Sloans

The 2012 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the current (2012) edition.

Sloan’s is enjoying something of a renaissance at the moment, cleverly positioning itself between homely traditional pub and something a wee bit funkier for when the shoppers go home and the evening arrives. They do cracking pints of Heineken and Sagres, and there’s a cosmopolitan outdoor section of tables and benches that far exceeds being ‘the smoking area’. The menu has some interesting and well-prepared offerings like a Spanish tortilla, which is remarkably light for its ominous thickness and works really well with the intensity of the accompanying chorizo. Or lamb koftas, served in a tomato broth with the inimitable, dry heat of harissa. Welsh rarebit is having a bit of a comeback these days too, and here there’s a satisfactory depth to the topping that elevates it above mere toasted cheese. It’s nice to have something a bit more unusual in the land of pies and burgers.

• High point: Location location location
• Low point: Not the fastest of kitchens