In the perpetual commentary of ‘size matters’ Pharmacy 2 had irrevocably cemented our stance

Penny went to PHARMACY 2 18/03/2016

Specs: 👓

Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Average Cost pp: £15

Nearest Tube: Vauxall

http://www.pharmacyrestaurant.com/

Celebrating our congressional ‘twinning’ birthdays Phoebe and I decided to dine somewhere a bit ‘fun’ having taken the day off work and all. After a quick scan of timeout’s newfangled restaurants of the hour we settled on Pharmacy 2 concluding that conceptual eateries delivered on the ‘fun’ criteria. Damien Hirst’s second stab at the restaurant scene, Pharmacy 2 is an expectedly artsy concept restaurant servicing Newport Gallery’s visitors and foodies alike. Pharmacy 2 executes a similar vision to Hirst and Matthew Freud’s original joint venture, ‘Pharmacy’, which closed in 2003 with Freud stating that ‘it became a very, very shit restaurant’…(!) It has since been reimagined in the confines of the first floor of Hirst’s minimalist Newport Gallery and visually didn’t disappoint…

…unassuming, the gallery is placed, or perfectly misplaced, in an industrial estate in Vauxall and feels wonderfully isolated from the clustered eateries of Soho or Shoreditch. The red-bricked gallery served as a scenery painting location in the early 1900s and so provides an expanse of glittering space to house both Hirst’s work and the restaurant. Of course the restaurant’s own interior can further be behold, an extension of the intrigue that ensued upon entering the building, and sanctum to Hirst’s distinctive imagination, we had great fun playing ‘spot the drug’ amongst the various varieties displayed on pill-patterned wallpaper and watching scientists concoct potions in flasks and petri dishes behind the laboratory styled bar. It was bright, playful and bold – a spectacle that didn’t fail to delight the birthday prinnies.

Perusing the menu we spied our usual friends, avo on toast, waffles with bacon, salmon and eggs. In their variety, of course, but excited by the eccentric ambiance I had rather hoped to gaze upon more extraordinary offerings I must admit. We went for all of the stated and decided to share between the three of us. Timely prepared and bought to us by impeccably mannered staff I was somewhat underwhelmed to see the size of the portions…For girls who like to think we’re relatively refined when it comes to eating out, the disappointment due to portion size was not something we wished to openly divulge. But I knew the distress was real and shared, despite the oooh and ahhs from around the table. We politely ate our solo forkful and passed round the dishes until they were quite literally wiped clean within five quick minutes, before Phoebe broke nerve with ‘it was a little on the small side wasn’t it.’ Brave. We all exhaled in agreement cracked a few statutory dirty ‘size matters’ jokes before we settled the bill and surmised the food to be delicious if not lacking.

We decided to walk off our morsels with a gander around the gallery until only half way round and withstanding growling stomachs, we declared that it was visually a wonderful experience but in the perpetual commentary of ‘size matters’ Pharmacy 2 had irrevocably cemented our stance and left to find some cheese or summit…

A place for mates rather than dates

Penny went to NO.32 OLD TOWN 8/3/2015

Specs: 👓

Overall Rating:         ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Average Cost pp:     (coffee, main, alcoholic bev)  £20

Nearest Tube:          Clapham Common

http://www.no32theoldtown.co.uk/#intro

What they called the first weekend of Spring was upon us. With temperatures hitting an almighty 14 degrees Celsius, mild enough (just about) to withstand no coat for the first time in 2015, I whacked out the sunnies, pulled on a flimsy summers dress in true Brit fashion, and located a brunch venue with an outdoor area where we could ‘bask’ in the sun. My enthusiasm and sweaty warmth, amassed during a brisk walk across Clapham Common, had blindsided me…sitting on the terrace at No.32 Old Town gusts of pretty chilly wind mocked my beguiled eagerness for summer. Not wanting to lose face in front of Will (who had worn ‘there’s no need!’ winter jacket) I proclaimed again how beautifully sunny and warm it was but cleverly steered us towards a table under heaters. I also spied some rather cosy looking blankets which I cunningly grabbed seemingly allured by their quaintness… top marks for aiding feigned warmth, but bottom line is (she ashamedly admits) it was too cold to be sitting out.

Nonetheless the terrace was nice and had an attractive modern country feel to it, what I’m told is described as ‘New England’. Muted grey and white tartans adorned the setting, matched with pretty olive trees stood in grey wooden plant boxes, decking and long rustic, shared wooden tables. It was a pleasing terrace for sure. The shared tables gave some indication that this was certainly a social place for mates rather than dates. This inkling was only confirmed as hoards of hung-over hunnies descended upon the terrace prattling about their previous night’s endeavours at Dogstar and ordering jugs of Bloody Mary and ‘Elderflower fizz’ to soothe their states. It was one of those places that can only be expected from Clapham, clearly a haunt for the twenty-something public schooled it lacked edge but provided amenities and comfort for this enclave to gather by the dozen.

Will and I ordered a Bloody Mary and Mimosa respectively, alongside two coffees. Feeling unadventurous and hankering for pancakes since dozing off the night before, we both settled on two lots of blueberry pancakes with maple syrup and crème fraiche. Everything arrived together and very promptly. At the time I commented on how sometimes food can be served too quickly since it’s always nice to stagger a meal and chat prior to eating, builds up an appetite and all. But upon reflection I feel this is a minor quibble that cannot count for fault at a reasonably priced casual eatery. Coffee – nice, mimosa – check, pancakes – v. good. And it was all very fairly priced. The pancakes were a real treat at £7.50. Soaked in maple syrup, accompanied by crème fraiche and with juicy plump blueberries their only let down was that there weren’t more of them…moreover I felt they were on the snack size rather than filling brunch material. But perhaps this accounts for my insatiable appetite. Not an avid Bloody Mary drinker myself I can’t equitably comment on the drink but Will was disappointed by the low alcohol content and tasted some suspect flavouring not to his taste. Nonetheless it was overall pleasant grub and drinks.

It’s worth noting that we had aimlessly strolled through the main pub/eating area downstairs towards guessed staircase to the terrace, with no direction from staff or offer to be seated. But the staff were friendly if not a little hap handed with service. We overheard conversations apologising for delayed service but offering compensation, and the waiter informed us on paying that it was their first run of service on the terrace (whether that was this year or ever we weren’t sure) but he excused that perhaps things were not as smoothly running as should be. Unorganised perhaps, but polite and friendly they were, and as stressed previously, prompt. Overall No. 32 was fine – a nice place to brunch with good pancakes, a pretty terrace and lively atmosphere.