The Salisbury

Open Mon–Sat 10am – midnight; Sun 11am–10pm

Posted by Lucy Land on 25/06/09

The style:

The recently refurbished gastropub on the corner of Sherbrooke Road makes the most of the natural light: there’s a large glass roof above the dining area and mirrors along the walls. The chunky wooden tables and black leather chairs are, unfortunately, let down by the enormous royal blue – the same colour as the Ryanair steward uniforms – banquettes and there’s even a matching shower curtain-style screen. We also weren’t keen on the jarring brassy pendant lights. The bar area is smart, though, with flowers on the corner; a flat screen (showing the tennis during our visit); bright sofas and there’s table football in the entrance area.

The crowd:

Local families in the restaurant area and sports fans (of the polo shirt, chino and deck shoe sort) at the bar.

The food:

The service is charming and the mostly British, slow-cooked traditional pub dishes are all made on the premises. We had a hearty serving of creamy macaroni cheese, mushroom and baby spinach fricassee (£9.25); and small plates of pea shoots and feta salad (£3.10); smoked salmon, artichokes and tapenade (slightly meagre, £3.75) and a large side dish of new potatoes (£2.85) which were, admittedly, swimming in butter. We adored the baked-to-order chocolate fudge cookies which arrived with a generous bowl of berry smoothie for dessert (£5.70)

The drinks:

Real ales include Black Sheep and London Pride; ciders include Aspall and Addlestons (£3.50–£3.80 per pint) and the wine list is pretty extensive with many available by the glass and carafe as well as bottle.

21 Sherbrooke Road, SW6; www.thesalisbury.com;
020 7381 4005