Last Updated on September 6, 2024

Memorable pub dining in Mayfair

The Punch Bowl is a characterful Georgian pub in one of Mayfair’s back streets. It made celebrity headlines in 2008 when Madonna and Guy Ritchie bought it, but it’s now part of the Butcombe stable of pubs and inns (others in London include The Admiral Codrington, Chelsea and The Brown Cow in Fulham).

The pub opened recently after a major refurbishment and we went along to try out their new menu of British pub classics and modern European dishes given a fine-dining makeover.

Downstairs the Punch Bowl houses a very traditional pub, full of atmospheric dark-wood panelling and hidden crannies.

We lunched upstairs in Judy’s on One, which by contrast is flooded with light from the large sash windows. There’s lots of smart new padded upholstery to settle into over a long meal. We forgot to ask who Judy is. 

My companion kicked off with a Kir Royale and promptly declared it lovely and not sweet at all, with a subtle hint of blackcurrant coming from the cassis and zestiness from the curl of lemon peel. I also enjoyed a very well-made Aperol Spritz.

For her starter, my friend opted for the heritage tomatoes with vegan burrata and pangritata. She loved the fact that the tomatoes had been slightly warmed, bringing them to full ripeness. The vegan cheese was also surprisingly “believable” and the crunch of the pangratita crumbs added another level of interest alongside the basil oil and green herbs. 

I was disappointed when I heard the kitchen had run out of my first choice of starter – the chalk stream trout with creme fraiche and caviar. This turned out to be a lucky break as otherwise I never would have tried the Punch Bowl’s take on devilled kidneys. This was essentially kidneys on toast elevated to a delicious new height – perfectly tender meat and a piquant creamy sauce soaking into the sourdough.

I’d been trying to avoid a double meat meal with my failed attempt at a fish starter. However, there was no way I wasn’t going to order one of the Punch Bowl’s pies. Their ox cheek and bone marrow was quite the best pie I’ve had in a London pub or restaurant (and I have had lots) – excellent, very savoury pastry, juicy meat and a jug of dark meaty gravy to douse everything with. 

Pies require mash and veg for the full experience and this is exactly what we ordered to share from the extensive sides menu. The smooth buttered mash and seasonal greens – leeks and kale – made for great accompaniments to both our mains.

My companion picked her main dish – the Barnsley lamb – from the separate grills menu brought to the table on a blackboard. She enjoyed the juicy lamb served with garlic and green herb butter, but felt this was something she could cook at home after a visit to a good butcher’s. This dish simply couldn’t compete with her starter or, later, her pudding for the wow factor.

Our helpful waiter was gently insistent that one of us, at least, try the Punch Bowl’s signature pudding: the Tiramichoux bun with Valrhona chocolate. My companion volunteered and so I found myself in a state of envious awe across the table as a jug of dark chocolate sauce was poured over a great big choux bun filled with whipped mascarpone. To be fair, I was allowed a few mouthfuls and we both agreed that the Tiramichoux bun is a divine invention.

Meanwhile, I was also indulging in a perfectly good Knickerbocker Glory, a tall glass of cream, ice cream and very ripe strawberries. 

In its newest iteration, the Punch Bowl has got off to a great start. British pie aficionados in particular should dash there now. I’m left wondering how good the other pub classics on their menu could be – the fish and chips, for example, or the Sunday roast. Don’t go expecting Wetherspoon’s or suburban pub prices though, this pub is in Mayfair after all. A memorable meal.

The Punch Bowl
41 Farm Street,
Mayfair,
London
W1J 5RP