The Palmerston, London

The Palmerston, formerly known until 2 years ago as the Lord Palmerston is a gastro pub on Lordship Lane,East Dulwich. When I first moved into this area The Lord P was a grotty old man pub where the most gastronomic thing on offer was pork scratchings most likely past their sell by date. Anyway that all changed when it was bought up and turned into a fantastic local eaterie. The chef Jamie Younger was formerly at Bibendum and the Woolsely and it shows in the quality of the food.

I've had the pleasure of eating at The Palmerston four times now and have enjoyed each time for a different reason. The first time I went was I think in September of 2004 and me and my other half just popped in for sunday lunch on the off chance. I wouldnt do that again as it was totally packed but a very kind front of house manager went and fetched us a tiny two person table and a couple of chairs from the restaurant and set us up in a little space in the pub side, which was really nice of him I thought.

I then had my 26th birthday sunday lunch there in November 2004 where 7 of us enjoyed a traditional roast and were very impressed.

I ate there again the day after I came back from holiday in April 2005 and wanted to prolong the holiday buzz with a nice lunch, again it ticked all the boxes. We had a nice sunny table in the window for two ordered mediterranian themed food and wistfully thought of the fact we'd been in Turkey a few hours before hand..

The last time I was there in August 2005 I took friends with a toddler in for a quiet lunch and found the Palmerston accomodating and friendly towards children. The waitress was happy to bring a smaller portion for him and generally made understanding noises when he demolished the prettty food ate about three bites and then wanted to get down!

The way that the Palmerston is decorated is very old school british. It has oak panelled walls and tiled floors. The main pub area is quite light as it has glass windows around the whole room, the restaurant is a little darker as the windows only go around half of it. There is always quite a mix of people in this restaurant from the normal east dulwich dining crew, young families, couples, groups of friends and older patrons coming in for a pint and to read the paper so its a great mix and pretty buzzy.
They do put a few tables and chairs outside when its nice so this is an option too.

The Food

Things that I can actually speak for having tried them are the roast dinners where the meats are always really perfect, the beef will be done slightly bloody, the yorkshires perfectly crisp and fab roast potatoes.

Their fish cakes are also to die for really plump and filling with top quality fish and herbs served with home made tartae sauce.

I've also enjoyed one of their top class salads featuring goats cheese, oven baked red peppers and pine nuts which I enjoyed very much.

I remember the first time we went my other half had a delicious mini pizza with salami and olives which he said made a perfect starter.

To give you more of an idea here is the menu they currently serve -( Taken from their website)

Menu

Smoked haddock and sweetcorn chowder £5.25
Wood pigeon and pheasant terrine with onion confit £6.00
Butternut squash, spinach and ricotta rittolo with sage, pine nuts and parmesan £6.25
Mussels in Thai broth £6.50
Ballotine of foie gras with onions Monegasque £8.00
Herb crusted tuna with an oriental salad; soy and sesame dressing £6.25
Italian sausage with Castelluccio lentils with garlic vinaigrette and poached egg £6.25
Home cured pickled herrings with warm potato salad and creme fraiche £5.75

Escargot de Bourgogne £7.50 for 6 £15.00 for 12

Grilled Aberdeen Angus rib eye steak with wholegrain mustard, green peppercorn and tarragon butter £12.75
Braised pork cheeks with chorizo, white beans and sage £13.25
Roast rump of lamb with grilled aubergine and pesto £13.25 Grilled calves kidney with olive oil mashed potato; bay leaf sauce £11.50
Organic wild mushroom omlette £10.50
Fillet of wild seabass with grilled vegetable relish, aioli and basil £14.25
Fillet of wild halibut with Jerusalem artichoke puree, white wine, pancetta and thyme £14.75
Salmis of pheasant with green olives, rosemary and sprout tops £13.75

Grilled Coté de boeuf with braised shallots and red wine sauce £32.00 (For two)

Chips £2.00, Brussel sprouts £3.00, Chicory salad with mustard dressing £3.00,
Green salad £2.75, New potatoes £3.00

Nougat parfait with blackberry sauce £4.75
Homemade ice cream or sorbet £3.75
Fig and almond tart £4.75
Baked pear with Madeira and cinnamon; mascarpone cream £5.00
Chocolate pithivier with clotted cream (10 minutes) £5.50
Selection of cheese and biscuits with fig chutney £6.00

Espresso £1.50, Double Espresso £2.00, Cappuccino £2.00,
Infusion £1.80, Hot Chocolate £2.00

When I've eaten there the cost has tended to be around the £30 a head mark for three courses and wine which isnt too bad, they do a set menu at lunchtimes which I belive is around £15 for two courses, we had that for the back from holiday jolly lunch (when the coffers were low!)
You get as standard thickly cut bread and a pat of butter brought to your table which is always nice and crunchy.

I've been impressed with the Palmerston for its inclusive feel, its food and it being a very welcome addition to the Lordship Lane area, by its status of being packed most of the time I think the cooking and popularity speak for themselves.

Directions/Address (taken from their website)

91 Lordship Lane,
East Dulwich,
London SE22 8EP.

Traveling from Central London

10 minutes on the train from London Bridge.
No 185 bus from Victoria.
No 176 bus from Oxford Street.