I am looking for somewhere for a few drinks and a good meal to celebrate a birthday with a group of friends in early December. I do not know many places in the area. The Dolphin has a good reputation and I know Time Out gave it a good write up. However, my girlfriend's brother said he went to The Perry Hill recently and the food and atmosphere was fantastic and it would be ideal for the birthday.
Has anyone on the forum been there? What do you think? Or does anyone have any other ideas I should look in to?
Thanks!
The Perry Hill
The Perry Hill is excellent - I must confess to eating half a lobster there in the summer (I never thought I'd get to eat lobster in SE6!) The food is brilliant - the owners previously ran the North Pole in Greenwich (a trail-blazing gastro pub). Very generous portions - and a very comfortable place to sit around in. Easy parking too in the surrounding roads. Go for it!
Ah, yes, good point, parking will be important. Thanks Ben.
Also, just read an excellent review of The Perry Hill in today's Time Out magazine. It got 5/6 stars and is one of the best reviews I have read in TO. Well my mind has been made up for me and I will be booking tonight. Might even go down before hand after that review though - it's made me hungry.
Also, just read an excellent review of The Perry Hill in today's Time Out magazine. It got 5/6 stars and is one of the best reviews I have read in TO. Well my mind has been made up for me and I will be booking tonight. Might even go down before hand after that review though - it's made me hungry.
Perry Hill
I have eaten there too and it was very nice for a more upmarket/formal meal but virtually empty on the Wednesday night we went and the one table of customers in the bar area didn't really fit in (a bit rowdy). I must admit I was pretty surprised at the location as there are no train stations nearby, it is very residential and quite close to Bell Green/Bellingham where I couldn't see a huge market for such an upmarket place, that said I am sure there are lots of people on that side of Forest Hill and in parts of Catford who would appreciate it. I had lunch at the North Pole a few years ago and really enjoyed that too. Hopefully the Time Out review will bring more people in.
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nork1
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Re: Perry Hill
How inconvenient. Pubs are being closed down or turned into restaurants ('gastropubs'). Where are they supposed to go?poppy wrote:I have eaten there too and it was very nice for a more upmarket/formal meal but virtually empty on the Wednesday night we went and the one table of customers in the bar area didn't really fit in (a bit rowdy).
Perry Hill
I have thought about this myself, but there are plenty around and these rowdy groups of blokes can go into Bromley, Blackheath (O'Neills) or town for their Slug and Lettuces et al. And if the rough pubs that are closing down were doing such good business do you think they would be closing? (Although I know there is the argument about residential being more lucrative etc etc) But some of these old style pubs are virtually empty as they are! It was just an observation that is all because the Perry Hill seems very much an upmarket place. But I am personally glad we have moved on from the domination of loud, smokey pubs, with fruit machines and televsions playing endless football/rugby matches which many of us really do not enjoy being in. In fact we popped into that pub next to Sydenham woods recently and they have flat screen televisions attached to the outside walls! They could go there, perfect for a rowdy group of blokes 
and this is the Time Out review (referred to above):
http://www.timeout.com/london/bars/reviews/11754.html
http://www.timeout.com/london/bars/reviews/11754.html
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castiron73
- Posts: 132
- Joined: 24 Oct 2006 10:05
- Location: Sydenham Thorpes
Took the family for Sunday lunch today and the food was delicious. It looks worryingly like a Brewer's Fayre from the outside but it's much better when you get in. Nice mix of locals. Service was very friendly, including a French (waiter/manager?) who quickly sorted any problems and menaced the kitchen. 'Chef, zis soop is COLD!'
They serve food all day on Sundays and it was very reasonably priced with unusually generous portions for a gastro pub. Lots of comforting dishes and two roasts. They managed to offer a great choice of proper starters and mains - and a children's menu - from a minuscule kitchen tucked into the bar, so please take note Dolphin!
My only complaint is I wish they'd bought the Greyhound
We are almost becoming spoilt for choice
They serve food all day on Sundays and it was very reasonably priced with unusually generous portions for a gastro pub. Lots of comforting dishes and two roasts. They managed to offer a great choice of proper starters and mains - and a children's menu - from a minuscule kitchen tucked into the bar, so please take note Dolphin!
My only complaint is I wish they'd bought the Greyhound
We are almost becoming spoilt for choice
I agree, it's a cracking place.
Great food and they have also kept the 'pub' aspect of it nicely too - a nice couple of pints of Spitfire.
Very child friendly, with a huge safe space outside for them to play in (weather permitting).
It has a really nice atmosphere and is also nicely decorated; and the staff are all really nice too.
A nice cross section of south Londoners in there too; as well as there being lots of families, there was also a nice crowd of twenty to thirty somethings in there, who appeared to be having tequila slammers (respect is due on a Sunday afternoon) which made me think back to our pre-kids days.
All in all, a top place.
Great food and they have also kept the 'pub' aspect of it nicely too - a nice couple of pints of Spitfire.
Very child friendly, with a huge safe space outside for them to play in (weather permitting).
It has a really nice atmosphere and is also nicely decorated; and the staff are all really nice too.
A nice cross section of south Londoners in there too; as well as there being lots of families, there was also a nice crowd of twenty to thirty somethings in there, who appeared to be having tequila slammers (respect is due on a Sunday afternoon) which made me think back to our pre-kids days.
All in all, a top place.
Sounds great, can they buy the greyhound please?
I don't get these 'bloody gastropub' arguments. There are loads of pubs around, some closed down becasue no-one went to them. How many gastro pubs do we have in Sydenham? 1.
There is room for both. I live in Brockley, how many gastropubs do we have there? None unless you count the Honour Oak (which is really Forest Hill).
People want choice.
I don't get these 'bloody gastropub' arguments. There are loads of pubs around, some closed down becasue no-one went to them. How many gastro pubs do we have in Sydenham? 1.
There is room for both. I live in Brockley, how many gastropubs do we have there? None unless you count the Honour Oak (which is really Forest Hill).
People want choice.
Went to The Perry Hill also on Sunday. Must admit i was really taken back. The place was amazing, great food, great service, MASSIVE portions, very good value for money. I could have been eating in the west end. I walked in with my wife and kids and the place was full, we had to wait 15 minutes for a table but well worth the wait. You must see the garden out back. Its huge! This will be a massive hit next summer. Also came across the french waiter and I just had to mention the rugby.
The Perry Hill
Thought of taking my children there for dinner. Do there admit kids in the main restaurant after 19.00 hours ? Certain pub restaurants don't admit under 18s after 19.00 hours.
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castiron73
- Posts: 132
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- Location: Sydenham Thorpes
Had dinner there last night. The manager told me kids are welcomed in the restaurant and I did see a coupe of kids in there. Reasonable price and good food - apparently, they change the menu once a month. My slight qualm was the slow service - on this I was told that there was only one person manning the kitchen.
I have read through all the postings regarding the Perry Hill and am very disheartened that almost every one is full of glowing praise for it as a restaurant. Does nobody out there value the traditional British pub?
This used to be an authentic pub with traditional decor. I took a whole load of photos of the very cosy interior before they ripped everything out. Now, if you sit on the 'bar' side of the premises, there is no comfortable seating. All the cosy banquette seating has gone, replaced by straight-backed dining chairs so that you have so sit upright, or else you have to sit in one of the sofas, totally inappropriate in pubs and not conducive to a comfortable drinking experience.
All this would be just about bearable if it wasn't for two other things. If you buy a drink and have the temerity to sit on the comfortable banquette seating in the 'restaurant' side of the premises, you are told very snootily to move into the bar. I could even tolerate this.
However, the Perry Hill's worst crime is the extremely poor quality of the beer. I and at least five friends on separate occasions have ordered beer from the two hand-pumps only to be served flat, lifeless, or sour beer. Real ale drinkers have deserted the place in droves. The food may be excellent for all I know, but the owners really need to get their act together with the beer. I hope they read this and do something about it, as the place still has potential.
'SAY NO TO GASTRO'.
This used to be an authentic pub with traditional decor. I took a whole load of photos of the very cosy interior before they ripped everything out. Now, if you sit on the 'bar' side of the premises, there is no comfortable seating. All the cosy banquette seating has gone, replaced by straight-backed dining chairs so that you have so sit upright, or else you have to sit in one of the sofas, totally inappropriate in pubs and not conducive to a comfortable drinking experience.
All this would be just about bearable if it wasn't for two other things. If you buy a drink and have the temerity to sit on the comfortable banquette seating in the 'restaurant' side of the premises, you are told very snootily to move into the bar. I could even tolerate this.
However, the Perry Hill's worst crime is the extremely poor quality of the beer. I and at least five friends on separate occasions have ordered beer from the two hand-pumps only to be served flat, lifeless, or sour beer. Real ale drinkers have deserted the place in droves. The food may be excellent for all I know, but the owners really need to get their act together with the beer. I hope they read this and do something about it, as the place still has potential.
'SAY NO TO GASTRO'.
How many pubs are gastro compared to normal pubs?
There are loads of pubs around the place, if they haven't shut down down to lack of custom. Good luck to the owners, it looks great inside and the food was brilliant.
I'd much rather see this than a harvester/yet another all bar one or j d weatherspoon clone.
There are loads of pubs around the place, if they haven't shut down down to lack of custom. Good luck to the owners, it looks great inside and the food was brilliant.
I'd much rather see this than a harvester/yet another all bar one or j d weatherspoon clone.