The Signal

1 Reviews on “The Signal”

• KS_Ate_Here

  If you haven’t gather by now, I live in a quiet little part of London located in the South East which is, as I’ve discovered, quite the community as a whole. Places like Dulwich, Peckham and Forest Hill are a real hub of activity and just a stone’s throw away from the City in the grand scheme of London. Slowly, the inevitable movement of generation X and Y has taken hold of the area and along with their families, have brought with them their palate for trendy cafes and pubs. One such area that has seen their High St morph to reflect this is Forest Hill and to great effect where within a concentrated block, there are a number of quality places to wine and dine. I can happily say that the newly renovated The Signal can be safely added to this list. Taking over what was previously The Hob, The Signal is a modern day gastropub where the emphasis is as much on the food as it is as the drink. Dishes are created to be simple but delicious by respecting ingredients and being thoughtful of preparation and source.Even the bread has a story; sourced from artisan bakers who use traditional wood-fired ovens which has the effect of infusing it with a subtle smoky undertone. But you don’t come for the bread…The Signal is so much more. Invited down to try the menu, the night kicked off with starters of cockles, white wine & sourdough and a smoked salmon, creme friache & lemon dish which was absolutely beautiful. Flaked, seasoned then mixed with a combination of pickles, capers and creme friache, the salmon was moreish and really something quite special. Get it. But moving onto the mains, that’s when things got serious as The Signal’s signature dish of Suffolk farm rotisserie chicken reached the table; and it didn’t disappoint. Slow-cooked over an open charcoal grill, the meat was impossibly tender and moist with even the tricky breast retaining a healthy amount of natural juices. If this is what The Signal want to be known for, then they’ve been wise putting all their eggs in one…well, chicken. You do have to pay extra for house sauces though where you have a selection of green sauce, garlic mayo and English chargrilled sauce; my personal recommendation would be the garlic mayo but all were fine and worth the 1-1.50 investment each. Also on the menu, we tried the house cheeseburger; a 35 day dry-aged Coggleshall beef burger with ogleshield cheese and accompanying salad on a potato bun. With meat sourced from the renown The Rare Breed Company, I was expecting big things and on aggregate, I’d say I wasn’t disappointed with the result. The burger was cooked medium by default and had a decent depth of flavour which was important because the sandwich as a whole had a lot of flavours going on from the sharp ogleshield, pickles and mayonnaise. Within the Forest Hill area, I’d easily consider this one of the best and I’ve had my fair share of burgers in the area. Moving on to puddings, the selection here changes regularly and you need to inquire as to what it is. If the apple crumble with custard we had is indicative of the quality of the puddings however, I can assure you it is worth the additional little effort because you’d want to at least know what deliciousness you’re missing out on. So in summary, The Signal is a win and a great addition to Forest Hill’s ever growing culinary scene. With delicious, honest food pair with a top selection of beer and wines, I’m confident the guys will thrive in the area. Also follow me on Twitter @annixontong and @wetrykai and on Instagram @annixontong. wetrykai.wordpress.com

  March 2, 2016, 10:07 pm

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