Buzzing with suits unwinding after a day at work, beers and pink G&Ts in hand, The Gun is handily located a stones’ throw from Liverpool Street station and is clearly many locals’ pub of choice – though loud thumping music and faux pink flowers juxtaposed with an industrial feel mean this isn’t your typical East End boozer.
The small menu features salads, grain bowls and fish dishes. We started with crispy fried chicken with sriracha mayo in bitesize pieces that were ideal for sharing. To follow, there’s the usual pubby assortment of burgers and grills, as well as healthier options such as a ‘hero bowl’ of mixed grains, corn, avocado and Asian gravy, though we found the dressing too sweet, even though it was used sparingly.
Bigoli pasta with butternut squash, cream and pancetta was better, similar to a carbonara and with the right amount of creaminess.
Our first choice for dessert of flourless chocolate cake had sadly run out; we tried instead the ‘when life gives you lemons’ meringue with lemon curd and the ’99 cheesecake’, a playful take on the classic 99 ice cream, served as a mousse in a giant cone with a flake. The creamy cheesecake was a winner but while the lemon meringue looked impressive, it was too tart and too big.
To wash all this down we went for drinks from the #roséyourway menu featuring a range of sparkling wines, Champagne and, of course, rosé. The extensive cocktail menu also has some enticing-looking concoctions.
Staff are friendly and enthusiastic and, overall, the buzzy atmosphere and cool decor makes this pub ideal for afterwork drinks and nibbles with colleagues. But while we thought that there were some elements of the menu that were great, we wouldn’t go out of our way to eat here since it was lacking the comforting familiarity of classic pub food.