About
Offering a little bit of rusticity in the city, this converted pub now resembles a kind of fantasy potting shed: all chunky wood, wall-mounted window boxes and green ceilings. It’s also, more prosaically, part of a run of Northern Quarter watering holes that compete for the attention of visiting drinkers. The botanical theme is translated into a zeitgeist-riding list of 24 gins, plus cocktails such as the Compost Heap (made with Chase marmalade vodka, egg whites, nutmeg and orange). Food is plucked from the world garden, with the kitchen offering everything from fish finger butties and a Greek-style vegetarian platter with edamame beans, via hearty main-course steak or the likes of pheasant breast with rosemary and apple sauce, to afternoon tea and snacks such as whitebait with toast. We reckon the menu might benefit from a spot of judicious pruning, but Allotment is already blossoming into a venue worth picking.