Big flavours at the Tommyfield

When I last went to the Tommyfield it was a tapas restaurant of indifferent quality. That was quite some time ago. Now it is a bustling pub with a hearty menu that reads like it was written by a hungry person. There is pork belly with mash and apple sauce, sea bass with fennel and spinach, and pies which might include chicken, rabbit and lamb with pumpkin.

This is a sister pub to the Avalon, where we previously had a meal that outdid expectations. The menu here makes similar efforts, although unlike at the Avalon, there is no separate restaurant area. There are some tables set aside for those eating, but on a Thursday night the noise levels get a little high for those having dinner a deux.

There were several real ales, including Sharp's Doom Bar and Wandle from south London, which is served in great sturdy yet elegant tankards.

I started with a salad of beetroot and Golden Cross goat's cheese, sprinkled with chopped hazelnuts. It was a generous size for a starter, though perhaps a little heavy on the frisee lettuce. Beetroot and goats' cheese is a great combination, and the goats' cheese (from East Sussex) was creamy and tangy. 

The Real Ale Drinker had haddock smokie, which was flaked smoked haddock with a breadcrumb topping - a kind of savoury crumble. A poached egg was perched on top, ready to release its yolk onto the soft fish underneath. There were a few crispy soldiers for dipping, too.

Next I had a pumpkin and porcini lasagne, which caused me to reflect on how unusual it is to find a thoughtful pub lasagne. It tends to be something reheated from frozen, and is rarely available in anything other than a standard mince or mixed vegetable vegetarian version. This one was delicious - rich woodsy mushrooms, sweet pumpkin, and plenty of cheesy sauce, topped with flakes of Parmesan and chopped dill.

The Real Ale Drinker had grilled mackerel, which was juicy and flavoursome, with rather good chips, of the skin-on variety that seem to be all the rage these days.

We didn't strictly need any pudding, but the first two courses promised good things from dessert. A treacle tart was a chunky affair, with thick pastry and deep filling. It was not as teeth-rottingly sickly as some, and I couldn't quite decide whether this was a good thing or not. A chocolate brownie was not as rich and chocolatey as I might have hoped for, though still tasty, served hot, with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and some hot chocolate sauce which had set firm over the ice-cream.

Prices are reasonable - £11-14 for most main courses, £5-6 for starters, and £5 for puddings. At lunchtimes there is a simpler, cheaper menu which includes a fish finger sandwich. They take Tastecard too.

The Tommyfield
185 Kennington Lane, London
SE11 4EZ
020 7735 1061
www.thetommyfield.com