The Park Tavern Review: Casual Fine Dining by Head Chef Elliot Hill in Wandsworth

Getting that balance right sometimes between separating a pub and a restaurant can be a harder task than it sounds. Do you sit the diners amongst the ‘lads’ of London and local early morning boozers, or do you create an entirely separate space where you feel completely separated and in a different environment. We didn’t know what to expect from The Park Tavern in Wandsworth, but upon arrival I realised I knew this pub and passed it almost every day of my life ten years or so ago. It’s probably not the sort of pub I’d usually choose for drinks, but had I known a talented chef named Elliot Hill was recently been appointed – I’d have been queuing out the door if I had to after tasting his food. Decor wise the pub is nice, but the dining room here is even better and incredibly cosy.

This isn’t your ordinary pub cooking. This is serious gastronomy which knows its limits in its environment. Still serving traditional (perfectly executed) dishes, but also plates of food that offer exciting, flavoursome cooking in an area of London which was desperate for fantastic food. When dining here we even talked about what a great place it would be to return for Christmas and who knows… there’s still time. We started with a lovely plate of beautiful salmon serve with a fresh and zesty salsa on a small piece of toast. It was as perfect as it looked and that salmon literally flaked away at just the sight of my fork.

Better still was the duck leg croquette with parsnip puree and watercress. A little large portion wise, but beautifully executed. The golden crumb coating was as crispy as we’d hoped for and most surprising was the duck meat inside – so tender and so moist. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a juicy croquette in my life and the parsnip puree only complimented the dish. If they ever wanted to create bar snacks – mini versions of these would be fantastic.

Mains were just as gargantuan in size but quite honestly we couldn’t find fault in them. Presentation could perhaps be more thought out, but the flavours were again fantastic. A dish that really stood out was the hay brined lamb with Wye Valley asparagus, pearl barley and charred lettuce – the latter something I always love seeing (and eating) in a dish. The meat was very well cooked, the balance of flavours were exciting and I finally became convinced that pearl barley is something worth eating. The side dish of Eliott’s take on the classic potato salad was a revelation and so good I wanted to take another pot home with me.

Our next dish only just came onto the menu from what I was told and I’m so glad because we were very lucky to have enjoyed it. Moist morsels of chicken breast with juicy morels, cauliflower and puree, a drizzling of jus and the best part was a deep-fried ball of macaroni and cheese. A lovely dish which I’d happily eat all over again. A side of broccoli was nice enough but the peanuts should be replaced with flaky almonds instead as the whole peanuts didn’t cling on.

If our meal wasn’t already fantastic, desserts tipped us over the edge and not just because of their generous size – but because they belong in a Michelin starred kitchen. One of the best sticky toffee puddings of 2017 hands down. Smothered with butterscotch sauce, topped with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with some orange sauce. Moist, decadent and rich – everything you could want from a sticky toffee pudding and more.

Snickers you ask, well yes – but not in the same fashion as we know it as. Deconstructed to an inch of its life and made up of chocolate mousse, caramel, nougat and peanut butter ice cream. It was utter heaven and really satisfied the senses.

Full and most certainly a little tipsy, we were in a taxi and off to bed with not an inch of space left for even a petit four. We had such a lovely time at The Park Tavern and it’s great to see such fantastic food ending up in this part of Wandsworth. It’s exciting, the service I must say was impeccable and the menu is affordable. I can’t wait to return and see what Elliot is cooking and who knows – maybe even for Christmas.

NB: I was invited and my meal was complimentary. All views are as always, my own. My views are not influenced by anyone other than my own palate and slightly poor eyesight