The Spurstowe Arms, Hackney

Terribly disappointing meal at this pub. My seasonal salad consisted of two unpeeled, very raw carrots with a few vegetables sparsely decorating the plate. Some strange hollandaise type mixture was then lightly drizzled over it for a mere �8 or �9. My companion suffered a steak that had been cooked to an inch of its life for �16, and I have to say that in the taste stakes, I came off the better with my vegetable medley. Thankfully, the staff were gracious enough to reimburse the cost of the steak. However, I would seriously advise against eating at a 'gastropub' when all you have in place is the gastropub prices and none of the gastropub quality.

3 Jun 2008 12:19