Roast at Borough Market

The Roast restaurant in Borough Market could not be any more British if it tried. The only thing missing perhaps is a Beefeater singing God Save the Queen whilst wielding a cricket bat at a raincloud.

While the restaurant claims to offer views of St Paul’s, the reality is that the cathedral stuck behind a building works. Then there are the South Western trains trundling past every 10 minutes. It was so perfectly British and mundane that I almost stood up and broke into a version of Land of Hope and Glory.

And now Roast is featuring that rare thing: decent English wines. The collaboration between Kent-based Chapel Down wines has brought about a new menu consisting of traditional English dishes served up to a tee. Matching up the courses with the wines is an ongoing process and while some changing around needs to occur, the project is heading in the right direction.

For a long time, English wines have been like English films; well-intended but badly thought through. Now some degree of professionalism has been injected and the results are starting to show. Bold, confident and nuanced wines which leave any kind of sense of parochialism completely unnecessary.

Starting everything off were the Dorset crab cakes on a bed of smoked trout. The cakes were light and with a well-balanced texture whilst the cure of the trout made for a flavoursome and tender piece of fish. This was well complimented with the English Rose with its notes of strawberry and elderflower. Up next was haggis. Normally, I have issues with haggis over its dryness, but here it was livened up with a celeriac and oxtail sauce and combined with an excellent pinot noir.

The slow roast pork belly takes three hours to create and is well worth the wait with crispy crackling and deliciously tender meat – a result of the attention paid to its creation.

The brace of desserts that followed were mismatched in terms of the wines that came with them, but that should not distract from the dish’s inherent quality. The spiced clementine custard was exquisite although the accompanying anise biscuits made for an awkward side partner. Yet the undoubted highlight was the warm chestnut and Conference pear cake with hot chocolate sauce. The chocolate was rich but without being too powerful and overwhelming the delicate flavours of the chestnut and pear.

The menu is well worth the money in terms of the thought and attention that has gone into putting it all together. And if you want an extra twist to your meal, just ask for the English Chestnut Velvet.

Roast
Floral Hall
Stoney Street
Borough
SE1 1TL

Tel: 0845 034 7300

Image courtesy of Liz Upton