Loyal Tavern

Had high hopes for dinner at Loyal Tavern because I am a big fan of this cuisine but it was a mixed bag. Some starters were nice, like the mackerel and burnt cauliflower. The bread was still doughy inside as though uncooked but the hummus was nice. One main had a nice bisque but the vegetables were under seasoned and lacked punch. The fish main was nice. The cocktails hideous. A champagne thyme infusion turned out to be a tiny flute of sickly sweet juice without a bubble in sight. The craft beers seemed to be better in selection. But didn’t the head chef taste the cocktails? Why do things like that happen? They also limit you to 90 minutes per table and 2 hrs for a group of four. What?

New restaurant using the best of British sustainable produce. Charred mackerel on pink salt block. Crispy chicken skin crackling. Venison tartare. Spiced lamb skewer. Rump of lamb. Slow cooked pigs cheeks. Coal roasted pineapple with malted banana ice cream. Wheelchair access ♿: There is a tiny step to get in (2 inches). Booths are up a step so not really accessible. Tables are up a couple of steps and accessed using a short ramp, which meant it was nearly vertical. It was a bit scary going up and down and probably would have been better to just lift me in my chair. Good of them to try though... Staff were apologetic and promised to look into other options. There is also an accessible toilet. I really enjoyed the starters, they were full of flavour. Mains were good but not as exciting as the starters.

Enjoyed Saturday brunch here. The food is very good. We ate a vegetarian selection which included avocado on toast with a pepper stew (small but tasty), a veggie breakfast which was excellent. Loved the eggy bread with caramelised banana, absolutely delicious! The interiors are industrial in style. Professional staff, great atmosphere. The table we sat at was very close to the next one which is the only negative thing I can say, apart from that everything was fabulous!

The dishes had potential to be great but they were either too rich for me or unbalanced. The freshness of the food was good, you can tell its high quality ingredients but I think some pieces didn't mesh well. This was my opinion though, I went with a group of four, two liked and two didn't. Also, didn't like the cocktails. I'm not sure what science was behind the creation of it but none of them appealed to me or tasted memorable. I tried 4 different choices (not all mine lol. I tasted my friends)

Loyal Tavern is a brand new restaurant in Bermondsey by Tom Cenci (former executive chef at Duck & Waffle) and Adam White (Riding House Café). Located on Bermondsey Street, it’s close to the hustle and bustle of London Bridge. Tom Cenci and Adam White’s aim for the new spot is to bring the best of seasonal British produce in the relaxed neighbourhood environment that was previously Bermondsey institution, Village East. The menu currently features just a handful of choices within each of the sections: appetisers, starters, mains and desserts. This sits alongside a few specials which are located on the blackboards. When we visited, the menu featured a variety of British dishes from blackened cauliflower, sesame yoghurt, chilli and green sauce to rump of lamb, marrowfat mushy peas and mustard sauce, and baked celeriac, mushroom broth, confit yolk, parmesan and truffled breadcrumbs. Starters/appetisers are made for sharing. The spiced lamb skewer, with mint and almond aioli (£3 each) is a great place to start. The lamb is so juicy, flavoursome and soft, a lot like a softer chorizo. The flavour was amazing and went together so well with the mint and the almond aioli, which balanced out the spiciness. The grilled flat bread with chicken fat butter (£2.80) is another must order. The bread itself is warm, lightly toasted, yet so soft. It’s absolutely superb with the chicken fat butter – oily, but not too much so. The charred mackerel with apple and pine nuts served on a salt block (£5.50) finished our starters. This completed the spread which set the bar so high for the meal. The mackerel was incredible and beautiful in flavour and texture. It was great with the slightly fresher, crunchier toppings, and we loved that you could have it as salty as you wanted just by moving it around more on the block. We hadn’t seen that before – quite unique. Mains tend to be a solo venture compared to the sharing appetisers/starters. Both our choices impressed as much as the starters did. The buttermilk-poached cod with ‘nduja and white bean stew (£15) was another dish recommended by the team. The cod was beautifully cooked and so soft and tasty on its own. The stew was rich and tomato-y and the nduja added a depth of flavour but wasn’t overpowering. The rump of lamb with marrowfat mushy peas and mustard sauce (£19.50) was superb too. It was cooked perfectly, pink in the middle bringing out the flavour of the quality cut of meat. The marrowfat mushy peas were delicious, as was the creamy mustard sauce, bringing the whole dish together. We also ordered a side of potatoes with stinking bishop from the specials menu. These were smelly (they really are stinking), but the cheese is actually milder than expected. We might have liked it a little more salty (or peppered), but they were still good. We opted to share the recommended dish by our host – The coal-roasted pineapple, salted caramel ice cream (£5). The pineapple was more than warm,and a great texture – we loved the grilled bits. The salted caramel ice cream was delightfully creamy and full of flavour. A fantastic dessert to finish off the meal and we were so glad we made space to share. This is such a great new restaurant in Bermondsey. We loved the whole experience from the service and atmosphere to the seasonal British food and drink. Tom Cenci himself even came out from the kitchen to greet us, which was a lovely surprise and great to see the passion and excitement from one of the duo behind the venture, as well as seeing that he’s actually very hands on himself. It was very reasonably priced for the whole experience and we would highly recommend a trip!

Amazing food and coffee. We were served very fast, which was great, as I am usually grumpy when I'm hungry. My brunch was simple and really tasty. Good quality food all over. We're going to be back for sure.

This spot has a lot of potential, but three stars because I feel it has a bit of work to get there. We ordered the turnip hummus with truffle and flatbread. The hummus was wonderful, very smooth and silky, however there was not nearly enough flatbread for the hummus given. It was inevitable that we would have to ask for more flatbread, would have just been nice if it came with more pieces, at least 4 (came with 2). The blackened cauliflower was what I was most excited about, but while the tahini sauce was lovely, the cauliflower was just a tad above room temperature and not cooked enough. I ordered the celeriac option and the staff was super nice about accommodating my vegan diet; however, the kitchen forgot to leave out the egg and I pierced it by accident. Not great. The veggie broth in the dish was delicious, but celeriac was kind of dead, drenched in it. Would have also been nice for the dish to have a grain or bean for some substance. We had the brownie and banana bread for dessert. The brownie was nice as it was warm out of the oven - the banana bread was pretty disappointing and the pistachio cream on it was way too dense. Again, a lot of potential, but a lot to work on before getting to 4 stars in my books.

We were so happy with everything here! The bar had exciting cocktails, the menu looked great and food tasted even better. All the staff was helpful, happy and genuine 😊 We will come back again, and again 🔙

Well, well, well. Village East is no more. Long live Loyal Tavern, the new prince of Bermondsey! We've only been for brunch, which was fabulous: generous full English with sausage, bacon, black pudding, two perfectly fried eggs, and toast; ham Benedict; streaky bacon; and eggs bread with half a caramelized banana and salted caramel ice cream for dessert. Service was excellent and attentive. The seating in the back is a little tight; seats along the middle will get bumped by every server and diner who pass by. The view is of a back alley. But that food! We only wish we had found it sooner so we could have eaten there more often. Prices seem quite low for the quality of the food. Highly recommended, well worth a trip to Bermondsey from anywhere in London.

This spot has a lot of potential, but three stars because I feel it has a bit of work to get there. We ordered the turnip hummus with truffle and flatbread. The hummus was wonderful, very smooth and silky, however there was not nearly enough flatbread for the hummus given. It was inevitable that we would have to ask for more flatbread, would have just been nice if it came with more pieces, at least 4 (came with 2). The blackened cauliflower was what I was most excited about, but while the tahini sauce was lovely, the cauliflower was just a tad above room temperature and not cooked enough. I ordered the celeriac option and the staff was super nice about accommodating my vegan diet; however, the kitchen forgot to leave out the egg and I pierced it by accident. Not great. The veggie broth in the dish was delicious, but celeriac was kind of dead, drenched in it. Would have also been nice for the dish to have a grain or bean for some substance. We had the brownie and banana bread for dessert. The brownie was nice as it was warm out of the oven - the banana bread was pretty disappointing and the pistachio cream on it was way too dense. Again, a lot of potential, but a lot to work on before getting to 4 stars in my books.