I have very much enjoyed the Anchor & Hope each time I’ve visited, as it serves excellent food for reasonable prices in a rather informal way. You cannot book a table at the Anchor & Hope, so you either have to turn up early or be prepared to wait at the pub, whilst a table becomes available. Not wishing to take any chances, I turned up promptly at midday, only to find they didn’t start seating until 12.15!

The Anchor & Hope is not a huge pub to begin with, so the divide between bar and restaurant certainly makes two rather cosy areas to spend some time. The dining area is big enough to sit about 25 people max and one of the things I like about this Gastropub, is the fact that if there is no table to exactly fit your group, you are sat with strangers to share a table with. I guess this could be a bit hit and miss, but when it has happened to me, I’ve found it quite enjoyable, especially when you get to hear snippets of more interesting conversation!

Due to our promptness, my dining partner and I were seated at a table for two. The menu had several items which I had not heard of before, but our waitress was pleasantly informative about each dish (without being condescending in any way), when asked. I went for the Buckling to start, which I learned was warm, smoked herring put together like potted shrimp. It was a light, tasty dish, served with marinaded cucumber and a good start to the meal. My partner went for the Cuttlefish on toast, which was served in it’s own ink and again was a light, tasty start to the meal. The Cuttlefish was very much like squid in both it’s taste and appearance.

The mains consisted of Cotechino with puy lentils for me and the special of Roast Duck Breast with beetroot and radish salad for my friend.  I have to say that my friend picked the better dish as the Duck was very, very good and the salad was a perfect accompaniment. My Cotechino (garlicky, Italian sausage) was good too and went well with the flavoursome lentils, but the Duck was just stunning.  We passed on dessert as we were both satiated and also didn’t want to fall asleep at our desks in the afternoon.

With the starters between £5-7 a dish and the mains £10-15, The Anchor and Hope is excellent value. The food is always good, sometimes fantastic, with lots of variety and daily changing menus. The staff are always courteous, knowledgeable and attentive. I really like this place and think it’s place as one of the top gastropubs in the capital is well deserved.