Food review - the gun, coldharbour

By John Hill on March 6, 2008 11:16 AM |

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TRADITIONAL drinkers don’t usually have much time for gastropubs.

In fact, they usually see them as some sort of dining equivalent of 70s cult film Logan’s Run – sniffy culinary “utopias�? with no character, cold shiny surfaces and the faint whiff of social injustice.

The Gun doesn’t have that problem.

The Grade II-listed Coldharbour watering hole neatly straddles the gulf between the two warring camps of the modern pub world.

Owners Tom and Ed Martin transformed this formerly derelict, fire-ravaged pub into Time Out’s favourite
gastropub of 2006.
And even if you’re not sampling the award-winning dining experience, it’s still a jaw-dropping destination you’ll want to show off to visiting friends and relatives.
The best feature of The Gun is its versatility.
You can enjoy a roaring fire in the back room on cold days, sprawled out on wide sofas.
You can wander out to the patio in the summer for a traditional Portuguese barbecue.
And on sunnier evenings, the seated terrace looking out across the Thames is one of the best drinking spots in Docklands.
Soothing fat chips are available from the pub menu, which also features olives, oysters and sandwiches. Restaurant diners can choose from a range of unique starters, such as the celeriac, truffle and wild mushroom soup (£6), the pan-fried king prawns (£8) and the ham hock and foie gras terrine (£7.50).
Main course treats such as the roasted organic Irish salmon (£15) and the pan-fried stonebass (£16.50) are hand-selected from the nearby Billingsgate fishmarket, but you can also enjoy options such as the Longhorn
rib-eye steak on the bone (£19) or a roasted barbary duck breast (£17.50).
A canon of Welsh lamb for two (£35) is also available in the evenings.
The mouth-watering dessert menu (all £5.50) features wonders such as Valrhona chocolate tart, rhubarb and custard cheesecake and a English and French cheeses.
While you’re gobbling down fine cuisine, you're also soaking up history.
The Gun dates back over 200 years, and Horatio Nelson slunk through this very building for secret liaisons with Lady Emma Hamilton.
The toilets are even named after them, which is handy to know if you’re lost after a few drinks. Because, believe me, when you’ve settled in, you’re not going to want to leave.

The Gun
27 Coldharbour
0207 515 5222