Such a Dish #25: The Kerfield Arms 🇬🇧
What makes a pub a pub?
Would you be offended if I started a little bit more sincere than usual?
I’ve been reflecting on what it takes to be wowed. If you’re reading this, you’re likely a foodie and so you might have thought about this too? I’ve been lucky to eat in some amazing restaurants. Less of the nitrogen-in-your-pudding places but many high calibre Michelin or Michelin-adjacent, hearty places. And so I’ve reached the point where I wonder what will make me say hot damn this is good, I’ve never had one like that before.
And I’ve reached the conclusion that, whilst I probably just need to start finding cuisines that I’m yet to try, e.g. Ethiopian, Jamaican, Nepalese, I’m not sure it really matters.
Instead of looking to be wowed, I’m just going to continue to find great restaurants that serves stunning food and creates a space that makes it memorable. Or worth writing about. Maybe being constantly wowed isn’t the point. There’s something nice and dependable about a solid 7.
See what I did there.
Right. Anyway. Let’s talk about the Kerfield Arms. Or, briefly, let’s talk about pubs.
There are over 3500 pubs in London. That’s a 1:2500 ratio of pubs to people. There are more pubs in London than bars in New York (per capita). We love a pub, don’t we. It’s such a British staple. There are so many phenomenal pubs in London that serve up meaningfully delicious food: the Apollo Arms (Clapham), the George (Fitzrovia), the Camberwell Arms (Camberwell, obv), the Canton Arms (Stockwell). Frankly, I’d be quite happy to solely eat in these spots. I mean, delicious food and the opportunity to find a rogue pack of Monopoly Deal, that’s the dream.
The Kerfield Arms, also in Camberwell, replaced The Crooked Well. TCW didn’t know what it was. It had a year of being a strong gastropub and then it started collaborating with pop-up restaurants and it become undependable. You don’t want to go to a pub and discover you’re having vegan Italian. Nobody wants that. What even is that?! May as well starve.
Camberwell has a panoply of veritable feasts: Camberwell Arms, Nandine, Silk Road, Little Cellars, Forza Win, Gladwell’s, Toad Bakery, Theo’s. And the Kerfield Arms is a welcome addition.
It’s the sister restaurant of The Baring, a g-pub in North London. And it doesn’t disappoint. However, I am unsure whether it really is a pub. It’s more a restaurant in the building of a pub. The restaurant is fully the main character. There are some tables in the main area, that serve the restaurant menu, but it’s not really got the cosy, low key pub feel. It serves lobster bisque and has the wine list of 3-star. No board games are to be found near lobster bisque. It feels more like a pub that would like a M-star. If I could give it one, I would. It’s very much old money pretending to be a man of the people.
The food was amazing and I would say I was wowed. Well, surprised. There were two dishes that blew my mind and I have been back twice since the visit solely to have them before they change the menu.
Dish #1: Fried pizza dough with taramasalata.
I just discovered in this very moment that Tarama is the name for salted roe of cod and salata is salad. Who knew! If you’ve ever been to Pizza Express (insert Prince Andrew joke) you’ll know they’re famous for their pizza dough balls. Now you no longer have to go there to get your pizza dough fix. The Kerfield Arms have one-upped P.E. Or, maybe, 247x-upped P.E. This is the most supremely delicious starter snack and even though I’m not massively into taramasalata (christ, typing that is a ball-ache), it is divine. The dough is so squishy inside and crispy outside and, whilst it feels like you’re two bites from a coronary, it’s the perfect pre-meal snack. It’s quite genius, actually. It’ll likely be on their menu in perpetuity. It bloody better be.
Dish #2: Cornish squid and lardo shish, puh biber chilli
This is the most stunning plate and just looking at it was satisfying enough. And then you eat it. Pul biber (a more esoteric chilli choice) is a Turkish spice, close to paprika/Aleppo pepper. It’s spicy but doesn’t require a colonoscopy after. The squid with the fried bacon fat, the preserved lemon, samphire, and this chilli butter mix was truly one of the loveliest, most indulgent dishes I’ve had in years. It’s a winner on both aesthetic and taste. It’s 10/10 on taste because that sauce is basically butter. It’s fried squid, salt, fat, butter, and heat. It’s a Samin Nosrat dream. Whilst you eat it you have to forget that it’s making 100s of cholestorol experts sweat. And that’s OK because you don’t order indulgent dishes and then worry about the nutrition. Or, at least, I don’t.
I’m going back again in a couple weeks as I’m excited and curious about what they’ll do next. And that’s what makes a winner. Whilst it may not scream pub, I’ll keep telling people it’s a super chill pub to get more people along and make sure this Camberwell establishment thrives.
The Kerfield Arms, Camberwell: 8/10