Punchbowl gives it some welly

Oct 2 2008 By Neil Connor

The Punchbowl *****
Lapworth, Solihull. Tel: 01564 784564 www.thepunchbowllapworth.com

Our man is full of praise for a popular Lapworth hangout.

Beef Wellington is the culinary equivalent of that old, dusty Marconi radio in the corner of your grandparent’s living room.

It has been forgotten. Left to fade under the curtains or behind a row of books as more modern items of furniture take pride of place.

Created, legend has it, as a patriotic riposte to the French classic filet de boeuf en croute. It formally had all the suave and sophisticated swagger of a certain Arthur Wellesley – the man who was lent his name to the dish.

Whether it is named after the shiny boot that came during the Napoleonic Wars or the the 1st Duke of Wellington himself, is one for the serious British food anoraks.

But the fact remains, Beef Wellesley, sorry Wellington, has been exiled from menus in much as the same way as Napoleon was from France when he was given the boot.

But it has made a triumphant return to dinner tables thanks to a few pioneering gastopubs – most notably The Punchbowl in Lapworth.

Put simply, you could not ask for a better way to spend a sunny Sunday than to relax in the garden of this picturesque pub before going inside and getting stuck into a bottle of Louis Latour Pinot Noir 2004, Domaine de Valmoissine (£19.50), and a Beef Wellington. An ‘Entente Cordiale’ made in heaven.

Foie gras and black truffles have been replaced by chicken liver pate and/or duxelles in most Beef Wellingtons, but The Punchbowl have stayed with tradition, merely swapping the truffles for spinach. (Beef Wellington, spinach, foie gras, creamed mash potato, jus £16.95.)

Cooking pastry at home can have disastrous consequences for most people, but the burnt, dry, flakey substance that usually comes out of my oven was a dim and distant memory as I tucked into the buttery texture of The Punchbowl’s offering.

The lady opted for the traditional Sunday roast (£10.95), which had a fulsome Yorkshire pudding and a flavoursome gravy.

Tom, our ever helpful waiter, offered us extra jugs of gravy when we were running on short supplies. There was no need to ask.

We were feeling very traditional with our lashings of gravy, Yorkshire puddings, Beef Wellington etc. But moments earlier we were miles from these shores when we tucked into our Asian board (£13.95) which consisted of tangy sticky beef, marinated fresh tiger prawn on skewers and a healthy portion of chicken yuk shung. This bundle of Oriental favourites was our creative ‘yin’, to the more traditional ‘yang’ of the main courses. And the unity of opposites worked fantastically.

The Asian board is a favourite among punters at The Punchbowl as a main course. And it is easily on a par with some of the dishes this reviewer has experienced at traditional Chinese restaurants.

Although that might be explained by the fact that sous chef Barry Taylor has had experience in Asian kitchens.

The sticky beef in particular offered that rare quality of tender meet and soft, crispy batter.

The dish is a recent addition to the menu, which also includes a Mexican board, consisting of organic Cajun spiced chicken breast and sauces.

To continue the Quentin Tarantino structure of this review; it is now time to jump to the desserts.

Tom, who was last spotted delivering two jugs of gravy to our table, recommended the chocolate brownie (£4.95).

This was another dish which went beautifully with the Louis Latour. There was probably a pecan nut too many for this reviewer, but I consider anything that takes up space that would otherwise have been filled with chocolate to be at best inconvenient, at worst, blasphemous. (I take my chocolate eating seriously!)

One final word for the décor at The Punchbowl. The covered terrace was roomy and converts as a decent sized smoking area. The bar area is traditionally British, and a nice place to relax with a Timothy Taylor Landlord before entering the restaurant.

The restaurant itself has a cosy atmosphere when busy, and warmly welcomes children.

Former Birmingham City boss Steve Bruce, who lives locally, was on the next table.

Since moving to Wigan Athletic, Steve has decided to remain in Lapworth. His chairman at Wigan recently ruled out him taking the manager’s job at Newcastle United, by saying “he will be telling them what to do and where to go very quickly”.

He must know that moving further away from Beef Wellington like this would not be in his interests.