The Clarendon, Pimlico, London

The Clarendon is quite a relaxed place to drop by for lunch or a lunchtime drink. The food is usually ok and the menu has enough range to cater for tasty enough lunches.

I like that it’s always got some people in - so there’s always a bit of background noise and energy - but that there’s not too many - so it’s not too noisy or busy, and so it’s always possible to get a table.

The service is fast and friendly, and the waiting time for food is never too long.

However, it is lacking something. I think it hasn’t got quite enough charm or charisma to make it a really nice little hideaway.

There’s doing up a pub, and then there’s covering a place in so much matte gray paint that it resembles a cross between Broadmoor and the Batcave.

Unfortunately the Clarendon rests just on the wrong side of that line which is a real shame because it has the potential to be quite a nice gastro-ish pub.

The burger is great: good size, comes with tasty pickles and some hand cut chips; and the San Miguel tasted great so they’re obviously doing something right.

The place just needs a bit of character. Something to pull in the locals and to keep the office workers coming back. Who knows, maybe it’s just been refurbished and it needs a bit of time to settle in to its new clothes.

I think I’ll go back in a few months and see if it’s developed a personality.

A 3-star pub with potential to be more. Both the interior decor and the exterior of the pub have an unfinished kind of feeling, and I think even just a few more framed posters/pictures would go a long way. Probably was more noticeable as well because there was only one other group there, even though it was peak lunch time. The place is not that hard to find as it’s right off Warwick Way but you do sorta need to know where to look.

The veggie burger I had consisted of portobello mushroom, roasted red pepper, some caramelized onions, pesto and a thick layer of goat cheese on a decent bun. It was tasty but at £7.50 I most likely wouldn’t order it again. I can think of a lot better lunch options for less. The beef burgers looked a lot nicer, however, so if I do go back here one day I’ll give that a go instead.

Nestled just off the extravagant Eccleston Square, this charming mid-sized pub has friendly staff, a good selection of burgers and chunky chips, and an asparagus and prawn risotto that far dwarfs any standard gastro-pub offering.