The Strand Pub – Southampton’s Hidden Gem

The Strand Pub is located in Southampton city centre, it’s a tiny bit hidden, but worth going out of your way to find. The decor is clean and modern looking, with plenty of space for tables around the bar.  At the time I visited they were only offering a lunch menu, from 12 – 3pm or 12 – 5pm, depending on the day of the week, but I know they now also have a Friday night Burger Club and also a Soup Club.

For starter we had Charred Mackerel.  It came with samphire, squid ink and a white wine vinegar gel.  The mackerel was perfectly cooked and the vinegar gel helped cut through the oiliness of the mackerel; salty notes came from the samphire.

For the main course we chose different dishes.  One was Garlic and Herb Gnocchi and the other was a Fish Cake.  The gnocchi had plenty of flavour and a crunchy outer coating, served with wild mushrooms that were earthy and a zingy homemade pesto.

The fishcake had a good amount of fish in ratio to the potato.  It was served with a perfectly runny poached egg, wilted spinach and a buerre blanc.

For dessert I had Lemon Meringue Pie and it was served in a deconstructed manner.  I know some people don’t like the idea of deconstructed food, but I think it works well for presentation purposes.  Lemon curd was complimented by a high quality meringue and torn puff pasty to add crunch.

My girlfriend had the Chocolate Tart.  Quenelles of a chocolate ganache were serve with a salted caramel, pastry and popcorn.  The popcorn worked very well, balancing the sweetness and giving it an unusual but pleasant texture.  The ganache could have done with being softer as it was a bit too solid, probably because it had been stored in the freezer.  However, a while at room temperature and it started to soften.  Regardless, the flavours complemented each other very well.

They have only recently started doing food and at the moment, as word has not yet got around, you can grab a table quite easily.  However, if they maintain the high standards of food and beautiful presentation that we experienced, it wouldn’t at all surprise me that it won’t be long before you have to book a table.  I would definitely return, great food and the staff are very friendly.

The Strand Pub, 7-9 Hanover Buildings, Southampton SO14 1JX – Tel: 023 8022 1980