I went out for lunch to The Palmeira, which sits on the intersection between Cromwell Road and Holland Road. The pub has just reopened after a major refurbishment and is all the better for it. Gone is the dated, faded maroon exterior which was all too suggestive of dreams drowned in a smeary glass of warm beer.
In its place is a modern, "old-fashioned" style pub. The interior is decorated with a mixture of white, soft grey and even softer brown-green. Wooden tables and benches are surrounded by comfortable wood or leather chairs and there is a beer garden outside. Everything is clean and it feels like the product of a great deal of effort.
The food on offer is modern English pub food. In other words, classics such as pie and mash and Welsh rarebit are given continental and American support with such delights as burgers and risotto.
There is a mighty range of draft beers on offer, from perennial favourites such as Fosters and Stella Artois to a variety of craft and local beers. A good selection of wines, along with tea and coffee for those feeling after-dinnerish, contributes to the pub's fresh, modern feel.
It being a Sunday, I took advantage of the Sunday roast and ordered the roast pork and with a sticky figgy sponge to follow. The range of roasts on offer was excellent, with chicken, pork, beef and a vegetarian option available.
The roast was a mixed experience. What was good was the pork and gravy. The meat tasted high quality and was well cooked. It was not dry and each flavor-filled mouthful was enhanced by a thin, herby gravy. The meat was complemented by a crispy stuffing ball seasoned with sage and three types of vegetables. All three, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, were simply but perfectly boiled so they had a little bite to them without being crunchy.
Problems came with the Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes. Neither were nasty but both could have been so much better. The pudding was flat and airless. It felt more like a Yorkshire pancake than a pudding and not in a good way.
The potatoes struggled as they were not crisp - even I do better! What had gone wrong was quite simple. Everyone says that when the potatoes are boiled, one should vigorously shake them before turning them into the roasting tin. Sadly, these potatoes were as smooth as a marble table and so lacked that intoxicating salty crunch which is the hallmark of good roasties.
Pudding was an unqualified delight. It described itself as a spiced fig, cranberry and sultana sponge topped with sticky run butterscotch sauce and served with custard. This set the bar very high. I expected a lot. Yet it delivered!
A large portion arrived, a good block of sponge drowning in custard. The sponge was dark and sweet and spicy. The odd, unsickening sweetness of the dried fruit in the sponge was the perfect counterpart for its topping of boozy, sugary sauce. The custard completed the dish. I'm pretty sure it was real creme anglaise, not the packet stuff which finds a welcome place in the home store cupboard but which inspires dismay on the restaurant plate. As such it was sweat and runny and blessed with a hint of vanilla which served as a light counterpoint to the intense sponge and sauce combination.
The atmosphere of the pub was nice. Allowing for the fact that it was a busy Sunday and the pub aims to please sports fans, that is. There were several large screens on the walls, broadcasting sports, however the sound was quite low and those there to dine could focus instead on the easy-listening music played in the background.
The pub had a clean, modern feel which carried through into the pub garden. That said, the garden was cursed by being north-facing, excluding the sun from most of the tables. Also, many customers took the opportunity to smoke here which impacted on the experience a little.
The service was not brilliant. The staff were very nice, polite and friendly, but there simply were not enough of them. Also, problems seem to plague communciations between front of house and the kitchen.
I waited about three quarters of an hour for my roast. Eventually, I asked the barman to find out what had happened, losing my table in the process. I then waited a good ten to fifteen minutes for my empty dish to be cleared away and then, after yet another long wait, I had to find out what had happened to my pudding.
I can't complain about the waiting staff through this. People were piling into the pub, ordering beer after beer, and the staff were clearly working like Trojans. They were always very quick to find out what had happened when I made inquiries and pleasant with it.
Still, the pub has not been reopened for long and hopefully these issues will be resolved in time.
All in all, I enjoyed my lunch at The Palmeira, though it was not a complete pleasure.
Overall * * * - A great deal of effort has gone into relaunching The Palmeira and pudding was delicious. However, improvements need to be made.
Food and Drink * * * - An average roast was made up for by a great pudding and drinks selection.
Atmosphere * * * * - Although The Palmeira struggles to decide whether it is a sports bar or gastropub, ultimately the clean and spacious interior and garden win through.
Service * * - The staff are really friendly but the interminable waits were awful, especially considering I went out for lunch, not dinner.
Price * * * * - Reasonably expensive with starters and desserts costing around £4-£5 and mains around £9-£12 but standard for the quality and ambition of the food on offer.
Would I Go Here Again? - Yes.
