The Crooked Well REDUX - Nov 2012

See first review here

In operation for over a year and with a stack of plaudits and good reviews under the belt, I'm delighted to say despite very minor quibbles, the Crooked Well has settled into its place in the neighbourhood perfectly.

While being not quite pubby, it is still perfectly acceptable as a venue for drinks only. There's a loose divide between bar and restaurant and they're equally welcoming. The tiling, light oaks and muted colours could make it cold here, but the lighting makes enough of a difference.

An enormous cannonball scotch egg is heavenly and huge. Thick quilted layers of spiced pork blanket envelop a perfectly soft centred egg. God knows why they serve it with a Heinz Tomato Soup 'dip' but we left that well alone...

Of the mains, a pub stalwart lamb shank looked right, but was strangely lacking in flavour. I've never been a massive fan of a fairly unsophisticated dish, and would always prefer to see a decent chef (and they definitely have at least one of those scuttling around) put mutton on the menu instead. Ricotta and lemon verbena ravioli were a little one note for me, served with a slightly cloying butternut squash type sauce and too many toasted almonds but Dr Vole yummed the substantial portion down. My bream was excellent, certainly the best of the mains, the two note sweetness of the accompanying crayfish and butternut squash purée providing a soft and elegant bed for an almost muscular piece of fish, breaking pleasingly into pearlescent flakes.

A sharing dessert of chocolate pudding was fine, though just fine. I can envisage few puddings where molten, thick chocolate isn't a winner but it plays to the crowd a little too much and was a touch overcooked. Serving the accompanying ice cream on a slate doesn't work too well either. We spent a good amount of time scootling it around the slick surface. If you're going to do something that simple and charge me £12 for it, it needs to be much better than fine.

Good beer, good food (with a kitchen capable of going up a gear) and a great atmosphere... I'm pleased to say that the Crooked Well has grown into its skin and is now a fully functioning (cliche alert) gentrifying neighbourhood gem. Rather than being a destination restaurant you'd travel across London for, the Crooked Well is the place you feel deeply envious that a good friend, ie me, lives round the corner from.