Real pizza: who’d have thought it? And The Park looks so stylish too, without any of that tacky Italian related decor. Is this the beginning of a new era for gastropubs?

The Venue
You may have to look for this gastropub, since it is not exactly settled in the most vibrant street: Elder Road is a dark, residential area overlooking a park.

Inside, however, things brighten up considerably. This pub is permeated with modern, sultry decor and music to match. The oh-so-fashionable and yet discreet floral wallpaper covers the walls, brown couches host the laziest patrons, a fireplace warms the atmosphere, leafy plants separate tables, and the airy feeling given by the scarce furnishing suggest fashionably subdued elegance. The long wooden bar is central to the room but unobtrusive of the events going on around it. A back patio and a covered smoking area allow people to breathe fresh air in the summer time.

The Atmosphere
The Park is one of those rare pubs where the subdued business is not a cause of complaint for the neighbours: the place is rather quiet, delivering more of a lounge feeling than a rowdy pub experience. Sports are strictly off-limits and even the weekly quiz is likely not to produce a lot of noise. The main population - made up of thirtysomething locals in for a pint and a quiet night - definitely appreciate the opportunity for conversation, and everyone seems pleasantly relaxed.

The Food
The menu is an eclectic mix delivering quite a few surprises. Far from offering standard pub food, The Park menu is Italian inspired with rare incursions from other foreign cuisines. Mixed in with Vietnamese pork dumplings (£4.50) and the very generous vegetarian and meat mezze boards (£9-£11), are a couple of salads (£6-£6.50) and pasta (£7.50-£8.50).

The real highlight is pizza (£7-£9.50), a dish that The Park staff are very serious about. Handmade one by one in the premises, even the dough has a story to tell: prepared early in the morning, it is then portioned and baked on the spot in a special pizza oven. The resulting crust is thin and crunchy, truly sticking to the Italian tradition, and the toppings are generously spread. The pizzas are square and served with regular or spicy oil. The size is Italian as well: one pizza will easily fill you. The Pancetta (pancetta bacon, red onions, tomatoes, mozzarella and gorgonzola cheese) and The Park Meat Feast (chorizo, pancetta, prosciutto ham, smoked chicken, red onion, mozzarella, tomato) are particularly flavoursome.

The Drink
Unfortunately, the wine list involves a bit of a guess work: with wines listed generically as white, red and rose, and without descriptions, pointers as to their dryness, or country of origin, the choice is made considerably harder. Most bottles are 2006 vintage and about half are sold whole. Around twenty in total, they are averagely priced: £14-£28 for bottles, £5.20-£6.50 for large glasses, £3.75-4.£75 for small ones.

Beers are a more straightforward option: the selection of foreign lagers is good with Staropramen, Hoegarden, and Peeterman Artois on draught, and Corona, Becks, Budvar, and Leffe in bottles. Green King IPA, Addlestone and Westons organic cider completes the lot. Prices are average: the draughts are £2.95-£3.10, while the bottles are in the £2.90-£3.30 range.

The Last Word
Your trip to The Park is justified by the excellent food offered in a pleasantly designed venue. The true restaurant quality (pizzeria quality, actually) dishes and the nice price will definitely make your journey to this rather remote part of town worth it.

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