Review: The Princess of Wales, Primrose Hill

After following love the princess on twitter for the best part of year, I decided it was time time to pay them a visit. Their tweets always make me laugh, and with images of their peanut butter brownie and salted caramel ice cream flooding my timeline, a reservation was made for Saturday night for fun, food and a little bit of Banksy (maybe).

Which was promptly cancelled because Hangover. And then rearranged for Sunday.

This turned out to be a great twist of fortune as Sunday really lived up to it's name. With the temperature reaching a sizzling 25C, we decided a walk around Regent's Park followed by a manic dash through Primrose Hill was in order.

Arriving at the Princess, which is situated on the gorgeous Chalcot Road mere minutes from the leafy park, we stood waiting for a guy to order his drink before speaking to the barman. We spotted our table instantly, but it would have been rude to have just sat down uninvited, you see.

Drink

The barman showed us to the table we'd already noticed, and we were greeted by Michele who brought over the cocktail menu and wine list. Parched after walking for miles, a refreshing tipple was in order. Fruity cocktails, a great selection of ales and beers, and even a cheeky glass of Pimm's was on offer so to say we were spoilt for choice was an understatement. A ginger and lemongrass cocktail caught my eye, and we also sampled a fruity Flower Power Royale made with cucumber syrup, mint and champagne.

We could hear the cocktails being created moments after our waiter left, and they were served to the table minutes later, ice cold. We clearly had our favourites; the ginger was hot and spicy, while the Royale made a great addition to the sunny day.

Once these were over we tried Camden Hells, a locally brewed lager made just around the corner, and Michele's favourite, the Plum Sour. Which, as you can see, wasn't purple as I expected, but tasted juicy and delicious.

Eat

For starters we picked the salted chilli squid rings with a rocket salad, and parma ham with mozzarella. The squid was cooked to perfection and was so tender while the ham and figs were a great pairing. We polished off our plates then waited for the mains to arrive; a good ol' Sunday Roast Beef with many trimmings, and a pulled pork burger.

The wait between meals did err on the long side, but we were offered a drink in the meantime and had no rush so it wasn't a massive problem for us. If you're in a rush I believe there is an express menu, and I'm sure a word to a friendly server would help speed things up.

The mains were gorgeous. Succulent pulled pork was cooked in a gorgeously sticky sauce that tasted exactly like my nonna used to make, and the soda bread bun was a great touch. I wasn't hot on the apple coleslaw personally, being more a traditional kinda girl, but the fries more than made up for that.

The roast was gorgeous and was served with a Yorkshire Pudding the size of the plate! Three generous slices sat atop veggies in a pool of gravy.

For dessert we went for an apple crumble, and the famous peanut butter brownie. The latter was delicious; melting ice cream and soft, warm brownie was a great way to end the meal. The apple crumble was the only disappointment as it was 25% liquid with hardly any crumble and served up in a chipped bowl. We couldn't quite work out the flavour too, so that's definitely a miss.

The meal was good value for money for central London, with the full three course meal costing £25 each.

Relax

This is such a strange pub, in that we saw such a mix of people all dining and socialising. From an old timer slowly ambling through the doorway only for the waitress to rush over, hold onto his arm and guide him to a table, to a young American family with their dog chatting about the best bits of London, the place was packed with a mix of young and old, locals and tourists. We felt super relaxed sitting on our table, and even spotted a long-time patron of the Princess grab a coffee and a foil-wrapped meal to go.

Upstairs is a more formal dining area which can be hired for events and weddings. With my wedding fast approaching and the decision being made for a small and intimate celebration with nearest and dearest, we could just imagine how gorgeous a meal here would be, all sat in the candlelight enjoying the food and drink.

Downstairs is a basement seating area with more tables, and the famous Banksy-inspired beer garden. It's said the elusive street artist was caught on camera stencilling the lion, which is a really lovely and very unique touch regardless of whether it was the Bristolian.



With pubs in central London popping up ten a penny, it's hard to find somewhere that feels both like a local, and like a treat. The Princess managed to combine the two and it did have a real air of authority. After all, it's been in Primrose Hill for over a century and a half. Give the guys there a tweet. I'm sure they'll be able to convince you to head on over. After all, it worked on us, and we're so glad!

The Princess of Wales |  22 Chalcot Rd, London NW1 8LL