Ed Perrow and Neil Taylor have done it again. When these two went into business together and opened Espana in the West End a few years ago, serving up authentic Spanish tapas and sherries, they struck gold and the line-ups haven’t let up since. Now, with the opening of their second venture, The Fat Badger, it looks like the gold rush is going strong.
Located in the former Le Gavroche space, the heritage house has been redone to banish any trace of fine dining. In its place are green leather banquettes, dark wood and polished floors, and a soundtrack that sways from British Top 40 to old-school crooners like Nina Simone. Smart, casual, and unpretentious, it’s all smiles and cheerful conversation inside. In short, a proper British pub.
Taylor and Perrow are both native to the British Isles, so this isn’t a culinary stretch for either. The menu changes daily and is chock-a-block full of English favourites like blood pudding, bangers and mash and colcannon. Bar snacks and starters range from $5-$12, while mains hover around $16-$24.
The bangers are made in-house (in fact, everything is) and are rich, coarse, and earthy. The gravy isn’t my favourite. Laced with a red wine reduction, it makes for a slightly sweet sauce for the whipped potatoes. Gargantuan deep-fried zucchini blossoms (with stems attached) are excellent, stuffed with a rotating list of ingredients; one day it’s ricotta, another it’s corn and mushrooms, or black pudding and colcannon.
Taylor is a talented chef who understands the value of simplicity. The food is presented in inventive ways, but there’s no attempt to be fuss things up. A trio of mini Yorkshire puddings are stuffed with succulent roast beef, gravy, and a horseradish crème fraîche that gives enough zing to counteract the buttery richness of the dish. Butter is obviously in liberal use. The pastry of our chicken pot pie is practically melting with it, but it’s perfectly flaky. The whipped potatoes are bursting with it, and I don’t mind a wit. As for the poutine, it’s an Indian-influenced blend of chicken tikka masala and paneer. It’s delicious. Blood pudding is ridiculously good and highly addictive.
And, speaking of puddings, you won’t want to miss the rotating list of sweet endings. Classics like raspberry ripple ice cream and sticky toffee pudding are mainstays, but a banoffee pie one night is a special treat. If you’ve never had this, my sincerest condolences. Pastry, cream, bananas, chocolate – need I say more? One can only hope it will become a permanent fixture.
As for the pints, these are all from the British Isles as well. Wines aren’t plentiful, but the selection is good, and the cocktails are solid. Perrow leads an excellent front-of-house team and service is better than at some fine-dining establishments. Cheers to the new Brits on the block.
All ratings out of five stars.
Food: ★★★★
Service: ★★★★
Ambiance: ★★★
Overall: ★★★★
