Porter's English Restaurant (Covent Garden ; see p.146)

This restaurant serves traditional English meals that most kids love - especially the pies, stews and steamed "puds." They'll get a real kick out of ordering wonderfully named food like bubble and squeak and mushy peas.

Porter's English Restaurant

In 1979 the 7th Earl of Bradford opened this restaurant , stating "it will serve real English food at affordable prices," and he has succeeded notably - and not just because Lady Bradford turned over her carefully guarded recipe for banana and ginger steamed pudding. A comfortable , two - storied restaurant with a friendly, informal and lively atmosphere, Porter's specialises in classic English pies, including Old English fish pie; lamb and apricot; ham, leek and cheese; and of course, bangers and mash. Main courses are so generous, and accompanied by vegetables and side dishes, that you hardly need appetisers. The puddings, including bread- and - butter pudding or steamed syrup sponge, are the real puddings (in the American sense); they're served hot or cold, with whipped cream or custard. The bar does quite a few exotic cocktails, as well as beers, wine, or traditional English mead. A traditional English tea is also served for £3.50 ($5.60) per person. Who knows? You may even bump into his Lordship.

Porters

If you only have 1 day in London dine at one of the little restaurants in Covent Garden such as Porters English Restaurant, owned by the Earl of Bradford. Try one of their classic English Pies such as lamb and apricot.

Published by Fodor's Travel Publications Inc, ISBN 0-679-02968-0

Porters

Good British food (really), an Olde Worlde public house interior, a nob owner (The Earl of Bradford), and a reasonable check - no wonder Americans invariably like this place. Pies star on the menu - lamb and apricot or chicken and chilli alongside the traditional fish or steak and kidney, with steamed sponges and custard for afters.

Published by LEADING GUIDES LTD, 1996, ISBN 1-89871854-7

Porters

"Purveyors of excellent English food for more than 16 years" claims the menu . Soup and bread (£2.95) is the only starter - a choice of six could include split pea and ham or cider and white onion. Porter's pies (£7.95) come with either salad, chips, vegetables or mashed, boiled or baked potatoes; try lamb and apricot, chicken and broccoli or the favourite steak and mushroom. Other choices could include , fish and chips or beef with herb dumplings (both £7.95). Nursery puddings like Spotted Dick or steamed syrup sponge are £2.95. Porters is family - friendly even to the extent that there are baby - changing facilities in the ladies' loo. Minimum charge £6 per person.

Porters

Pret-a-Porters: Porters, Covent Garden restaurant which for 18 years has had its eyes on its pies, and on all those foreign tourists, has done something radical. It has opened Porters Bar next door. Quite different from its next-door neighbour, the bar doesn't labour English heritage, although there's a not entirely CAMRA-shy selection of English beers - including cask-conditioned Boddingtons, Old Speckled Hen and Bombardier - plus 13 bottled lagers (£2.35 each), a reasonable wine list (from £8.50 a bottle) and the usual-suspect cocktails (around £4). Grub starts with soup in pint-sized bowls for £3.50 , moves on to zestily dressed open sandwiches for around £5.75, and even that very English post-pub snack, the kebab, for £6.95. but this isn't another heaving Covent Garden pub or Australian theme bar; it's a cool (air-conditioned) bright (plenty of light and Monet-style pictures) and civilised (comfy Lloyd loom tub chairs to sink into and waitresses to serve) retreat for a drink.

Published by Zagat Survey, LLC 1997, ISBN 1-57006-079-7

Porters

"undemanding but pleasant enough"

Lord Bradford's "light-hearted" Covent Garden stalwart serves "traditional English food in English surroundings"; it draws too many "tourists" for some people` liking, but most enjoy the "good quality" pies, and it's a "great place to take visitors"

Ratings out of 30
0-9 = poor to fair, 10-19 = good to very good, 20-25 = very good to excellent, 26-30 = extraordinary to perfection.
Food:15
Decor:14
Service: 15

porters bar

Next door to Lord Bradford's Porters Restaurant is this "cool", "stylish" bar that fills a need as an after-work meeting place in Covent Garden, serving "good snacks" from a simple English menu.

Published by Leading Guides Ltd,1994

Porters

You have to admit that Richard, Earl of Bradford has continued over the years to work very hard with his team to improve and further the cause of English food. Famous for its pies, sausages and traditional British fare, Porters is undoubtedly popular with transatlantic visitors and Londoners alike. An extensive carte offers a wide range of choices: steak and mushroom pie, Somerset honeyed pork pie, lamb and apricot pie, bangers'n'mash with a choice of sausages (venison, lamb and mint), beef with herb dumplings, hot pots and casseroles, salmon fish cakes, fish'n'chips, plus salads. Desserts are no less plentiful, ranging from cold options like orange tart or sherry trifle, to hot puddings such as spotted disk or bread - and - butter pudding. The all inclusive fixed - price menu (£15.95) offers any pie or winter warmer, plus pudding, coffee and half bottle of wine - excellent value.

By Mike Michaelson, Published by PASPORT BOOKS, 1996, ISBN 0-8442-9638-4

Best British Stodge

Porters English Restaurant

Porters is the name, pies are the game - but this popular Covent Garden spot may appeal mostly to visitors to England - or Britons who miss home cooking (the cynical may say stodge). There are British standards such as toad in the hole, salmon fish cakes, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, and bubble and squeak. For dessert there are spotted disk, fruit crumbles , treacle tart, and bread - and - butter pudding. But the speciality is pies - and they are good, well - rendered in individual dishes with light puff pastry and filling combinations that include steak and mushroom, chicken and asparagus, lamb and apricots, turkey and chestnuts, and, of course, steak and kidney. There also are fish pie and a vegetarian pie. (Inexplicably, steak and kidney pudding is served for weekday lunches only during months with an "r"). Porters is a little hokey, with ornaments that include Fry's chocolate signs and a bus stop, and jokes on the menu, but the food is surprisingly good.

Published by Chronicle Books 1997, ISBN 0-8118-1504-8

Porters English Restaurant

Porters is an attractive restaurant, decorated with Covent Garden memorabilia, that's great for the whole family or for visitors in search of something typically English. sure, it's on the touristy side, but the food and prices are good and no one leaves feeling fleeced. Arrive hungry, forget your diet, and order one of their famous pot pies or special monthly dishes, and you will not go away disappointed.

The only starters are soups, and they are all good. I like to begin with the cider and white onion, in which seasoned onions are cooked with cider, butter, and milk. In the summer, the chilled carrot and orange is a refreshing beginning. But make sure to leave plenty of room for the main event, their pot pies, which range from steak and kidney to more off - beat ones like lamb and apricot, chicken and broccoli, and curried vegetable served with a pot of yoghurt. Sausage and mash, bubble and squeak, spotted dick...no, these are not names from nursery rhymes, but some of the other dishes worth trying at Porters. For the novice, these translate as sausage and mashed potatoes, fried mashed potatoes, cabbage and onions and sponge cake with raisins and warm custard sauce. In the afternoon Porters serves both a luxurious full tea with finger sandwiches, warm fruit scones, and cakes and a traditional cream tea with warm fruit scones. If you have an early curtain call with the theatre and plan to eat afterwards, these afternoon tea times are life savers.

By Richard Saul Wurman, Published by HarperPerennial, ISBN 0-06-277161-2

Porters

Owned by Richard, the 7th Earl of Bradford, this deservedly successful restaurant serves high-quality, traditional English fare: pies, sausages and delicious nursery puddings like apple and blackberry crumble, bread - and - butter pudding , spotted disk (a sponge cake backed with currents or raisins), and sherry trifle. The prices are honest and it's fun for babies and toddlers, too.

Published by HarperPerennial, ISBN 0-06-278195-2

Porters

An very English eatery in Covent Garden, it's famous for home-cooked pies - steak, mushroom, and vegetables are the specialities. Leave room for such sticky British desserts as treacle and syrup sponge. Open daily. Reservations advised, especially for lunch.

Published by St Martins Press, New York 1995, ISBN 0-312-11306-4

Porters

Like a British version of T.G.I. Friday's. Hot pies with a delicious, dense crust and vegetables £7.95. Minimum charge £4.00.

Published by Pasport Books, ISBN 0-8442-9586-8

Porters

...has quite the engaging old time look that you expect in Covent Garden. Name of the game is hot pies - steak and mushrooms, chicken, even vegetable - with a sherry soaked trifle most irresistible of the desserts. Fun.

By Sharon Watson, Published by Britain Books 1993, ISBN 1-882310-00-4.

This friendly and informal restaurant is owned by the current Earl of Bradford, and is well known for its generous portions of delicious traditional English pies and great desserts. The interior is a handsome mix of wood, brass and mirrors. A 1920s porter cart is suspended from the ceiling adds a whimsical touch.

Beyond the meat pies, the menu contains old-fashioned British standards - fish and chips (£7.10), sausage and mash (£6.40), toad in the hole (£7.10), and roast beef and Yorkshire pudding (£7.70). Most popular, though, are the pies: steak and kidney; fish; lamb and apricot; vegetarian; and chicken and broccoli, to name but a few (each £7.10). Dessert favourites include old fashioned trifle (£2.50), traditional English cheesecake (£2.35) and treacle tart (£2.35).