The Walpole
Restaurant - English in London
35 St Marys Road
London
Greater London
W5 5RG
Contact Numbers
Reviews
Unexpected gem
From the outside you would not guess that by night this cafe turns into a sophisticated restaurant. The maître d' took exceptional care to describe the provenance of each dish.I had some delicious huge spears of asparagus; not the least bit woody, followed by very tasty sea bass.What puts off some diners is the sheer size of the portions; and beyond overwhelming the eater, it seems wrong to be leaving food.
A User - 10/05/2009 | report this review
Return visit to The Walpole - still good!
Returning to the Walpole after a couple of years absence, I was pleased to see that not much had changed. The basic décor and brown paper tablecloths may not promise much, but the food still shines through. The vibrant hostess Wendy is still there, exuberantly explaining the menu in minute detail, ensuring you will change your mind several times about what to order as each dish unfolds.Prices seem to have dropped since our last visit, though portions sizes are still very generous, and the wine specials are still there tempting you to try something tasty.We started with the Zucchine Fritti with honey mayonnaise; and the English Asparagus with hollandaise sauce. The asparagus was really good, though I did find the zucchini a little oily for my taste. For main course we had the Romney Marsh Lamb with pomme puree, glazed carrots & mint sauce; the Venison Paillard, mushroom risotto & Madeira sauce; and the Duck Confit with Jersey royals, spring greens & redcurrant jelly. Some of the venison was a little over cooked, but the creamy risotto made up for it, while the lamb was absolutely delicious, and I loved the glazed carrots too.Desserts were almost impossible to squeeze in, but we pushed on, trying the Chocolate Pot with vanilla ice cream; the Blackcurrant Sorbet; and some Chocolate truffles and Turkish delight. We left full, with smiles on our faces.
A User - 05/06/2008 | report this review
A café in disguise
We've lived just a few minutes' walk from this restaurant for years, but it wasn't until my friend Sue suggested meeting up there for dinner recently that we actually ate here. Hard to believe, considering that the prices are reasonable for the quality, and the style of cooking is just the sort of thing we enjoy.By day this is little more than a greasy spoon café, but on Friday and Saturday evenings (and only on those two) it is transformed into a good-quality restaurant, with a short but tempting three course menu prepared and presented by owners who clearly know their stuff and, most importantly, enjoy sharing it with the diners who fill the fairly small space.Talking of the space, the everyday café is only thinly disguised. There are candles on the tables, but otherwise the Walpole is short on atmosphere and style – not somewhere to bring a romantic date or to celebrate a special occasion, perhaps. But if you want good food at reasonable prices, you should find it here.Before ordering you will be introduced to that evening's choices in some detail by the enthusiastic owner, Wendy. We were even presented with an example of exactly the sort of tomatoes that would be adorning the starter of tomatoes on toast, should any of us have chosen it (we didn't, despite her efforts!)Instead I ate an interesting starter of juliennes of zucchini, deep fried and served with a dip of honey mayonnaise. These were likened by Wendy to whitebait, but I must admit lacked a little something for me (taste perhaps!) though the mayo was delicious. Chris's asparagus, served with hollandaise sauce, was more successful. For mains, I had the confit of duck, served with good Jersey Royal potatoes, nicely cooked greens, tangy redcurrant sauce and a rich gravy. The redcurrant was a great foil to the otherwise strong flavours. Chris and Alex seemed to enjoy the venison (though one of these was a bit over-cooked in part) and Sue enthused about the Romney Marsh lamb. To finish, despite not really having room, I had a blackcurrant sorbet – very sharp and refreshing. Chris's chocolate pot was deliciously rich (70% cocoa), and the bowl of truffles and Turkish delight shared by the others also looked great. Portions here are large, by the way, and doggy bags actively encouraged.We also had a great bottle of Barolo, and with that, two bottles of water and an extra glass of wine, we paid £74 per couple with service. The menu itself costs £17.50 for two courses, £23.50 for three.
A User - 03/06/2008 | report this review
Greasy Fry-up or Gourmet Dinner
The Walpole is an unassuming cafe/restaurant that does big breakfasts and takeaways during the day, and then turns into good restaurant on Fri & Sat nights. We first went here for breakfast - and it is good.....and really cheap!! You order and pay at the counter, and then a few minutes later a huge plate full of fried goodness is placed in front of you!Since then we have been back several times for dinner and have never been disappointed. The service is the evening is excellent - the hostess will come out and explain the full menu to you, describing where the ingredients have been sourced from and how they are prepared.Dinner is quite an event here - choose 2 or 3 courses from a small menu - I would recommend 2 only - the serves are HUGE! I don't think I have ever seen anyone walk out without a doggy bag!! They do fabulous steak - aged and hung at the owners place, with a huge pile of chips.
A User - 08/03/2007 | report this review
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