The Dispensary

19-11-2008
Tom Cole, MyVillage  0 

Arriving at The Dispensary, a huge listed building is quite an imposing experience. Although it may seem unnerving to the unreserved, The Dispensary brings a subtle air of formality, yet dainty in its Victorian feel. Decor wise you will revel in its elegance, as this pub/restaurant manages to mix gastro pub chic with a rather showy architecture.Once indoors the clientele seem to consist of the after work crowd, chatting, dining and having a tipple whilst dabbling in a mixture of real ales, sophisticated wines and a selection of the classic cocktails which for the ol' brightly London price tag is extremely reasonable. We had a chat with the Maitre'd as she popped us on the mezzanine, where I sunk down an exceptionally good "Crazy Mary" with cracked salt and pepper smothered on the glasses rim, the cocktail stirred up a good appetite. With two menus to choose from, pub menu or the a la carte, we were certainly spoilt for choice. Having already scoped out the other tables meals I was trying not to dribble on the (thankfully) laminated menu.Unsure between the lamb and Steak, I let the cheery waitress take rein, opting for the succulent lamb dish - a tangled statue of chops with a neat little pea puree supporting every carnivores wet dream. As my colleague devoured her Salmon dish, tender chunks of grilled fish soaked in cream wine sauce; coupled with an appropriate melange of spinach and potatoes we tackled our main courses with care. We ensured that we made room for a tasty selection of desserts; a raspberry brioche with a vanilla mascarpone was on my list followed by a strawberry sorbet, a sweet haven. In hindsight, The Dispensary is what English cuisine is all about - to make you complete, full and comfortable, and not a care that there is a howling gale on the outset. A Bramble cocktail served as a perfect night cap, and our overall experience - food, drink and atmosphere was definitely nothing complicated, just good structured food and service leaving you happier than when you walked in.

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26-02-2008
lexi

The duck dish I had was the best ever, service was attentive at all times. Would highly reccomend