Don’t let the saturnine header image put you off, Pennethorne’s is an airy, friendly space in the west wing of Somerset House that can be approached through Chambers’ forbidding Baroquery from the courtyard side or directly from the approach to Waterloo Bridge. What will you find when you get there?

Thirsty customers were already smattered around in the early evening, slugging back cocktails and gin on one of the hottest days of the year. We were in the mood for Prosecco as I’d met a friend to discuss our respective stays in Venice and make tentative plans to go back for the Biennale next year. The menu isn’t extensive and is built for grazing rather than stuffing, which was ideal for what we were after.

We ordered a plate each of meat and cheese which for a total of £25 brings you generous lumps of the good stuff and an imaginative selection of dried meats. A bit more veg might have been welcome, it was mostly of the caper variety, but there was plenty of bread to soak up the booze too. Butter seemed a bit odd but a request for olive oil brought us a good ramekin full.

So all the ingredients were in place for a good hour or two of conversation and it was with surprise that after finishing off the dregs of the bottle we turned to find that room was now bursting at the seams with people chatting, drinking and munching. Recommended.

8/10

To see where else I’ve eaten in 2016 go to the GoogleMap here

London Restaurants London Pennethorne's Restaurant Review Somerset House