The Drapers Arms

It’s very difficult not to like this handsome pub, which is both spiritually and physically well removed from the tawdry delights of Islington’s Upper Street. It’s already had one spell of success as a gastro-destination, then it went downhill, and ultimately into liquidation. [read more]

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Dos Hermanos visited The Draper’s Arms in London’s top borough, Islington, a couple of years ago and had an ok meal, I was very happy then when I heard that after being closed for a while its doors were open again. The new owner is Ben Maschler (yes relation) with a kitchen headed up by Karl Goward ex-St John, so you could have a fair stab at guessing what the menu would be like. It didn’t really surprise on that front. Looking like an amalgam of Hereford Road and Great Queen Street, the menu felt a couple of choices short but as these are early days for the place it’s probably a sensible idea. I would expect, though, given the simplicity of the dishes – most of the starters are composed or pre-prepped – that the execution should be spot on. Expecting and getting though are two different things. A poor pint of Harvey’s – not off, but flat as a pancake - and priced at a greedy £3.50 wasn’t a good start. Bread provided exercise for my jaw but nothing more. Potted Pork with Pickled Prunes, in more apt hands, could have been very good, but from this kitchen was dull, mediocre. It was served too cold and the flavour wasn’t nearly porky enough. A dish like this should have you going wow with each bite and looking forward to the next forkful. Here, I just felt distracted, even a little sleepy. I’m not sure I like the sound of pickled Prunes anyway, but I’m sure there’s good examples around. This version wasn’t it. They had a vicious kick of vinegar that just scraped the back of the throat instead of nicely cutting the fattiness of the pork. My main course exhibited a similar slapdash approach as the starter. Ox Tongue was cooked ok but was a microscopically thin piece for eleven quid. Fried Potatoes was actually a potato that had been boiled with its skin on, sliced, then introduced to the frying pan for the briefest amount of time. Equally nasty and pointless, it was very poor treatment for the humble spud. The Piccalilli, which appeared to be comprised mostly of cauliflower, had the same gullet-rasping quality as the Prunes pointing to a lack of maturation and attention to detail. A little eaves-dropping whilst I waited for my pud meant I located the owners who seemed more concerned with gabbing about their plans than with dealing with the small matter of the service going on about them. I’d like to think this didn’t indicate an enterprise that is all about the moolah and zip about the food. But I can’t. Unusually, for such a disappointing meal, I persevered with a pud. Lemon Posset would have been so much better without a layer of cream on top which neutered the taste and gave me indigestion. The Shortbread was good but smothered in too much sugar. So there I was after a run of bad meals, getting my shit together and now my head just hurts again. At least they weren’t doing fat chips otherwise they would have had an exploding noggin on their hands.

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I rather fancied a drink after a particularly awful day at work and recalled a recent post by Dos Hermanos, where they raved about a new cocktail bar near Angel called 69 Colebrooke Row. After a suitably decadent cocktail (Blush - Rose Infused Wybrowa Vodka with Rhubarb Syrup, Perrier-Jouet and a Grapefruit Twist), we went for a wander up Upper Street and then off the beaten track to find The Drapers Arms, recently reviewed by Giles Coren. Amazingly, I managed to find it based on my memory that the street started with B and it was equal distance from Angel and Highbury & Islington tube stations.

The Drapers Arms is pretty classic gastropub fare and was a world away from 69 Colebrooke Row - from fancy stools and cocktails to mismatched chairs and real ale on tap. The daily menu was a typed one pager containing a selection of 'solid' dishes, nothing too fancy, good sound English fare. The wine list, however, was actually quite good and included three types of sparkling wine by the glass - to be commended, in my opinion.

We chose a table in the corner and were surprised to be offered table service. After placing our order, we were given some complimentary bread and butter, including one of the best sourdoughs I have tasted in such a long time. There was a real yeasty sourness to it that meant I ate far more than was strictly necessary. The butter, unfortunately, was unsalted. What is the point?

After gorging myself on bread, I moved onto the razor clams and a glass of prosecco, while Kyle opted for a pint of Spitfire and the devilled kidneys on toast. I've never had razor clams before so I can't comment on the relative qualities of this example, but for me, they were delicious. They were more remiscent of squid than, say, scalllops, with a pleasingly chewy texture. The accompanying red onion pickle was surprisingly good for someone who doesn't like uncooked onion. It had a softness and flavour that must have involved some lengthy soaking. The dish was fresh and summery and I really enjoyed it.

Kyle's starter was as far from fresh and summery as you can imagine (and to be fair, the weather was hardly fresh and summery!). The kidneys looked like little sausages on the toast, but carried an amazing depth of flavour from plenty of worcestershire sauce and mustard. They were served on more of that excellent sourdough, soaked through with the sauce. Very traditional, very good.

After our wonderful salt beef experiences in New York, Kyle found it difficult to go past the salt brisket served with mash, carrots and green sauce. The meat was soft and succulent and the very herby sauce cut through the fattiness of the meat.

I ordered the guinea fowl with bacon and mushrooms for main. What's that you say? That's not guinea fowl? No, that's what I thought too. This was most defintely lamb leg, which I had not ordered. I finally re-located our waiter, who agreed I had ordered the guinea fowl, took the lamb away and then came back to say apparently they're out of guinea fowl, don't know why they gave you the lamb. Slightly odd to be out of something and just choose the replacement yourself. In the interests of time, I chose to take the lamb back and the waiter agreed not to charge us for it. All well and good, but unfortunately the lamb was the least successful dish of the night. It was okay, but it was pretty boring and the lamb managed to have both excessively fatty sections and dry sections. I would never normally order something like as it would be too easy to cook myself and this proved why. Shame.

Still, it didn't put me off trying the chocolate cake with cherries for dessert. I wasn't quite expecting it to be literally served with cherries, but as cherries are so good at the moment, it was actually really lovely with the rich dense chocolate cake and clotted cream. The chocolate cake definitely made up for the disappointment of the lamb.

The Drapers Arms was a really lovely gastropub, with generally well-executed British food based on simple, seasonal ingredients and a good range of ales and wines. The atmosphere was lovely and the service was good (apart from the issue with my main, but I guess they compensated as much as they could). I would return to The Drapers Arms, but would definitely choose the more unusual dishes from the menu.

Food: 7.5/10 (But would no doubt be an 8 with the right dish)
Drinks: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

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I think some of these reviews are a bit harsh. I've eaten at the Drapers in the last couple of weeks and it was good. The staff were nice and if you're looking for waiting staff who aren't Eastern European then you're probably in the wrong city. But they were very friendly, attentive, and good with the two kids I had with me. I was there on a Saturday afternoon and it was good. I would say, though, that i ought not rest on its laurels. It was certainly better when it first re-opened in that the menu was more extensive, but I wouldn't say the quality of what is still on offer has deteriorated. It's not as popular as it was when it first re-opened and I sense that's because the menu has noticeably shrunk in the last five years.

This place was shocking. Went for Sunday lunch - the staff seem to have returned to being rude and nonchalant. The menu was not their normal menu (we weren't told why) and resembled something more at home in a Happy Eater. The decor is tired, the staff are rude and the menu is uninspiring. We left to go to the Albion instead. I would not go here again.

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