Do you have a favourite London al fresco spot? Tell us!
Here’s my review of The Plumstead Pantry
With the sun shining I decided to head on out for a spot of al fresco lunch. We jumped on the bus to Plumstead to The Plumstead Pantry. This is somewhere I have been itching to go for a few months after stumbling across them on Facebook. Having missed their August lates I wanted to take full advantage of the Indian summer.
We were lucky to have a table for two outside in the sunshine, overlooking Plumstead Common.
The Plumstead Pantry‘s menu is nice and varied with the focus being on all day brunch such as maple bacon or pork and apple sausage sandwich (£4.50), a new addition to the menu, slow roast tomatoes, feta cheese, sriracha and coriander (£8.50) or gluten free pancakes with maple syrup (£5.50), maple bacon or banana and peanut butter (£6.50).
We decided on the vegan breakfast, roasted tomatoes, flat mushrooms, broccoli, sugar snap peas, beans and sourdough (£10) and the Quicke’s cheddar cheeseburger, pickled onion, lettuce, onion, gem lettuce and chips (£10). Accompanied by Drury’s green tea and breakfast English tea.
The plates came beautifully presented. Courgettes had been substituted for the broccoli in the vegan breakfast. They held their shape well and every element of the breakfast was full of flavour. The cheese burger was handmade and cooked perfectly, allowing a little pink in the middle. The meat was well seasoned and juicy. I enjoyed the fact the burger wasn’t filled with unnecessary ingredients. The slice of Quick’s cheddar was evenly melted and the the pickled onion was a touch of genius. The skin-on chips were some of the best I have tasted in a loooong time. The homemade ketchup was sweet and tangy and the homemade mayonnaise was nice and smooth, a real asset.
After a little rest there was just enough room to squeeze in a slice of cake and a cup of coffee. The plum cake was moist and flavoursome and held its shape. The carrot cake had a nice texture with a hint of christmas. The surprise was the icing. I would normally expect a cream cheese topping but instead this was very sweet and grainy but didn’t really taste of anything. There was minimal carrot and overall was rather disappointing. The roughly chopped nuts on top were a nice addition.
£32.50 down and with wonderfully full bellies we went for a wander around Plumstead Common, noted The Old Mill pub before heading home.
We will be back, perhaps for the Dirty Burger Club, Saturday 28th Sept 6-10pm. Tuesday special: BBB coffee and cake special (coffee and cake for £4 for bumps, babies and beards). Wednesday lates: open till 7pm.
More photos of The Plumstead Pantry:
