The Florence is an urban country pub in the heart of Herne Hill, a south London neighbourhood loved by many (including me) for its village feel, independent shops, Sunday market and beautiful Brockwell Park.
When I received the invite to review the restaurant I jumped at the chance to try their Sunday Roast and spend a Sunday afternoon in this part of London.
The child-friendly and dog-friendly space is a favourite in the Herne Hill community and today it looks better than ever following an extensive refurbishment.
The pub re-opened at the end of November with a new menu, stripped back look with wooden floors, a lovely garden space, plenty of seating in the front and back rooms.
The Florence is a great spot to taste real ale and some of the best bottled and draught beers from all over the country. They also serve their own beer produced in their own microbrewery.
The Florence serves modern British pub food using only freshly cooked, seasonal produce. Then menu focuses on tapas-style dishes and classic comfort food, as well as brunch at weekends and of course a Sunday Lunch feasting menu.
Unsurprisingly the pub is very popular for Sunday Roast so advance booking is definitely recommended. I visited the restaurant on a Sunday in January with my husband and brother, we arrived around 13:30 and the pub was packed. It had a nice atmosphere, the crowd clearly a sign of a well-loved local pub. The service was great despite the peak time, and our waitress recommended us great dishes and a lovely wine to pair them with.
The small plates menu at The Florence is indeed very good. I tried the Duck Hearts with Lardo and N’Duja after being recommended them by a friend and I have to say they were delicious. Not something I would normally order, but certainly worth trying. My husband ordered a vegetarian starter, the Romanesco cauliflower with pickled raisins, yoghurt and dukkah.
We shared two starters among three people, as I knew the big roast was coming. I went for a classic roast beef with all the trimmings: roast potatoes, vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and gravy.
I was served a generous portion of meat, very tasty and well cooked. The potatoes were too much on the crunchy side for me, but overall it was a very good roast, just a little bit short of being perfect.
My husband and my brother ordered the vegetarian roast, and said it was very good. They ordered extra gravy for the Yorkshire pudding, which would have been too dry otherwise.
For dessert we shared the Dark chocolate mousse with lime curd and praline crunch. This isn’t a traditional mousse, rather more like a dense chocolate tart without the crust (if that makes sense?). It was rich and decadent and tasty.
I ordered the Sticky Toffee Pudding with vanilla ice cream, because Sunday Roast calls for a traditional British pudding. Am I right? :) I can never say no to a warm sticky toffee pudding with ice cream, it’s so damn tasty!
We had a lovely time at The Florence and I would love this pub to be my local (and to be fair, I would happily move to Herne Hill now). It’s such a nice part of London, close to Brixton and Dulwich, so if you’ve never been you should definitely pay a visit. Brockwell Park is just across the street from The Florence, so it’s perfect for a nice walk after a big Sunday lunch.
Disclaimer: I was a guest of the restaurant. All opinions are my own.
Oh this looks heavenly! x