The Morgan Arms (Bar, Restaurant)

Pete Doherty won an award in 2005. And rightly so. Not by himself, mind. He had a bit of help from ‘them other fellas’ in the band (The Libertines). Doherty, and them other fellas, snapped up the Best British Band prize at the NME Awards. Everyone was apoplectic as a result, falling over themselves to get a piece of this deity-in-making.

That same year, the public went congratulatory crimson for Morgan Freeman when he won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance as Eddie ‘Scrap-Iron’ Dupris in Million Dollar Baby. There followed a modicum of star-stupefaction.

Winning was synominous with the ‘Morgan’ moniker that year as The Morgan Arms of Bow was given a hearty slapping of the back for winning the prestigious Evening Standard Pub of the Year award.

Press the fast forward button on our time remote and it’s hard to deny that the scenario looks somewhat shoddier for most involved:
- Exhibit (a) - Misdemeanour Pete, as talented as he may be, has taken up semi-permanent residence in the dock of his local courthouse. Added to this are the woes he endured during his horrendously media-scrutinised (and thus bound to fail) relationship with Ms Moss, which has since done a Dodo
- Exhibit (b) Morgan Freeman almost recently suffered a similar Dodo-esque career malfunction when he chose (was forced) to play God in the box office hit *cough, splutter* Evan Almighty. Oh dear, thank God for The Shawshank Redemption, eh Morgan?
- Exhibit (c) The Morgan Arms lost its Evening Standard crown in 2006 to a worthy challenger, The Clarence pub of Balham.

How the mighty have fallen. Or so you’d think.

Not content with a paltry London paper accolade, The Morgan’s owners, Geronimo, rode that pony to even greater heights and in 2007 claimed the industry’s best (The Publican’s) Small Pub Company Award. Clearly, this is no Dodo.

The popularity of Geronimo’s pub-restaurant-pub fusion is explicitly seen in The Morgan Arms’ bums-on-seats Monday custom, the likes of which is usually seen on a Friday elsewhere.

A moreish draw that gets them through the door is the newspaper-wrapped devilled whitebait, a simple delight that compliments a draught of Aspall’s Cyder or Timothy Taylor Ale. But there’s more to The Arms than mere starters and pints.

It resonates ‘cool’ through a Blur/White Stripes/Imogen Heap music selection. There’s a unstoppable urge to say ‘mismatched’ when describing the butchers-and-boardrooms furniture. And, the ‘wall of books’ feature in the restaurant gives off that endearing daytime studio set/Lorraine Kelly appeal.

Geronimo clearly like to think BIG as well. BIG windows equal big light. BIG sofas equal big comfort. And BIG art equals big unsettling scary eyes peering down at you as you nibble your grilled sea trout on aubergine-chickpea-tomato salad, swilled down with the lemony South Australian Viognier. Just don’t ask for the cheesecake, BIG is not the word.

In fact, the menu may appear simple and diminutive at first - lamb, steak, cod - but with the addition of words such as ‘walnut pesto’, ‘tarragon cream’ and ‘honey yoghurt dressing’ the menu gets its BIG.

The prices are BIG as well, especially as the carbs are sold separately. But this is a gentrified residential area, so the effect is not an important one. Hence, the only likely noise pollution to be weathered on the street seating outside is the occasional roar of passing Range Rover.

A comeback of kings. Otherwise 8 out of 10...read more