The Harwood Arms, London: restaurant review

Perched on the corner of a residential road in West London, London’s only Michelin-starred pub celebrates British produce with a focus on game and wild food.

Who’s cooking?

Chef and hunter gatherer Mike Robinson is co-owner, with all game sourced from his estates, while Sally Abé – previously of Elystan Street – is at the kitchen’s helm.

What’s the vibe?

Stripped back floors, weathered wooden tables and shabby sofas give this pub a laid-back, neighbourhood vibe – it’s the kind of place you can pop in for a pint on a Friday night, or settle down for a lunch of sea trout on toast with mussels on a Sunday.

Duck-egg blue panels add a fresh touch, while stuffed animal heads dominate the walls, making no illusion that meat is at its heart.

What’s the food like at The Harwood Arms?

It’s more fine-dining than pub classics here, so expect Cornish pollock with cauliflower and smoked kipper as its take on fish and chips. The Harwood Arms scotch egg might be called a snack, but a runny Cacklebean egg generously coated in peppery venison meat can easily be a meal in itself.

Buttery hobnob-style biscuits speckled with thyme are there to slather whipped chicken liver on, but we’d happily munch our way through a packet.

On a Friday night, expect wellingtons made with the meat of the moment. On our visit, blushing pink muntjac came wrapped in wild garlic leaves and a glossy pastry case. Sides are just as showstopping, with bowls of buttery Jersey Royals and Tenderstem broccoli filling the table.

Dessert wise, dinky lemon-curd filled doughnuts are to be dunked into whipped earl grey cream, while buttermilk sorbet adds a cool tang to treacle tart.

And the drinks?

An exclusively British gin list features London’s Portobello Road and Northumberland’s Hepple, while Chapel Down Curious Brew is on draft. There’s a good mix of new- and old-world wines, with a few sparklings from the south of England. Try the golden Gusbourne brut reserve from Kent with notes of white peach.

olive tip

If you don’t want to dine a la carte, sit at the bar and order a plate of those hearty venison scotch eggs instead.

The Harwood Arms, Walham Grove, Fulham, London, SW6 1QP

Words by Ellie Edwards