The Surprise Public House

Many locals had despaired of getting a favoured old haunt back to what it should be doing, and with pubs closing down everywhere it`s great to see one bucking the trend and re-opening.  On the 3 occasions that I`ve dropped by recently I`ve spotted a number of familiar faces, which is a heartening sight  as this local gem of a venue is a little bit tucked away on the corner of Christchurch Terrace, and unlikely to benefit much from casual passing trade.

It’s well worth making a visit to however, having had a clever refurbishment that sees the retention of the original bar, beautiful stained glass partitions and windows. The overall effect is now a venue with an almost country house hotel feel, underpinned with its nautical pub roots.  

On the day of our review we got off to a good start, with friendly staff directing us to the upstairs dining room, where we were met by our waitress. 

The food is an interesting mix of the traditional and the modern, serving some old favourites with a twist such as the Mackerel Pate on Toast Soldiers with a Boiled Egg, and the Pork Cheek, Black Pudding and Russet Apple.  Each portion is roughly the size of a Starter, so you adopt a “Tapas” approach and order 2 or 3, inevitably swapping tiny bites to compare notes.   

In the cause of research, and being a conscientious type I thought I’d better check out a dessert.  Not having such a sweet tooth I passed this on to my partner, a man known for his weakness for desserts. The Sussex Pond Pudding did not win quite such high accolades as our savoury selections, but a certain satisfied glint in his eye made me think that this might just be a ruse to try another selection.  

This is an excellent venue, light and bright enough for a Summer’s lunch, but also cosy enough to make for a late season retreat. Our meal for 4 with drinks came to just over £120,  (including a large brandy) which makes it a welcome addition to those local and affordable places to eat.

6, Christchurch Terrace,
Chelsea,
London
SW3 4AJ

0207 351 6954