Waterloo Bar and Kitchen, Waterloo, London

Smoked Haddock balanced on good old Bubble and Squeak

Set Menu:

• Location: Waterloo Bar and Kitchen, 131 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8UR (nearest tube station is Waterloo or Southwark)
• Date of Visit: Tuesday 13^th November
• Time of Table: 7.30pm
• Deal Bought From: Groupon
• Deal Price: £20 for Two
• Dinner Companion: Twin sister, Jess

Getting More for your Money?

This dinner deal includes:

• Starter
• Main Course
• Glass of Prosecco
• For Two people

Impressive blackboard wine lists

What we ate…

Katie:

• Starter: Slow Roasted Pork Belly with an Apple Compote and Mild Mustard
• Main: Brie Filled Roast Corn Fed Chicken Breast, with Mash and Tarragon Cream Sauce
• Side: Mixed Vegetables (not included)
• Dessert:  Apple and Blackberry Crumble with Custard (not included)

Jess:

• Starter: Slow Roasted Pork Belly with an Apple Compote and Mild Mustard
• Main: Smoked Haddock, with Bubble and Squeak, Soft Poached Egg and Hollandaise
• Side: Mixed Vegetables (not included)
• Dessert: Cheese Plate Including: Colston Basset Stilton, Brie and Mature English Cheddar, with Chutney, Grapes and Water Biscuits (not included)

What we drank…

• Glass of Flauteau Rose Brut NV each
• Two Small Glasses Rive Haute Tannat-Cabernet Sauvignon Rose (not included)
• Two Cappuccinos (not included)

Perfect Prosecco

What did we think?

Atmospheric and classy, Waterloo Bar and Kitchen gives traditional Britain a bit of a shoe shine and a polish, before plonking elegantly on smooth white table wear, to give casual grub the grown up treatment.  Literally next door to the Old Vic theatre, and an incredibly simple five minute walk from Waterloo underground station, the location was spot on, although I did find the area slightly isolating, with not a lot nearby for the intrigued wanderer.

Through the glass fronted building, you could spy the silver, open kitchen at the back, juxtaposed with the highly polished dark wood flooring, red leather seating booths and calligraphy-stroked, wine-list blackboards, that were adorning the walls. The dimly lit interior encouraged intimacy over the single flickering tea light candle and green bloom, decorating the centre of each table.

The most divine pork ever!

Even though we arrived at about 7.15pm, the restaurant was still really empty so it was no problem being ushered to our table early. Out came the special ‘for offers only’ menu, which still contained most of their favoured dishes, but not all. Despite this, there was still a great varied choice of options, all focusing around the traditional British menu.  For starters, we both found ourselves drooling at the thought of the slow roasted pork belly, and when it arrived, the sensual meaty scents were absolutely divine. Three chunky strips of the meat sat comfortably next to a decent dollop of the apple compote, accentuated by a creative drizzle of the mustard. I don’t usually like mustard, as I think it is too spicy for me, but I loved this mild mustard. It almost tasted like a relish with a soft, sweet taste that was perfect with the pork.  The pork itself was amazing – the outside had a fantastic crunch as you bit into it, yet the inside was juicy and perfectly soft to eat. Paired with the zingy apple, this starter really hit the spot for me and was undoubtedly, the best dish of the night in my book. I could have had twice as much and had it for mains too!

With our starters, we enjoyed the glorious free glass of Prosecco included with the offer, and to our delight it was a rose. It was by far the best I have tasted, bursting with sweet berry highlights, and flavourful charm and an easy drinkability. I could easily understand why the bottles were so expensive as it was simply so refreshing and tasty.

Really ideal portion sizes for mains

I was really looking forward to my main course, having whetted my appetite with the pork. I had opted for the brie stuffed chicken, as I absolutely love brie, and I adore its oozy state once cooked, as it really brings out the flavour of the cheese. However, I will say that I was disappointed with my mains – the bed of mash underneath my chicken was lovely and I thoroughly enjoyed the rusty coloured, silky smooth sauce, whose melody of flavours worked really well with the texture of the meat. But even though the chicken was lovely to eat, I couldn’t taste the brie, I couldn’t see the brie, I was worried the brie didn’t exist. I saw a hint of what may have been brie at one point, but I was disappointed that the cheese wasn’t that big a feature in the dish, which is odd considering it is the first ingredient mentioned in the actual title. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed the meal, but it wasn’t what I was expecting and I would have liked the brie to have been more prominent.

With our meal, I let Jess pick the wine and she settled for the Rive Haute Tannat-Cabernet Sauvignon Rose, again one that is alive with berry accents, including raspberries and cherry. Summer berries are my favourite and I always enjoy the sweet flavours of rose over dry whites and rich reds, with this particular rose being a delight to drink. So light and yummy, it slipped down very nicely with the meal.

Can’t beat a classic crumble!

Even though we had technically used up all our courses that were included in the offer, we decided we couldn’t leave until we had hit the dessert menu. Torn between the chocolate brownie and the crumble, I settled for the apple and blackberry crumble with custard – again a very traditional menu choice. The topping had a vague caramel taste, yet a very dusty and crunchy texture which provided a good contrast to the large purple tinged chunks of apple underneath. Being a massive custard fan, I could have done with two mini jugs instead of one, but hey, I realise that I always over-custard my afters! Jess went for the very sophisticated option of a cheese plate (there’s my missing brie!) which looked really nice, yet her cheeses were not room temperature so not at their optimum state.

In my mind, the best way to finish a meal is with a satisfying cappuccino, and the ones here were lovely, but pretty bog standard. I wouldn’t say they were bad, I wouldn’t say they were excellent, just a very nice coffee to conclude the meal, with a pretty striped pattern on top.

Tasty cheeses for an alternative to dessert

Making a second reservation? No. Nothing against the quality of the cooking whatsoever – all the food that was delivered to us was cooked to perfection and that pork really was a law unto itself, yet I wasn’t completely won over. Maybe it was just my mains that gave me a stumbling block, and if I had chosen the steak for example, maybe I would feel differently. I enjoyed the gorgeous sauce and mash as well as the chicken; I just wanted more brie, as that was actually the deciding factor in me choosing that particular dish. Without the Groupon offer, I doubt we would have afforded to go, although the location is absolutely ideal for theatre goers to both the Old and Young Vic as it is right on top of their entrances. If I was seeing a show, I would definitely dine there again, but I don’t think I would go out of my way to visit there.

The Dinner Dates Opinion:

Our concluding coffees

“I really enjoyed my evening at the Waterloo Bar and Kitchen. The very easy walk to the station was a big plus for me as I do get lost easily, but on the other hand, we couldn’t really find anywhere just as close to go for a drink before/afterwards.  The atmosphere was really nice; it was sophisticated but not overdone and snobby.  The staff were also very friendly. My pork starter was so divine! I would have liked that for a main! Speaking of mains, I really liked my smoked haddock. The fish was lovely and perfectly cooked; the egg yolk good and runny and the sauce really complemented. The bubble and squeak was also very nice although there was one bit of cabbage stalk that should have been left out. But overall I was very pleased with this course and it was a good portion size.  I was a bit disappointed with the side though. We opted for a mixed veg to share as usually these separate sides are enough for two people but in this case it was the same price as other restaurants but half the size. For afters I was torn between the chocolate brownie or the cheese, but I was in a cheese mood so went for that. The chutney with it was very nice and the cheeses selected were my favourites, but I wished they had been left a bit longer to get to the right temperature for me to enjoy it further. I think I would go there again as I enjoyed the food and it is easy to get to if I’m in that part of London.”

Sleek table centrepiece