The Laughing Gravy (14.02.14)

Valentine’s Day was a complete disaster this year—as far as public transport was concerned, that is. I had been looking forward to an early dinner at Southwark’s gastro-pubby restaurant The Laughing Gravy for weeks. I was therefore crushed when my Valentine and I were separated by flooding and some poor soul under a train respectively.

I was impressed by how accommodating the staff were, especially considering what day it was. We had to re-arrange our reservation a number of times and the restaurant was far from empty.

When we finally did arrive, after swiftly ordering a much-needed bottle of Pinot Noir, I went for the Lincolnshire rib eye steak with Madeira sauce. The meat was properly pink and the rich sauce was the perfect foil to my side of truffle chips (these are essential if you are planning a visit.) The whole place smells of truffles, giving it a heady atmosphere.

We were both torn between the steak and the guinea fowl; when I see game on a menu, my opinion of a place immediately goes up. Luckily for me, my other half went for the game option, so I got a taste of the buttery, crispy-skinned bird.

The desserts stole the show however, as I went for the chocolate fudge brownie, which was so much more than the name suggests. It had chocolate sauce, blackberries, coulis, vanilla ice cream, blackberry jelly and a circular marshmallow-like thing. I don’t know what it was but I could have eaten ten of them. Not to mention the gooey, soft brownie itself, which is by far the prettiest of its kind I have encountered.

CHOCOHOLIC'S DREAM: decadent brownie with all the trimmings

My date had the blueberry cheesecake, accompanied by shortbread, mini-lime donuts and a pansy. While there really are some people who get angry about flowers in food, I think it made the plate just that touch more attractive. The cake was creamy and refreshing with a great blueberry hit in the middle. The donuts were well-made, but my partner would’ve preferred the lime coulis inside them, rather than underneath.

BLUEBERRY BONANZA: cheesecake, lime donuts and shortbread

The restaurant is fairly expensive, with a two-course meal with wine coming to about £50 per head, but I didn't find the prices unreasonable. It’s the best Modern British food I’ve tasted in London (where you can easily pay a lot more for something not as good.) Chef Michael Facey is onto a winning formula with his choice of home-grown ingredients and the gastro-pub feel keeps the restaurant from feeling too formal. The jazzy music is fun, if a little loud for my tastes.

The Laughing Gravy was a more than welcome retreat from the hectic world of the British public transport system. Finally, order was restored and Valentine’s Day felt romantic again. Then there was the journey home…

9/10