A Taste of Tradition and Innovation–The Punchbowl
I recently had the pleasure of compiling and writing about my seven favourite Mayfair food pubs. As you might guess, this was not one of the most arduous tasks I’ve undertaken. Mayfair boasts a fine selection of pubs, one pub which was part of my magnificent seven list is The Punchbowl. I thought it would be an excellent idea to take a closer look at what The Punchbowl serves up on its menu.
The pub is now owned by Butcombe Pubs and Inns, once famously owned by Guy Ritchie. Nowadays, The Punchbowl is building a reputation for serving exceptional food and beer.
The pub is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week, offering a beautiful dining room, Judy’s, and a large private dining room on the top floor that accommodates 16 people. It’s worth mentioning that the breakfast menu, alongside a full English, includes oysters and British classics like devilled kidneys.
As well as a breakfast menu there is a main menu, bar menu, lunch specials (all dishes £18), and a Sunday menu. We arrived hungry, so the main menu and specials board captured our attention, offering plenty of choice to make decisions delightfully difficult. I should confess that I had already picked my main, but before we jump ahead to the mains, we had starters to choose.
There were plenty of interesting starters on the menu: classics like scallops with peas and pancetta, steak tartare, a unique twist with foie gras paired with rhubarb (new to me), and a market fish crudo, apologies, dear reader, I forgot to ask what the market fish was—I’ll get the hang of this job one day.
All were tempting, but in the end, Leigh chose a Devon crab and king prawn cocktail, while I opted for English asparagus with a poached egg and pecorino.
Leigh’s prawn and crab cocktail was a picture. I believe any seafood cocktail should be presented well, which unfortunately isn’t always the case, but there were no worries here. A nod of approval from across the table confirmed it tasted as good as it looked. I was allowed a taste (for research purposes only), and the crab and prawn combination worked beautifully with a sauce that had a subtle kick.
I struggle to resist English asparagus when it’s on the menu, and with a duck egg, it was an easy choice. It’s odd to me that duck eggs, with their larger yolks, aren’t used more often on restaurant menus. Paired with asparagus and strong pecorino cheese, this simple dish was a triumph, merging complementary flavours on a plate.
Now, onto the mains. I had already chosen my dish—thanks to social media, I’d seen plenty of photos of The Punchbowl’s signature ox cheek and bone marrow pie. Despite the hot and sunny weather, I had to try it. I’m not alone—our waitress mentioned that people come from all over the world for this pie. If I hadn’t chosen the pie, I might have gone for the rack of lamb, dressed crab, or halibut fillet from the specials board. Leigh opted for the flat iron chicken, also from the specials board, and ordered Koffmann fries (you have to order Pierre Koffmann’s fries—it’s the law) alongside it. We also shared a side of seasonal greens.
The pie arrived in all its glory—Desperate Dan would have been impressed (those of a certain age will get the reference). The bone marrow takes centre stage, served with creamy mashed potatoes and plenty of rich gravy. Did it live up to expectations? Absolutely. The pastry was light, the ox cheek filling was cooked to perfection, and I made sure to extract every bit of marrow from the bone. The gravy and mash were perfect accompaniments. It’s no surprise this dish is so popular.
A quick word on ox cheeks: they’re delicious, affordable, and perfect for dishes like my ox cheek ragù, one of my favourite dishes to cook and can recommend giving it a try. It’s a shame butchers don’t always stock them, but any good butcher will order them for you.
Not to be overshadowed, Leigh’s flat iron chicken was lovely and cooked perfectly. Paired with Koffmann fries, it was a special take on chicken and chips.
Those expecting my usual dessert review will be disappointed to hear that we were too full to even share one.
It was encouraging to hear from the waitress that word had spread about the food at The Punchbowl. By 5:30 PM, both the restaurant and the private dining room were full, which is impressive for a midweek evening. This is why The Punchbowl is a favorite on our website and why it deserves its place among the best food pubs in Mayfair.
If you enjoyed this review, please see my reviews of other pubs on our list:
