at least the manager does. Maybe the waiters *are* too cool to work there, in which case maybe they should try working somewhere else instead?

Oh - and sometimes the chef needs to lay off the salt - seriously.
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John
6 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Sunday, May 16, 2010

It used to be worth the wait for a table here. Not anymore.

I have many great memories of the food here...slow cooked lamb that collapses in your mouth in heap of sticky flavour, deep black risotto laced with pearly strips of cuttlefish, perfectly cooked rib of beef, oozing reddy pink juices into a slick of bearnaise sauce....i could go on and on. But i won't. After years of consistently great dining experiences here, Saturday night came as a real shock. The starters were ok - the risotto was over salted - but this could be forgiven. It was the main course chaos that followed that was a disaster. 3 of us ordered the English Lop "cooked like boar" and were promptly delivered 3 hunks of luke warm, dry, stringy old sow languishing in a puddle of mash. The Hereford beef was also a disappointment - the dried blood on its surface revealing it had been left out too long before serving and once I'd managed to saw a piece off and get it in my mouth it was like chewing on an old piece of carpet backing. It was served with a potato concoction that looked like it had been chiselled out of the bottom of a burnt cooking pot.

So we complained. The waitress called over the manager who, going into a routine that looked a little too well practiced, quickly whisked our dishes away and thrust menus back at us, commanding us to choose again. No choice of a replacement (of the same) dish, or of simply not charging for the main and proceeding to dessert. I don't recall hearing any apology. The paltry food and the manager's poor attitude prompted us to call it a day at this point. He then delivered a bill from which he had removed only two of the unsatisfactory mains. When we disputed this he started to argue back until he realised we had no intention of paying for any of the mains. To his credit at this point he did waive the whole bill.

So we walked out. And at this point, the coup de grace. As we filed out through the narrow gap that leads from the dining room back to the bar, the final member of our party heard one of the waiters say to the manager, "Are they from the North?" I'm really not sure what to make of this. Yes, some of our party were "from the North". But I wasn't aware on a restriction on Northern diners in the Waterloo area, nor have I come across any regional stereotyping concerning a disproportionate number of restaurant complaints emanating from beyond the Watford Gap.

I can only conclude after this visit that the restaurant must have had a complete change of team. Unfortunately it's a rude, regionally prejudiced team who clearly can't cook.
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JL - View all reviews by this user
3 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Monday, April 19, 2010

Thank god for the Anchor and Hope! Late in the day yesterday we decided we would like to go out for dinner. I phoned a few restaurants who were all fully booked so we decided to go to the Anchor and Hope. We had two good pints of beer whilst waiting 45 mins for a table. Once sat we enjoyed delicious wine and food and the friendly knowledgable staff were brilliant. I'm sure if they took bookings they too would have been full so whilst their no-bookings policy seems to annoy many, I for one applaud it. Smashing!
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Ben Riley
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, March 20, 2010