The Silver Cup
Harpenden, Hertfordshire
On the edge of Harpenden, this unassuming roadside pub with rooms might easily pass unnoticed. But acclaim from battalions of recent diners cannot be ignored: 'a night to remember’; ‘the best steak going’ and ‘impeccable service' are just some comments, while the Sunday roasts (‘phenomenal’) and 'small plate' bar snacks (especially the arancini) are also singled out for praise. Investigate further and you’ll find the reason. Chef Matthew Reeder used to head the kitchen at Anglo in Farringdon and worked with Lee Westcott at the Typing Room in Bethnal Green. Here he produces a seven-course seasonal set menu (there’s no carte) and a three-course weekday set lunch as the main events. Outstanding presentation, bold flavours and inventive tweaks on classic dishes characterised the latter, starting with a perfect disc of beef tartare featuring little cubes of immaculate raw fillet, the sunniest of egg yolks, and plenty of Tabasco – the dish enhanced by exquisitely thin slices of pickled cucumber. Sea bass ceviche with passion fruit also boasted the freshest of ingredients yet needed more marinating. Next, bread gets a star billing, as well it might: crusty warm sourdough with a generous scoop of butter topped with roasted yeast – ‘Marmite lite’ was how our host described it. Main courses also highlighted top-quality ingredients: accurately cooked sea bream (seared skin, juicy flesh) served atop tasty Puy lentils and pancetta, matched with a vibrant green quenelle of savoy cabbage, for example. Elsewhere, two medium-rare venison steaks sit in a properly sticky gravy with blobs of bone marrow, piquant pickled walnut purée and mushroomy cep purée adding to the autumnal treat – although slices of insipid pear were an ingredient too far. Further judicious pimping came with a dessert of tiramisu, boosted by ‘chocolate jelly’ (more like a mousse) and a topping of salted caramel crumb. Informality is the watchword here: regulars chew the cud over their ale in the adjacent bar; a jazz-funk soundtrack is prominent at quiet times; and the pub-style furnishings make few fashion statements. The staff may be laid-back but they know their food and drink – the Cup’s wine list is diverting, stretching as far as Georgia and Canada.
Dining Information:
Accommodation, Separate bar, Counter seating, Deposit required
5 St Albans Road, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JF
01582 713095
