The Harwood Arms
Off a quiet residential street in Fulham sits a pub that’s been around since the mid-19th century. The original history of the pub has been lost to time, but the culinary story started in 2009, when Brett Graham (of the Ledbury fame) and Mike Robinson (The Pot Kiln) bought the rundown pub, renovated, and relaunched the neighborhood pub as the Harwood Arms. In a cross between a proper British pub and hunting lodge, the Harwood Arms focuses on wild game and local produce, with some of the wild game being sourced from its owners, and some of the produce being grown directly above the pub on the rooftop garden.
They earned their first Michelin star in 2014, and have held it since, even through a rotating repertoire of chefs over the past ten years. The current head chef, Joshua Cutress, cut his teeth at the Ledbury with Brett, before joining the Harwood Arms as sous chef in 2021. In 2023, he took over as head chef. Joshua’s menu strikes short, simple, and very British, with pub classics like their signature venison scotch egg.
From the outside, the space looks fairly nondescript and humble, on the corner in Fulham surrounded by small residential cottages.
Stepping into the space, it becomes immediately apparent that you didn’t just enter any neighborhood pub. Arrays of wine glasses sit prepared to serve from the very extensive wine menu.
The dining area is basic, spacious, with hunting lodge themes. The heads of various animals watch over the dining room, and furs are scattered around the room, covering couches, wall dividers and other seating.
In emphasis to its hunting lodge heritage, the cutlery is presented in a sheath.
A short menu, with lots of interesting dishes. We went with the signature venison scotch egg, and each did the two course set menu.
Being at a pub, I naturally picked a drink. A pint would’ve probably been more appropriate, but I went with an Old Fashioned.
The signature scotch egg delivered in spades. Perfectly gooey egg yolk surrounded by a firm, well set white, with seasoned venison sausage around it, breaded and deep fried until crispy on the outside. Served with what they called an Oxford sauce - a combination of English mustard, red cider vinegar and brown sugar, but tasted exactly like a honey mustard. Classic.
Next up, a game Pate en Croute, studded with raw hazelnuts and plums, with a thin layer of port jelly at the top. The pate itself was a lot denser than other pates I’ve encountered, and this was served with some well dressed red cabbage leaves, thin slices of pear and apricot and a tangy plum mustard puree.
My companion went with the more adventurous Cornish crab, with a lump of picked brown crab covered with a sweet and sour tomato sorbet and topped with a chili creme, served with a freshly baked steaming English muffin.
Tomato sorbet is not something I’ve thought of before, but slightly sweet, slightly sour on top of briny crab is an amazing combination. Dollop a large pile of that on a crumbly warm English muffin and the contrasts of texture, flavour and temperature make for a very memorable starter.
For mains, I went with the deer, two slices of venison, done medium, served with some tender hen of the woods mushrooms, blackened onion and a creamy slightly sweet sauce derived from a pale ale, and topped with some additional jus.
My companion went with the roasted skate wing, a very interesting fish more closely related to sharks than most other round fish. Looking a bit more like a sting ray, the preparation of the skate wing involves a few days of aging to remove any off odours given off by the natural urea in their bloodstream. This was served with some hispi cabbage topped with some fried garlic and a slightly sour sauce with tiny dried shrimps and chopped pickles.
A light meal, but a very satisfying one. Given a week of fine dining, heavy sauces and tasting menus, my companion and I were pretty exhausted. We decided to drop by the local gastropub for a change of pace, and got a great meal with unique dishes different to anything we expected. The venison scotch egg is a must order, and next time I drop by, I’d want to try to potato crisps with cod roe as well.
In the casual neighborhood watering hole category, I’d prefer Brat, but the Harwood Arms gives Brat a run for its money.
Total damage: 150 GBP/2 people