The Tommyfield (Bar, Restaurant)

It seems you can have too much of a good thing. Recently, it’s become fashionable to imply that the gastropub has somehow destroyed the Proper Pub, to suggest that this poster boy for gentrification has besmirched something so beautiful, so unique, so quintessentially and incontrovertibly British that Anthony Eden, Henry Cooper, Lady Diana and Maggie Thatcher (can you hear me, Maggie Thatcher?) would all surely be weeping into their light bitter, if only they could find a bar that still served them.

It might be fashionable, but it’s also wrong. For one thing, rumours of the Proper Pub’s demise have been greatly exaggerated (just head to the Southampton Arms in Dartmouth Park if you don’t believe me). For another, even if the gastropub brand has been tainted by any number of chancers who’ve realised that a few bold claims of rusticity or modernity can go a long way, the fact that a non-descript Kennington street can today find room for a pub turning out food as delicious as what’s on offer at The Tommyfield should be cause for celebration, not lamentation.

Part of a burgeoning South London chain that includes The Avalon in Clapham and the Bolingbroke in Battersea, The Tommyfield is serious about its food. It’s a little quiet when we pop in, and the high ceilings and huge windows make it a slightly parky proposition on a Monday night, but the presence of seasonal fruit and veg like rhubarb, roasted beets, and brussel tops on head chef Ade Awolomo’s unashamedly gastro menu are a sure-fire way to warm the cockles of any chilly diner. The store that’s being set on decent ingredients is further emphasised when our waiter informs us that the chain’s recently invested in a couple of its own pigs as well. It all reads like a ‘how to’ guide on top drawer pub grub - it tastes pretty good too.

Highlight of the meal is without doubt a witty little haddock smokie starter, served with a perfectly runny poached egg and a tiny tower of crisp fried bread soldiers. It’s salty and rich and scrumptious, the sort of dish that whispers warm sweet nothings into your guttywuts, wraps you up like a comfort blanket, and makes the horrors of the rush hour underground train that brought you here seem like a bad dream. A (perfectly serviceable) chicken liver parfait on the other side of the table fights gamely for our attention, but never really stands a chance.

Main courses also impress. The pan-fried seabass with braised squid and baby plum tomatoes is light, fresh and beautifully textured and the rib eye steak is a cracking piece of meat, tender and flavoursome.

You’d be hard pressed to call The Tommyfield unique. Don’t get me wrong - it’s a nice spot to while away an evening, but it’s to be honest doesn’t look all different to the kind of pub you’ll find on any high street worth its salt these days. It’s really not important, though – it’s the food that I came here for, and that haddock smokie’s going to linger long in my memory. If The Tommyfield’s the very model of a modern British gastropub, then we’ve got a hell of a right to be very pleased indeed....read more