Treacle Tart
The White Swan

The White Swan

108 Fetter Lane London, EC4A 1ES, EC4A 1BN, United Kingdom

Pubs • Fish • Meat • British


"meanwhile through a busy week, I decided to be a little bit cheeky by jumping off the work for a few hours. a quick text to my friend and a finished customer meet later, I was on the way to a lazy lunch. we heard the buzz over the recently reworked white swan at chancery lane. herr flavour and I were once regular and could not wait to see the new version. Unfortunately for him he was gone on the business and let the ladies explore in his absentness. this former irrigation hole was historically a popular hot spot of the fleet street pressebrigade before it turned into a posh pub and dining room. now again opened as pub and cophouse, the natives are already in the waiting line to come. at the entrance were the delicious aromen from the dining room to sue us up. rule number one of the lazy lunches dictates, however, that a frecher g t has to be consumed before eating in a sleepy manner. gin is something that the white **** has in full! our sophisticated bartender led us to a Hendrick ginn, served long and chilled with a gurkenband. this is the point! the new chophouse theme was certainly well received. past are the white tablecloths and wallpapers, replaced by trendy exposed bricks and deep wooden tables. this beautiful room is available for private rental and would be a great place to impress your friends or colleagues. the menu consists of pub favorites, cuts from British finest meat and fresh fish from south coast day boats and British fishing ports. if mr. flavor had been here, he would have made a beeenstock for the 45-day white park sirloin with béarnaise and large chips. we believed a little easier. the salt baked celeriac, blue monday cheese and kale salat with chestnuts was divine and flavored with a beautiful earthy seasonality. my friend ordered iron age ‘Pick and Brunch’, pickles and English senf, which came in the form of a terrine. I could not resist helping me to a greedy unhappiness. the albarinho was certainly a suitable partner for following the fishing nets. fluffy fishcake with fertile tomatenrelish were mouth-watery crunchy and bursting with terribleness. I had never ordered gurnard before and his fleshy texture was beautifully complemented with braided fennel. the big chips were absolutely crushed and let us dessert without room. as much as I enjoy a girly lunch, it is time like this when I miss my pretty man and his inexorable appetit. a quick espresso later I was moved back to the office with an earlyling in my step and a very satisfied little bit. I cannot expect to introduce my customers into this wonderful new venue, which is available for 7 days in the week."

Franklins

Franklins

157 Lordship Lane London, SE22 8HX, United Kingdom

Pubs • Steak • Drinks • British


"I went to Franklins to treat my Mum to a Valentine’s Day dinner. Staff, particularly the waitress serving us, were initially friendly and we were seated quickly. Our orders were taken quickly but it was downhill from there. We had to wait over 20 mins to receive our drinks and I noticed the couple next to us that were seated a good 15 mins after us were already drinking from a bottle of wine. We waited over 45 minutes for our starters and were only served after we asked (the couple next to use were served their starters before us). Similar to our starters, we had to wait over 30 mins for our main and we had to ask for updates twice. We were told the kitchen were having issues and I was offered a glass of wine. We were finally served our main (again, the couple next to us were served their main before us) to which mine was bland. After over 20 minutes waiting for our desert (during which the couple next to us left after finishing their desert and paying), I asked for an update and I was told the kitchen was busy today. After discussing with my mum we decided to cancel the desert so we could leave as it had already been 2 hours since we had been seated. The waitress explained the deserts were ready but I insisted we leave as it had been over 2 hours since we had been seated. The waitress then brought the bill. It had no discount on the set menu (I expected they would’ve applied this automatically based on the constant delays) and it included service charge. After I requested the service charge be removed, the waitress walked off visibly agitated in a huff. After returning with the new receipt she then asked me “have you ever worked in hospitality?” This is unacceptable. My mother and I were clearly subjected to very poor service and to be asked that question after I, rightly, requested the service charge be removed is quite frankly rude. Being busy is not an excuse for poor service. Accept the number of diners you can handle whilst still providing good service. This ruined dinner with my mother. I would not recommend this restaurant. Update: The owner has since contacted me, apologised, offered me a full refund and an opportunity to return with some drinks on them"