I’m always on the hunt for great places to go for Sunday roasts and I came across The Culpeper in Shoreditch when I was reading an article about the best Sunday lunches in London so it got added to “the list” pretty quickly.
The atmosphere in the pub is lovely and relaxed, we booked in advance and were given a lovely table by the window. As expected, the pub was really busy and I loved the plants dotted about with the large open windows that let lots of light in. I also loved the filament bulb lighting and the exposed brickwork walls. My seat was looking towards the bar which I thought was quite cool; an old American style with metal hardware detailing which was the centrepiece of the room without overpowering.
The Culpeper – What We Ordered
We were quickly served some tap water while we looked at the menu and chose a bottle of wine although we had to pour this ourselves when it arrived. After ordering, delicious homemade bread was served with a homemade anchovy butter and although the butter wasn’t to my taste (I don’t eat fish) it was apparently very tasty with a strong flavour without being overpowering but I can completely vouch for the bread. I wished I’d asked for some plain butter because the bread was absolutely delicious!
The menu changes regularly so it might not always be the same every Sunday. For mains I chose the Herb Fed Chicken with roast potatoes and bread sauce and my friend ordered the Bavette steak with Pomme Anna chips and a horseradish cream. All roast dinners at The Culpeper are served with a giant Yorkshire pudding, balsamic and honey roasted onion, a single glazed carrot, greens and a jug of gravy. I get a bit nervous when I see “greens” written down on a menu because you never quite know what you’re going to be served but in this case it was cabbage which I happen to like.
The portion sizes were extremely generous; I had loads of meat on my plate which was served on the bone and practically a mountain of roast potatoes which I couldn’t finish. I thought the meat was very well cooked but the gravy let the dish down a little as it was quite thin and lacked the meaty flavours I was hoping for and I was a bit miffed that there was only one carrot – who doesn’t love carrots?! The Bavette steak was cooked well and the Pomme Anna was crispy on the outside but soft on the inside although I thought that it tasted a fraction oily.
Throughout the whole meal the service was good, attentive and prompt without being overbearing. We enjoyed our main but were too full to move onto dessert so I guess I’ll have to go back to The Culpeper another time – maybe in summer to check out the roof terrace!
The Culpeper – 4/5
A solid Sunday roast, good food, done fairly well.
Food – 4/5
Service – 4/5
Decor / Ambience – 5/5
The total cost for two people was £77.63 including service and drinks.
Have you visited The Culpeper before? Feeling Inspired? Check out my London Restaurant Hit List!
The Culpeper, Shoreditch
40 Commercial St
Spitalfields
London
E1 6LP
