You finish up a bit of shopping in Angel, realise that you’re now too hungry to go home and make food so step forward… the Angelic Sunday roast lunch! Along with the full English breakfast, the pub lunch is one of the cornerstones of the British eating experience. A Sunday roast is perhaps the cornerstone. Regular readers will have heard all about the Full English and how it should be hard to get wrong. On the other hand, pub lunch quality can be a bit variable.
Delayed from 2020, the Euros pan-European football tournament had just started so the inside of the pub was a bit noisy. Also, it was a sunny day so one of the nicely shaded outdoor picnic tables was in order.
So, what to order?
Sunday Roast
As it was a Sunday, a classic roast was tempting, despite the high temperatures perhaps suggesting something less heavy.
If I was a little unsure re the roast, what swung it for me was the offer of extra potatoes and gravy for free! A roast stands and falls by the quality of the roast potatoes. They should be crispy and crunchy on the outside as well as soft and maybe even a little bit creamy on the inside. They should also be plentiful. The Angelic ticked all these boxes. There are often vegetarian options but if meat is your thing, then there was a choice between lamb shank or chicken. The chicken that I ordered came in fillets that were nicely seasoned if a little tough and was certainly not served “on the bone” as per the menu above. The Yorkshire pudding was a little pale, though made a serviceable container for the gravy, of which there was plenty.
Despite it being his first day on roast duty, our Italian server was super helpful and happy to make multiple trips back to the kitchen to get answers to our pernickety questions.
Scampi and chips
My dining companion had one of those other pub favourites – scampi and chips:
I’m English born and bred but I’ve generally failed to grasp what scampi actually is. Seems that in most countries, scampi means the peeled tail of virtually any kind of prawn but in the UK it refers to the meat of just one special prawn: the langoustine. To further confuse matters, it can also known as the Dublin Bay Prawn. In some quarters it is termed a Norway lobster but I think that might oversell the humble British scampi… I mean, would you deep-fry lobster?
Tartare sauce complemented the crispy-coated seafood and chips nicely. The garden peas sadly appeared to be from a can rather than frozen, but otherwise a decent pub classic.
The Drinks
Gin
As an ale drinker, I was happy with the selection on offer and the one I chose washed down the meal well. The drinks menu is extensive and there are plenty of fancy gin options.
Other clientele – locals enjoying a natter at their regular boozer, including pint-sized dog, and a holidaying family stopping for a bite to eat whilst Dad caught the footie.
Toilets
The toilets were a sight to behold! Descend to the basement, past an indoor fountain and experience the medieval-themed convenience, complete with audio from cult favourite TV show ‘Blackadder’.