Years ago I went with friends from Canada who were very impressed by the look of The Horniman on South Bank (by Hays Galleria). I wasn’t keen but they were seduced by the lovely looking pub by the river. I ordered something small that time, maybe a cup of tea, and warned them against pub fish and chips. Still stubborn, they ordered them. And they looked pretty good! I was shocked to silence, but relieved they seemed like the real deal.
I’ve been exploring Southwark a little since my guy is spending inordinate amounts of time at Guys Derm Centre. On this day we planned a walk from Hays Galleria over to Tower Bridge - it had been years since we’d been there. And we were really hungry. South Bank is notoriously bad for any kind of food. Tourists lap it all up and there was The Horniman.
Still a gorgeous pub. We sat by the window. My seat was so wobbly I feared for myself. My guy offered to swap. He’s steadier than I am. I persuaded him that we would only share a fish and chips ‘just in case.’
I’m glad we decided that. It took an age to reach us, even though it was quiet. It arrived looking dubious, it tasted even more so. The fish had a hard oily batter, there might have been a dozen chips lurking beneath, and the mushy peas were blander than a bland thing. The tartare sauce was OK! We were hungry, ate it and scarpered.
Please don’t bother with this place no matter how pretty it looks.
