The Porchester

5 Reviews on “The Porchester”

• Kuber

  Lovely quaint place to grab a drink and a good meal in the evenings!! I loved the interiors and the food was very delicious! Been there long ago but will visit soon!

  December 25, 2016, 11:16 am

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• Ernesto

  Gostei do bar e mesmo tpico de pequena localidade com colaboradores simpaticssima boa oferta de cervejas o preo dentro do que existe do gnero em Londres

  March 13, 2016, 4:57 am

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• Agirlhastoeat

  The Porchester is a gastropub located in the heart of Bayswater. Part of the Youngs Pub Group, it is a colourful local completed in warm autumnal colours. The interior skillfully strikes a balance between a modern and a traditional English pub. Similarly this concept carries through to the menu which is traditionally British but cooked with a modern flair.To begin, we couldnt resist ordering a few items from the bar snacks. The chicken wings (4) fell off the bone and were slightly charred which gave them a lovely caramelisation. Cooked with chilli, they also offered up a light kick of spiciness. A ranch dressing was a nice accompaniment to these subtle yet spicy wings as it provided a deliciously cool and tangy contrast.The chorizo and black pudding scotch eggs (3.50) was the standout from the bar snacks. The black pudding and chorizo paste struck a great balance in the scotch egg as it was soft and subtle without undermining the delicate flavour of the runny egg. The textural contrast between the soft gooey interior of the egg against the crunchy crumb coating made it even more scrumptious.Spinach and artichoke dip with crisp bread (4.50) was equally as delicious. The dip was surprisingly served hot. It was thick, creamy and flavoursome and paired well with the crunchy sesame crisp bread. It was so tasty we caught ourselves wanting to scrape every last bit from the bottom of the dipping bowl!Pork belly lollipops with apple sauce (4.50) were our least favourite and fell down on its execution. The pork belly was under seasoned, chewy and lacked the crispy crackling that I was expecting.The beef cheek croquettes with London stout gravy (6.50) from the small plates menu were very flavoursome. The croquettes were filled with a mixture of beef cheeks and vegetables and were coated with a beautiful crunchy crumb coating. These were really good soaked in the rich and tasty London stout gravy. Yum!Pan fried scallops with black pudding and pea puree (9.50) was tasty but simple. The scallops were plump, tasty and cooked just right. The blood pudding lifted the scallops but the pea puree was slightly undercooked and quite cold to taste.From the mains, the twice-cooked pork belly with seasonal greens, black pudding and Kentish apple sauce (13.50) was perfectly executed. Underneath the delicious crackling was some gorgeously fatty and tender meat which was delicious. As for the crackling, it delivered on that emphatic and resounding crack all the way into my jaw line. It was wonderful to taste and perfectly seasoned. Equally, the sides of cabbage and mash paired very nicely with the gravy and apple sauce. This dish could not be faulted and was incredible value at 13.50.The Porchester burger (13.00) was a multi-dimensional burger consisting of a British beef patty topped with a peanut butter fritter (yes this was deep fried!!), American cheese, ale onions, beer-candied bacon and pickles served with a side of skinny fries.The novelty of the peanut butter fritter wore off pretty quickly however. It didnt really work with the burger and this ended up on the far corner of my plate. But the combination of the other ingredients made for a very delicious and hearty burger. This was the first time I had tried beer-candied bacon and hopefully it wont be the last. Imagine deliciously fatty strips of bacon candied with toffee and with the texture of beef jerky. Oh and dont forget the beer. Together all of these elements = lots of love. (P.s. you can also get a whole serving of beer-candied bacon on its own.)Moving onto desserts, and the sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel ice cream (6.00) was fabulous. The pudding was deliciously moist, especially with the combination of toffee sauce and salted caramel ice cream. This will warm you from the belly up, just perfect for the coming winter months.The apple and blackberry crumble (6.00) with vanilla custard was equally as delicious and comforting. However, I would have liked to have seen more blackberries throughout the dish.Overall, The Porchester experience was a really enjoyable one. The British menu was tasty, modern and creative, and the service was friendly, attentive and inviting. If you are after a really good gastropub serving British cooking with a modern twist at extremely reasonable prices, then I would highly recommend The Porchester.Note: Guest post by FoodpornnationSummary Information:Food rating: 3.75/5Service rating: 3.5/5Prices:20-30 entre and main excluding drinks and service.12.50-13.50 sharing boards.3.50-4.50 bar snacks. agirlhastoeat.com

  May 5, 2015, 3:38 pm

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• Feeding Franklin

  On entering The Porchester in Bayswater, youre mostly struck by the aroma its like when you turn up at your mums on a Sunday; starving, hungover and itching for something warm and nourishing to sort you out, and the smell of a roast, or some gravy or fresh bread makes everything ok. So a good start for a cold, rainy Tuesday evening in West London.Another of the newly made-over Youngs portfolio, The Porchester is situated on Bishops Bridge Road, between Royal Oak and Bayswater tubes, and is a fairly hefty site. It wasnt overly busy on this occasion, but there was still a homely atmosphere, and as you may have gathered, some lovely cooking aromas.We started off with the scallops, which are served with black pudding and pea puree a no-brainer combination, but if it aint broke and all that. They were completely gorgeous, tender with a bit of texture on the outside, presumably from being fried in butter. The pea puree was perfect, with some pea bits still present, and the black pudding was soft and flavoursome.Crab with pork crackling was good, its a paste rather than chunks of crab and the brown meat gave it lots of good strong flavour that went well with the salty meatiness of the crackling. It didnt quite have the skull-jarring initial crunch that I love about good crackling, and there was too much crab and not enough to dip in it best to order some bread on the side.Pork belly (I seem to have a preoccupation with pork at the moment) with mash, apple sauce, greens and (more) black pudding was simple but very effective spot-on comfort food with very creamy mash that I certainly couldve eaten more of, and delicious meaty gravy. It was like a thick, rich pork soup heaven.The shepherds pie was the hero here though, with its chunks of lamb in minty gravy, and more of the lovely mash and a smidge of cheese. We ignored the bit of cabbage on the side and devoured the rest with unseemly speed. A moist, date-y sticky toffee pudding was the ideal round-off. feedingfranklin.co.uk

  April 21, 2015, 10:21 pm

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• Priscilla @FoodPornNation.com

  Think of this as high end pub grub at a great price tag.The food is fantastic, service is warm and friendly. It is a great gastro pub serving up British food with a modern twist.They do a killer black pudding, chorizo scotch eggs and the twice cooked crispy pork belly was absolutely sensational and for 13.50!!I highly recommend it.Check out my full review on my blog foodpornnation.com

  April 3, 2015, 9:43 pm

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