Canton Arms...pretentious

It's the kind of place you either love or hate.  It's again one of those places that throws up the question again 'When is a pub a pub or a restaurant'.  See Harwood Arms review The Canton Arms takes 'gastro' to another level in that the 'pub' bit is there in the form of the fact that it's in an old pub but there is nothing 'pub' about the menu.  Before I say any more it was busy and is clearly popular so this is not a criticism - it is an observation.  I think the Canton Arms sorts out the, what marketeers would bracket as, 'I like to try new things' and I prefer the tried and tested' individuals.


I also think the Canton Arms must be a very profitable kitchen and hence business.  But the shortness of the menu and the lack of what I would describe as pub favourites slightly put me off. That and the fact that we had arrived at 8.30pm and already many of the dishes were no longer available. It's not THAT big a place and I couldn't see tables being turned so I can only assume that, which is a good thing in that everything is cooked fresh, that the Chef wants no wastage, again something I applaud but it got my hackles up that so many of the choices weren't available. Would it be so bad to have the same dish on for 2 days?

The starters were good, my minestrone must have been cooked fresh that day, crisp vegetables expertly cubed, al dente pasta and a very good chicken stock which again must have been rendered down in the kitchen earlier. The other dishes were an excellent bit of charcuterie, Bresaola, air cured beef, served with parmesan shavings and aubergine with flat bread which was delicious.

As there was only one Onglet for two left, the girls very kindly let then men indulge their blood lust with this. I was going to order the plaice but when I was told I wasn't allowed to have chips with it I was put right off. This I really couldn't quite believe. The reason - the chef only cooks enough chips for the dishes she serves with chips....COME ON??!! It's a pub! And now you can see why the argument of when does a pub become a restaurant and not pub come up. God help you if you fancied a bowl of chips with your pint...

The onglet was however delicious, served with a lovely aioli and ...wait for it....CHIPS. onglet is served rare (we weren't given a choice!), it's a very flavoursome cut given its proximity to the offal and takes on the flavour. This was an excellent piece of meat, you could have been forgiven for thinking it was one of the finer cuts of beef. The plaice I am sorry to say did not look great. It appeared to either have been over cooked or dare I say, had been frozen.

I am glad I have been to the Canton Arms as it is good at what it does, and I enjoyed the company and was not unhappy with the food. But there is something incredibly annoying about not being able to order the dish you want and feeling rushed as they were running out and being told that you can't have what you want to accompany your meal. No doubt I will be accused of professional jealousy, I can see why it has gained the popularity it has but that style isn't for me...