REVIEW: The Earl Spencer, Merton Road, Southfields

The Earl Spencer really is a great local. It was cold and very wet outside when we arrived, the strong smell of smoke coming off the roaring fire lingered across the dining room. Paired with the lovely warmth in the room, some fantastic craft beers and a very good, accessible wine list – this is the sort of place you only wish was on your doorstop. Bib Gourmands are awarded to restaurants or pubs who offer good food, at affordable prices. I think the limit is £28 for three courses these days. We struggled to hit the £50 mark for the two of us with a pint of ale each. That’s certainly great value in my opinion. The menu at lunch sounds nice, but the evening menu sounds even better. To start we opted for the risotto balls stuffed with mozzarella and basil, topped with a tomato sauce and served alongside some salad leaves and basil sauce. It wasn’t exactly mind blowing, could have done with a little more seasoning but otherwise its nice crispy batter made up for the shortfall. The salad was a bit half hearted too and felt like it wasn’t even meant to be there.

A leg of duck confit at £14 couldn’t be refused, especially if they were pairing it with some braised put lentils, bacon, leek and curly kale. An almost classic combination which didn’t let down. Those lentils were rich, meaty in flavour and had a lovely layering of chopped vegetables which really added flavour to the mix, as did the the smoky bacon. The duck was a lovely piece of meat and very moist in the centre – but for me the skin just wasn’t quite crisp enough. To look at you wouldn’t have guessed with its brown tinged colour but it was much softer than expected. Still it was very nice plate of food which could have been even greater if that skin was just given a little more time.

Dessert was the highlight our our lunch here at The Earl Spencer. Norfolk apple and treacle tart served with double cream really hit the spot, even after two very filling courses. The pastry was stunning. It was so light, perfectly baked – with a beautiful evenly coloured golden base. As soon as you slam your fork through the layers of juicy, sweet apple the base literally falls apart into thin crisp layers. A lovely cinnamon (I think) note run all the way though it and left a lingering touch of heat on the tongue. Imagine eating this, wrapped up against the wood burning fire – need I say more.

We wobbled back to the car shortly after, I fell asleep – living the dream I say. The Earl Spencer was a nice surprise to come across. It truly is the local pub you’d want on your doorstop, with its cosy charm, outside seating in the summer and a good selection of drinks – with the added bonus of some good quality pub food. There is certainly room for improvement on the food side and as a local pub perhaps I’m looking deeper in to this more than I need to – but they were just awarded a Bib Gourmand and that’s nothing to snigger at. With such an accolade firmly advertised around the pub the bar is set high, and they’re putting that on themselves. Lets hope The Earl Spencer continues to deliver, and more importantly grow in to hopefully a perfect local pub – it’s already on the way.

6/10