Sundays roasts in London: Merchants Tavern

Sundays are roasting hot (and very good value) at Angela Hartnett and Neil Borthwick’s Shoreditch gastropub   
Roasting hot Sundays: beef with serious flavour at Merchants Tavern
Ben Norum25 April 2017

This gastropub from the powerhouse pairing of chefs Angela Hartnett and Neil Borthwick remains as bustling as ever as it approaches its fourth year.

Its exposed brick walls and green banquettes are packed noon to night with Shoreditch diners, City drinkers as well as gastro tourists seeking a well-priced bite of the chefs’ cooking.

Sundays at the Tavern are a particularly good value proposition, with two courses for £25 and three for £30.

The main event There’s plenty going on here besides the actual roasts, but that doesn’t mean they are an afterthought. A rolled leg of lamb boasts a pleasing circumference of crisped fat and juicy flesh, while thick slices of roast beef are vibrant pink and tender. The produce here is a matter of pride, and that comes through in the winning flavours.

Top choice: roast lamb at Merchants Tavern

Accompaniments are also well done, including sprouting broccoli with bite, sweet roasted whole baby carrots and exemplary crispy, fluffy roasties.

The rest Starters include a zingy salad of crab with crunch celery and a citrus calamansi dressing, plus another Nordic-style offering of pickled mackerel with ratte potatoes and lovage. To finish a bread and butter pudding is nursery food executed to chef standard, while a stilton which comes with crackers and chutney is particularly rich and creamy.

Bustling destination: the dining area

There’s a very good wine selection on hand, but it’s worth dipping into the cocktail menu, too. An appropriately-named Go Hartnett Or Go Home is a heady mix of bourbon, green chartreuse, dry curacao and a cranberry and rosemary reduction — probably not designed for Sunday lunch but goes well all the same.

When can I try it? All day on Sundays.

The best Sunday roasts in London

1/28

Cheque out: The roasts are available as part of a set menu on Sundays which costs £25 for two courses or £30 for three.

Info: Merchant’s Tavern, 36 Charlotte Road, EC2A 3PG; merchantstavern.co.uk.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in