Derek's review of The Palmerston

This was billed as one of the best gastro pubs in SE London.

However, it was a little underwhelming. That's not to say it wasn't bad, but I was expecting so much more.

The menu read well, with a mixture of seasonal dishes and classic British dishes. We opted for oysters (good – but not great) and then both plumped for the Lamb with greens and anchovy. The main problem here was the lamb – it was almost bland. The gravy and greens were well seasoned and tasty, and the lamb was well cooked – but it just didn't have the depth of flavour to warrant its £15 price.

Two bottles of late beaujolais nouveau (£24 each) were OK – but not the easy drinking, tasty and refreshing drop they should have been.

The cheese board though was good (£6), with an excellent blue, sharp goats and tangy cheddar.

Overall – I think it's over trading on its reputation (it has won a lot of awards), but only time will tell on that.