The Duke is missing a chef
By The Prodigal Fool, published on 18 January 2009
“Here’s your pork” said the friendly, smiling waitress as she placed a plate of roast lamb and Yorkshire pudding down in front of us. Now the pedantic amongst you (and we’d expect most Prodigal readers to be so) will notice she’s made two mistakes. The first, being unable to tell the difference between a pig and a sheep is bad enough; the second, serving Yorkshire puddings with lamb is…well, let’s just call it wrong and leave it at that.
We mention this little mishap because it perfectly embodies The Duke’s Head’s approach to food. It’s all distinctly average and nondescript. No doubt the pork may have looked different from the lamb or the beef but, if our lunch is anything to go by, it would have tasted very much the same. In a restaurant like this, does it really matter whether your staff can identify the dishes?
It’s quite clear that there are no chefs in the Duke’s kitchen. We didn’t have the chance to confirm this but, judging by the dishes we sampled (including a soup of the day that only the kitchen hand who opened the tin could have identified – neither the waiter nor your unfortunate reporter could do so – and a pork belly served on a bed of wallpaper paste purporting to be mashed potato), we would expect a bank of microwaves, a vat of Bisto gravy and industrial supplies of Smash are the highlights of this kitchen. There certainly can be very little cooking going on.
All of this is a great shame because the Duke has almost everything else going for it: friendly smiling staff (half the battle won right there), a picturesque location overlooking Putney Bridge and the Thames, and a charming old pub decor complete with ornate glass partition and circular bar.
Indeed, it is these other aspects of the pub which, we assume, draws its many customers. When we visited on Sunday for lunch, both the bar and the restaurant were full.
So, not a Prodigal pub by any stretch we’re afraid. Note to the manager of the Dukes Head: we’re pleased you’re doing well, you’ve got a good pub on your hands. But hire yourself a proper chef and you could have a great one.
The Duke’s Head, 8 Lower Richmond Road, London SW15 1JN, Tel: +44 20 8788 2552
The Duke is missing a chef
“Here’s your pork” said the friendly, smiling waitress as she placed a plate of roast lamb and Yorkshire pudding down in front of us. Now the pedantic amongst you (and we’d expect most Prodigal readers to be so) will notice she’s made two mistakes. The first, being unable to tell the difference between a pig [...]
2 Responses to “The Duke is missing a chef”
-
The Prodigal Fool
10 February 2009
Why, Mrs SaffyGirl, with these chocolate compliments, you are really spoiling us…
SaffyGIrl
10 February 2009
One of the most hilarious restaurant reviews I have read in a very long time. I think that AA Gill ought to be very afraid.