Quality Chop House (Farringdon)

Some repeat dishes were sampled on this occasion for my guest who had never been and was equally grateful for me enforcing.  These included the fabulous cod’s roe with egg shavings and side of confit chips made with duck fat and served with a drizzle of tangy, sweet mustard.  I actually forgot just how good the butter here is too and is genuinely a plus point of visiting.

Lamb croquettes with garlic are an instant victory when done well as they are indeed here and a very good way to start.  All three mains on this occasion were warmingly pleasant – the crab was vibrant with the right amount of sharp from citrus and crunchy saltiness from the salsify; the mackerel starter was very nicely done with its bisque and the onion tart was a triumph of pastry and all parts put together – this is how a tart should be!  A cheese muffin was added just because it was there and why wouldn’t you(?) to fill the gap and the bill came to just over £42 each with beers.  Things soon add up, but this is with drink and in the evening and when it is this simple and good, served with down to earth hospitality, it leads to a very happy equation when leaving.

Another quality meal here at the appropriately named venue.

Our meal started with snacks of cod’s roe with cured egg yolk shavings and a duck liver parfait served on a crumpet with truffle shavings on top.  These were pleasant options to have in the beginning, especially the cod’s roe which is made from Monkfish liver and diced eel and mixed with apple gel and produced a luxurious and vibrant flavour.  Although the quantity of the crumpet was a little more than I would have preferred for the duck liver in relation to the quantity of liver parfait, the flavour of the latter was smooth and decent.  The butter was homemade (and good quality) using milk from Ivy Park Farm.

We opted for the set menu and after the snacks actually only needed 2 courses each opting first for both versions of the Belted Galloway beef – one as a mince on toast made with beef dripping which was every bit as good as it sounds and the other being an onglet which was equally simple and pleasant on its own having good flavour.  The side of confit potatoes are worth a mention in themselves as these are slices of potato, sealed together using duck fat and then served with a drizzle of mustard to cut through the fat of the deep-fried potato.  Not only is the texture of these potato gems superb owing to the multiple thing slices that fall apart as you eat, but they are also delicate enough to feel sauteed and fall apart as you bite into them whilst having the perfect tang of the mustard to make more interesting.  I would commend anyone getting this side irrespective of what main course was had, but for our it was the perfect companion.

Boozy prune ice cream was a pleasurable change and nicely done – again, simple and pleasing when done well.  Fudge made with white chocolate were the finishing touches via a petit four and this settled the meal well.  All in, with wine for my dining companion, this meal came to £171 for two but this is with a degree of indulgence.  You could easily get away with having a three-course lunch here for under £30 including service charge (with water only) and I can think of a hundred things immediately that would more expensive that and be worse as an option.  This is great option to try which I recommend.