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What do we need to know about The Kerfield Arms?
This newly opened South London pub is the latest venture from the team who brought us The Baring in Islington. That pub jumped straight into the UK’s Top 50 Gastropubs as the Highest New Entry when it opened a few years back, so expectations were set pretty high for this, their second opening. There are three folk behind it - the original duo Adam Symonds and chef Rob Tecwyn along with chef Jay Styler who's now head chef here at The Kerfield Arms.
Where is it?
If you're local, you'll probably know the pub better by its previous name, The Crooked Well. But The Kerfield Arms was the original name when the pub first opened in Victorian times and we applaud the team here for changing it back. If this isn't your part of town, you'll find it in Camberwell, just off the high street. The nearest overground is Denmark Hill or you could take the tube to nearby Oval or Vauxhall.
Where's good to meet for a drink first?
This is a proper pub (and we know there are a lot of people who feel incredibly strongly about precisely what makes a pub a pub). So half the space is given over to an area for drinks, while the dining area is pretty clearly defined. It's had quite the makeover, giving it a much brighter feel than before. And being a corner site, it's flooded with natural light making it a great place to come for lunch.
The main dining room at The Kerfield Arms
What kind of food can we expect?
It won't surprise you to learn that seasonal, sustainable produce is at the heart of what they do here. But while much of the produce is British, they're also happy to plunder a wider European larder when they need to. And although the menu doesn't feature anything as limiting as starters, mains and dessert categories, it's pretty obvious from the pricing how to order.
Here's what we had to give you an idea:
Taramasalata & fried pizza dough (£6) - those squishy fingers of pizza turn out to be an incredibly delicious receptacle for scooping up a very good taramasalata.
Cornish squid & lardo shish, pul biber chilli (£14) - there's always a shish on the menu at The Baring, so it's no surprise to find a good option on here too. This was apparently the most-ordered dish from their first week of service.
Chicken liver parfait, kumquat ketchup & grilled bread (£11) - quite the prettiest plating of a parfait we've seen in a while.
Yorkshire hogget, violet artichokes, bagna cauda & pine nuts (£27)
What's on offer for vegetarians?
From a tight menu, there's a decent selection of options. In addition to the two dishes we ordered we could also have opted for courgettes with ajo blanco as well.
Smoked Marmande tomato, ricotta mustia & sea beets (£13) - it helps that the kitchen here sourced a particularly great tasting tomato, but we also really liked the smoky treatment this had been given.
Wild nettle malfatti, green asparagus, hazelnuts & buttermilk (£24) - springtime on a plate with those malfatti dumplings proving to be feather-light.
Room for dessert?
When we visited there were two desserts and a cheese course, so it made sense to try both those desserts and we were glad we did.
Gariguette strawberry & chamomile custard doughnut (£9) - 100% the one to order if you only have room for one more dish at this stage of your meal here.
70% Cru Virunga chocolate & olive oil mousse (£9) - London is enjoying a boom in chocolate mousse options at the moment and this was a very good example.
What about the drinks?
We've been hearing good things about their cocktails, but as this was a lunchtime visit, we gave them a swerve this time. The wine list has a strong showing of wines by the glass and carafe with plenty of sub £40 options along with a few premier cru choices if you're going big. Our Greek white from Thessaloniki's Moschopolis Winery (£44) felt like a great early summer choice.
Overall thoughts:
We crossed town on a bank holiday weekend to try The Kerfield Arms and we'd happily make that journey again (and encourage others to do the same) based on how good our lunch was. Just days after opening, this felt like a well-oiled machine with some very confident cooking and a wholly enticing menu completing the picture. Camberwell folk with both this and The Camberwell Arms in their manor should be feeling very smug right now.
More about The Kerfield Arms
Where is it? 16 Grove Lane, London SE5 8SY
How to book? Book online here.
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @thekerfieldarms.
Hot Dinners dined as guests of The Kerfield Arms. Prices correct at time of publication.
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