Fox & Anchor
This place is loved by 1 members
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Slap bang in the throbbing heart of Smithfield, this unique little pocket of London has managed to keep it real, attracting a brilliant, bonkers and bohemian crowd of in the know locals. The Fox & Anchor is right next to Smithfield meat market with a licence to serve thirsty traders from 6am (which makes for quite a unique mix of people when you are having your breakfast I can tell you). Co-owner Robert Cook is CEO of the Malmaison hotel group (there is a Malmaison hotel a few doors away on Charterhouse Square where you check in).
The idea of a ‘pub with rooms’ is a genius one. Especially a pub that is true to its old boozer credentials – lots of mahogany, etched glass and heavy brass. There are just 6 rooms which is about as boutique as you can get. What a treat to be able to be thrown right into the hubbub of a busy pub with oodles of character then creep upstairs at closing time to the luxury of your gorgeous bedroom.
We stayed in the St Bart’s room with three tall leaded windows, a velvet sofa at the foot of the bed, and a giant architectural photograph of St Bart's church printed on fabric over the bed. I loved the fact that I could open my window and, Rapunzel-like, wait there for my gallant knight’s arrival to greet him and throw down the key (to my heart?). Clearly I have rescue issues. Miller Harris toiletries were in abundance and I loved the trough-shaped basin of polished copper and the wooden bath bridge with its own shaving mirror. I had a peek at the other rooms – Smithfield has a very rock and roll bath at the bottom of the bed (great for exhibitionists); The Market suite has a cute little garden terrace. But they’re all great.
We ate in one of the cosy snugs in the Fox's Den. If there is a more intimate and date-friendly room in London then I can’t think of it. My new chap and I loved being able to feel like we were in our own little private world, occasionally being reminded that there were other guests by the fascinating conversations you could overhear, only to drift back again into the intensity of our new relationship bubble. We started with real ale from pewter tankards (how butch), then moved onto a fruity Argentinean red. The menu majors on hearty, meaty options like chops and steak and oyster pies. It all felt quite Sweeney Todd but not in a silly themed way. Rather you felt like you had stumbled upon a place that has been around forever yet manages to cater perfectly to contemporary needs and wants.
15 Charterhouse Street
London EC1
t: 020 7012 3700
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Richard on 18.03.10
Smithfield is a unique little pocket of London which has managed to keep it real, attracting a brilliant, bonkers and bohemian crowd of in the know locals. The Fox & Anchor is right next to Smithfield meat market with a licence to serve thirsty traders from 6am (which makes for quite a unique mix of people when you are having your breakfast I can tell you). Co-owner Robert Cook is CEO of the Malmaison hotel group (there is a Malmaison hotel a few doors away on Charterhouse Square where you check in).
The idea of a ‘pub with rooms’ is a genius one. Especially a pub that is true to its old boozer credentials – lots of mahogany, etched glass and heavy brass. There are just 6 rooms which is about as boutique as you can get. What a treat to be able to be thrown right into the hubbub of a busy pub with oodles of character then creep upstairs at closing time to the luxury of your gorgeous bedroom.
We stayed in the St Bart’s room with three tall leaded windows, a velvet sofa at the foot of the bed, and a giant architectural photograph of St Bart's church printed on fabric over the bed. I loved the fact that I could open my window and, Rapunzel-like, wait there for my gallant knight’s arrival to greet him and throw down the key (to my heart?). Clearly I have rescue issues. Miller Harris toiletries were in abundance and I loved the trough-shaped basin of polished copper and the wooden bath bridge with its own shaving mirror. I had a peek at the other rooms – Smithfield has a very rock and roll bath at the bottom of the bed (great for exhibitionists); The Market suite has a cute little garden terrace. But they’re all great.
We ate in one of the cosy snugs in the Fox's Den. If there is a more intimate and date-friendly room in London then I can’t think of it. My new chap and I loved being able to feel like we were in our own little private world, occasionally being reminded that there were other guests by the fascinating conversations you could overhear, only to drift back again into the intensity of our new relationship bubble. We started with real ale from pewter tankards (how butch), then moved onto a fruity Argentinean red. The menu majors on hearty, meaty options like chops and steak and oyster pies. It all felt quite Sweeney Todd but not in a silly themed way. Rather you felt like you had stumbled upon a place that has been around forever yet manages to cater perfectly to contemporary needs and wants.