The Bull and Last - Highgate Road - Parliament Hill

[Adrian Essex]

The Bull and Last used to be a perfectly ordinary pub but it seems now to be transformed into a gastro-venue of considerable standing. Luckily my ignorance of this has been remedied by a group of friends who took me there for lunch last week.

I'll tell you what I had to eat:

Fresh Asparagus with a salad and parmesan custard - by which they mean, I think, cheese sauce though maybe I'm wrong - I've never actually made custard, only ever mixed it up from custard powder. Maybe there is a difference between sauce and custard and my taste is too unsubtle to distinguish - except to say it was very good.

Main course was steak and chips - also tender and tasty and crispy etc.

Afters was Rhubarb clafoutis with horseradish ice cream - with a menu as pretentious as this they really do have to get it right in order not to be laughed out of business - and they have got it right. This too was superb. The horse radish flavour was detectable but not overwhelming, the rhubarb rhubarby and if you're as ignorant as I was you'll ave to look up 'clafoutis'.

I'd cheerfully go back there for another superb luncheon, but not every day because the preices are not every day prices.