Back to the old stomping ground

The Fox and Hounds, 66 Latchmere Road, SW11 2JU
Meal for two with beers: £38

When Mr Fork and I moved to London, we started off in Battersea, and spent several happy years familiarising ourselves with the area's culinary offerings: the enduring brilliance of Pizza Metro Pizza, along with a couple of great pubs and a few  fairly generic places serving crumpets and slightly overpriced salads, in family-friendly surroundings. All too predictably - such is our luck, since we moved north and east, several reportedly great places have opened, such as the Draft House and Mien Tay. Returning to Battersea for the first time in a while, I was, therefore, hoping to try one of these relatively new places. Instead we found ourselves back in a favourite old haunt: the Fox and Hounds on Latchmere Road.

Full disclosure: I may have wanted it to be bad. I was already in a foul mood at the prospect of going out into the cold and heading south, which was exacerbated by a fatal puncture that forced us to abandon the bikes and head onto the Northern Line at Moorgate. Out of pure spite, part of me was hoping the pub would have gone downhill; which would enable me to could make smug comments about all the good pubs we could have gone to north of the river. Much to my initial horror but eventual satisfaction: this was not to be. The Fox and Hounds remains a fine place to while away a Bank Holiday afternoon.

First up, there were two guest ales on tap: Gull Rock and Proper Job. Both made a pleasant change from the usual offerings. Disappointingly for the non-ale drinkers (more fool them), the wine was apparently a bit stale.

The menu offers Mediterranean cooking rather than traditional pub grub. Dishes such as the pasta with sausage ragu seem to have become permanent fixtures, and for good reason. Mr F opted for this and was happy. A well-practised hand turns out a herby, meaty sauce which is consistently delicious, if a little unadventurous. More daring was the rabbit with porcini served with creamy polenta. The polenta was excellent: perfectly seasoned and stodgy-sloppy, I could have eaten a whole pot. The rabbit that it accompanied was less sensational: tasty but a little dry with the wonderfully earthy flavour of the mushrooms somewhat absent. Friends' dishes of fishcakes, steak and cod were all judged to be good. 

The atmosphere in the Fox and Hounds is also part of its charm. Often busy (we would not have been able to eat if we had not booked a table), it has the feel of a proper friendly local - which indeed it was for us for many years. 

Despite my initial evil thoughts, returning to our old neighbourhood to meet old friends was always going to be fun. What was more surprising was that it was made all the more pleasurable by the fact that at least one old friend is as good as ever it was. If only we could say the same for ourselves.