The name may be a bit of a mouthful, and a bit confusing. "So, where did you go for lunch today?" "Oh, I popped over to Great Queen Street." "Umm, yeah, but what restaurant did you go to?"
Not confusing at all however, is their attitude to food and service. No nonsense, no frills, what you see on the tin. Like the name, stripped down to the bare essence of great produce and British cooking and I love it.

Check the attitude of that lamp! The no nonsense lamp shade illuminates a number of no nonsense brew labels.
Originally uploaded by Manne.
Last Friday I had a day off. In fact, I have every Friday in December off and the only plan I have is to spend lots of time eating, cooking, reading and writing. Luxury.
Anyway.
Last Friday, on my day off (I can't get enough of saying that), I crowdsourced some restaurant recommendations on Twitter. Kindly @ChrisPople and @GreedyDiva got in touch with a few good suggestions, but the one that really peaked my interest was the subject of this post, 32 Great Queen Street.
Looked a few reviews up and the one that really made me decide I had to go was actually by AA Gill... Funny review, starting off sounding like he intends to slam them down, but towards the end is so lyrical about them that he associates them with Blake, Swift, Bunyan and others as hinting at true British greatness.
Arriving at about 12.15 the restaurant was almost empty. Bad sign, I thought, on such a lovely and sunny Friday. However, as I started making myself comfortable and sat down at a small table by the window a girl hurried over from the bar and asked me if I intended to have lunch. Which I, slightly confused and with hope in my voice immediately confirmed. Hungry, see.
She then asked me if I wouldn't mind sitting in the bar as they were fully booked for lunch... I moved over to the bar, and indeed. Not more than 15 minutes later the place was rammed!
I like sitting in the bar. You can chat to the bar staff (a very nice and attentive fellow named James), you can check out the beer and wine on offer (I particularly liked the brand "The Usual") and it just feels more casual.
Ordering some wine and sparkling water I helped myself to some bread and studied the menu. As austere in layout and content as the rest of the restaurant, but full of exciting names of food stuffs unfamiliar to me. Like "Middlewhite", which I had to ask what it was, apparently a breed of pig.
I got the Jerusalem artichoke soup, and the curious Middlewhite pork dish, which was served with chocroute, braised red cabbage and horseradish sauce. If a dish ever was designed for me, that's it.

Jerusalem artichoke soup, and some very excellent bread.
Originally uploaded by Manne.
The soup was decorated with a golden swirl of oil and delivered at a perfect temperature. Hot and warming, but not roof of mouth charring. Creamy and sweet, there was just a hint of saltiness. As I reached the bottom of the bowl I mopped the remains up with some of the bread, wondering if they would think me weird if I started licking the bowl clean.
I feel a bit of need to pick on the wine glasses. Check the above photo. Not the fact that they are simple affairs, sticking to their guns and serving wine in water glasses is a good thing, no, the fact that they are tiny.

Middlewhite pig at its finest, slow cooked and with crispy crackling.
Originally uploaded by Manne.
Pork was succulent and moist, with just the right amount of fat in there to make the meat juicy and rich in flavour. Without a doubt the crackling was the masterpiece of the dish. Delicate, golden, sublimely crunchy like a baked Lay's crisp.
Serving pork with pickled cabbage is my idea of food heaven. Here I got a double whammy, pickled chocroute and braised red cabbage both on the same plate (check this photo for the full view of the pork and cabbage glory). Both the varieties of cabbage cut nicely through the fat in the pork, the red cabbage in a lovely, spicy, cinnamony kind of way.
Horse radish was of cask strength variety: head expanding, nose blowing, wasabi like explosivity.
Having devoured both dishes I was starting to feel quite satisfied. James wouldn't have it though, he forced upon me the dessert menu. Being the timid Swede that I am, always following the orders of authority, who was I to argue? My eyes fell upon the words "Bitter chocolate terrine with chestnut cream" and I knew there would be no escape.

Chocolate and cream. So simple, yet so beautiful.
Originally uploaded by Manne.
I won't bore you with stating the obvious, I will urge the readers to draw your own conclusions about the quality of my dessert. My only point of criticism is that I was unable to finish it...
Bill came to £32.45 with a glass of wine and a cup of (excellent) coffee. Not too expensive for a three course meal which will stay in my mind as the best lunch of 2009. Then again, I have three more Fridays off to go...
More reviews:
URL: Giles Coren, Times Online
URL: Time Out, 32 Great Queen Street
URL: Squaremeal
URL: Matthew Norman, The Guardian
URL: Harden's






