The Travellers Friend — Restaurant in London

The Travellers friend is a pub at the front and a modern restaurant at the rear with a nice beer garden running down one side.

The restaurant is well decorated with stylish modern furniture and expensive crockery, cutlery and amazing crystal glass, with the added benefit of being able to see the talented kitchen staff plying their trade.

The menu is fairly small with two specials on the board but what it lacks in depth it certainly makes upnfor in quality.

The steaks are on the expensive side being a shade cheaper than Hawkesmoor or Goodman but only because they come with sides and sauce.

The fish special of Hake was beautifully cooked, white flake and packed full of flavour. The crushed new potatos had just the right amount of herbs and sauce to perfectly compliment the fish.

We also had a single side of seasonal veg that was all perfectly cooked and with carrots, tenderstem broccoli and diced cabbage made for enough for two and we both left full and pleasantly surprised by the first class quality food that you won't normally find being served in a public house.

We were greeted by one of the founders and invited to try the Sunday roast, something we will definitely be doing on the strength of our visit today.

Well...

Well well well... what can be said about The Travellers Friend. Having often driven past the establishment, which is within walking distance from my home, we finally had an occasion to bring friends to the pub on a sunny Sunday afternoon and it's safe to say we were all blown away. A table of 9 is no small task, but the staff were incredibly attentive, nothing was too much to ask and we all felt completely comfortable to ask for anything we required. The food (or the Roast Dinners at least) is phenomenal - each of us had a different item from the menu and the meats were expertly cooked, plenty of vegetables/potatoes per plate and the sides were to die for - a choice of pigs in blankets, cauliflower cheese etc (all the good stuff) and massive yorkshire puddings - top drawer. Drinks selection is good, wine list covers all bases and the atmosphere is second to none. Without a doubt, the best Sunday Roast in the area local to Wanstead, South Woodford, Woodford etc. that I've experienced and I intend to bring as many friends and family here as possible! A true hidden gem to...

I’ve visited this pub a couple of times before when it was under different management and had good experiences, so I came back expecting the same quality. Unfortunately, this visit was really disappointing.

I ordered the fried chicken burger (£13), which arrived with a burnt bun, no lettuce, just one slice of tomato, and an overfried piece of chicken. The chips were charged separately at £5 for a very small portion, which didn’t feel like good value. I asked for the burger to be fixed, but all they did was change the bun, which didn’t really resolve the overall poor quality of the meal. (The picture I’ve shared is when I received a new bun).

To be fair, the staff were friendly and polite, and I can’t fault the service side of things. However, the standard of the food this time was shockingly poor compared to my previous visits. I hope this was just an off day, but it’s definitely made me hesitate about returning. I’d be embarrassed to serve this burger to...