An increasing number of upmarket pubs are popping up all over Hackney. Ed and Tom Martin, the brothers with a cracking portfolio of pubs and restaurants across London, were one of the first to open a foodie pub in the area, and The Prince Arthur is still going strong.

The Venue
Situated on a residential street, a short walk from the trendy London Fields and Broadway Market, this neighbourhood pub is very much suited for local residents who live in this affluent pocket of Hackney. The attractive-looking venue has benches outside, stained-glass windows with cleanly painted frames, and a simple sign that fits in well with the rest of the street. Inside, wall-mounted stuffed animal heads, a pheasant in a box, and old-fashioned cartoon pictures in the toilets all give a quirky touch to the otherwise pretty standard, albeit very pleasant, gastropub features. During the summer months, the front doors open on to the street while, in the winter, the pub is the perfect setting for a cosy meal or hot mulled wine.

The Atmosphere
Expect to find young and trendy local Dalston twenty-and-thirtysomethings, alongside affluent locals in their thirties and forties who discovered the area way before anyone else dubbed it cool. While at the start of the week – especially during the pub quiz on Mondays – punters just enjoy a drink, towards the end of the week, many of the tables are booked out with people who want to sit down for a meal and, if you’re after just a quiet drink or two, you might be forced to sit on the bar stools. Staff are friendly and know their stuff.

The Food
The lunch and dinner menus include a selection of British gastropub favourites. Dishes aren’t cheap, but they’re made with good-quality ingredients, perfectly prepared and very well presented. The fish and shellfish, for example, is hand selected in the mornings at Billingsgate market.

While there are bread and olive dishes you can pick at before your meal, more formal starters are priced from £5-£13.50 and include everything from butternut squash pies to potted duck and a pint of prawns with mayonnaise. Portion sizes aren’t huge, but the dishes are flavoursome. The lamb kidneys, smoked bacon and wild mushrooms on toast with wholegrain mustard and Maderia jus (£8) is very satisfying. The delicate, yet delicious flavour of the whole kidneys is balanced out with the rich, but not overpowering, wholegrain mustard and maderia jus. Equally full-flavoured is the Jerusalem artichoke soup (£5). Admittedly, the truffle oil makes this very rich and creamy, however, the subtle nutty flavour of the artichoke is mouthwatering and the artichoke crisps on top gently melt in and perfect the dish.

Main courses are sure to please everyone – with pub favourites such as battered fish and chips alongside crowd-pleasers like the 28-day old Aberdeen Angus rib-eye steak and roasted haunch of venison. Layered like a dauphinois and served in a subtly sweet-tasting chestnut and marjarom crust with a generous portion of cauliflower puree on the side, the parsnip, celeriac and swede pastry (£11) makes an inventive change from the standard vegetarian risotto dishes many pubs of this kind serve. However, in reality, the flavours are so full-bodied, it’s almost sickly and you may struggle to finish the dish. Less rich – and one for fish fans – is the hake (£14.50). The succulent fish comes in three sections surrounded by a thin layer of perfectly-prepared pastry and a generous heap of fresh spinach. All of this is very well complemented by the subtle yet satisfying peppercorn sauce. Most dishes require a side of something, which are priced £3 each.

Find room for the Bramley and Braeburn apple crumble with custard (£5) for dessert. The fresh and juicy-tasting fruit gives the dish a zingy flavour that’s perfectly complemented by the deliciously crunchy crumble. The custard is creamy and fresh and, if you ask nicely, you can have ice cream instead.

The Drink
There’s something to suit every budget in the huge selection – it starts at £15 for a bottle of the house wine and goes up to around £75. If you do pick the house, it’s good quality and it will go with most dishes on the menu. If it’s beer you’re after, bottles include Meantime Pale Ale and Super Bock. On tap, you have Heineken, Amstel and Guinness, alongside London Pride and a seasonal monthly guest ale. All bottles and pints are priced around £3.50-£4.

The Last Word
With fantastic food, friendly staff and a local feel, The Prince Arthur is a cut above the average gastropub.

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