The Loose Box

Stayed at an Airbnb around the corner. Came for dinner. Service was excellent, food even better. We both had the Portobello mushroom burger and it was the best I’ve had in a long time. Totally recommend this place.

The Loose Box has been around for a few years and is actually below where I work. It seems to be the destination of choice for those in my organisation who manage to escape and have a leaving do. I’ve given it four stars, though for me the Loose Box is a bit of a curate’s egg-​I tend towards the pubbier establishments in taste. I’ve eaten here and the food is well prepared. Staples such as burgers and fish and chips are very well done though prices are not cheap. The interior is part pub and part restaurant. It is definately for me leaning towards the latter in style and the LB is undeniably modern. They have a couple of real ales, though I wasn’t impressed by either recently and suspect clientelle don’t order draft ales and therefore they aren’t perhaps kept that well. There is of course the full array of «craft» draft ales as well as bottled beers and a good wine selection. The LB is open for breakfast which I think it is a nice idea. Overall, when I leave I probably won’t choose the LB, but for a gastro-​type modern pub/​restaurant I recognise it does things well.

Went for lunch with a friend here. It’s a nice little place with a good menu. There’s an outside space which was in the shade at lunch time but looks like it’ll be perfect for a sunny glass of wine or two after work. The staff were helpful, quick service and reasonably priced. Only downside was we both ordered a chicken and bacon sandwich and neither had bacon in which was a minor disappointment. The sandwich was still very good and they gave us a 20% discount to make up for it.

I’ve been here before but not for a while. On this occasion it was with a group of colleagues from work, one if whom had made a reservation. It seems that reservations are popular here as most of the place was reserved.
It’s a light airy pub, with a decent food menu — I didn’t eat but others said it was good. Table service was good and the staff were excellent. Would happily return — although I’ll be sure to reserve!

Food was pretty bland. Service was good but the credit card system was broken! We probably won’t go back. The food was kinda pricey given the average quality.

More of a restaurant than a pub. Really, really enjoyed the food and they did a good job coordinating meals to a large group (around 30 of us). One thing that was a bit frustrating was sorting out the bill at the end of the night, which ended up being chaotic and time consuming. Good spot for corporate lunches /​dinners in the neighbourhood.

Had dinner here one night during our vacation, as it’s within walking distance of the hotel. I had the risotto (that day’s special), my wife had the fish and chips. We shared the salmon appetizer. My wife had a mojito. All I can say is meh. Actually it ranges between a bleh and a meh, especially when you factor in the 78 GBP bill, and the three other pubs on the same street had better food at a quarter of the cost.

Not bad… Not really a traditional pub… Apt more trendy and the food is more pub gourmet than the normal pubs around…

I was hoping this was more of a pub. However, it was a nicer restaurant. The food was good. It was just not the atmosphere I was seeking.

Arrive and spot a patio table, snag it right up before anybody else does — score ! Aherm well, ish, table was filthy and I had to ask for a cloth to have it wiped and what did they do but come out with dry paper towel and dust away the crumbs leaving behind the glass table top covered in drink rings and finger prints :-(
Service, borderline deplorable, drinks ran dry if the orders were even taken in the first place for guests arriving a bit later and inside was not that full.
Why the three stars you ask? Well, allow me to enlighten you, we all know my feelings on bad service but here’s the thing — the food kind of trumps all. The roasted goat cheese and roasted red pepper salad was divine and same goes for the chicken sandwich which had bacon, avacado, tomato just basically all the things I love at lunch.
Bottom line is, I’d go back for lunch but I might sit inside where I’d be much harder to ignore — in theory.

This is an impressive pub/​restaurant with surprisingly good food. Though nominally a pub, it’s more styled as a restaurant, with set tables and chairs occupying a large amount of the floorspace. There is some space allocated for less formal drinking, with large comfy leather sofas to lounge on while sipping your chosen drink.
The stars of the show here though are the food, which is well-​crafted and good value, the good range of session ales such as Samsbrook Wandle and the friendly and quick service. Definitely recommended.

Modern pub which is frequented by suits and civil servants in theain during the week but is pleasantly quiet at the weekend.
Good selection of beer on tap including Wandle and Pride backed up by an extensive range from the bottle.
Food is very tasty and well priced — it’s not gastro standard but has no pretensions to be so.
Good selection of papers on offer including the FT weekend.
My top choice in this area after the Speaker.
⁷⁄₁₀. Best for weekend chilling

Have been at this place yesterday and was quite impressed about this nice location hidden at Horseferry Road. Nice atmosphere, friendly staff and clean location. Menu is a bit short, but well arranged even for a vegetarian. I chose the salmon on a green salad which was delicious. But the salad was a bit small so that we had to order a lot of bread beside, which was no problem. My friends took a burger, a «real» one and one with a special cheese. Looked very good aswell and the size was good for the price. Would recommend to put some more salads or starters in the menue to get a better choice for ordering something beside.

Note added August 2010: not going to bother with this one now. Surly floor manager refused to engage in conversation about how disappointing their food is, saying «why do you bother coming back then». Rubbish attitude.
Note added June 2010: still not sure about their food as had a burger which was dry and bland inside. Evening menu hasn’t changed much. Not really that gastro now. Service was very good, though.
Note added on 4 March 2010: worryingly, their evening menu doesn’t change much. I was informed that their menu changes «every month» which really isn’t great as I would expect to see at least a fortnightly if not weekly rotation. March’s «new» menu looks very similar to February’s version, with only minor ingredient changes. Hmmm!
Original post: A most welcome additional to the Horseferry Road area particularly because the Loose Box serves good gastro food in an area where most local pubs serve little to no food; and where food is offered, it is the greasy, stodgy variety. I can now eat out well locally and not spend the earth. Yippee!
The inside of the Loose Box, although nothing very distinctive, is well decorated, clean and pleasing to the eye in a sage green colour against a white background and dark, simple furniture. There are some original Private Eye type cartoon picutres hung on one wall which are for sale, I think.
They serve breakfast too albeit a little pricey.

Brand new pub on Horseferry Road opened in the spot previously occupied by The Puzzle (which closed when its holding company went into administration last year).
Only opened this week (25^th January 2010). The inside has been refurbished, painted and stylishly decorated. The place feels clean, bright and spacious; comfortable too. Friendly staff doing a good job of getting to grips with a new pub. Communication was good, particularly when our food took over long to arrive and someone kept checking for us and coming back to apologise and update.
Their food menu errs on the side of «gastro». Key ingredient of each dish is clearly marked with where the ingredient came from — mostly somewhere within the UK. Prices are reasonable with most mains under £10.
I had a portobello mushroom and haloumi burger which was very tasty and fresh (and I am no vegetarian myself). My other half had the avocado and grilled chicken sandwich which she was very keen on it for the following reasons: the bread was sourdough, toasted and very flavoursome; the salad (spinach, fresh sliced tomato and avocado) was freshest and dressed with a tasty herb oil dressing; and the chicken was perfectly grilled and tender.
We are very happy with the Loose Box indeed and will be visiting often.
Beers-​wise, a selection of Fuller’s beers, Bitburger and one other German beer the name of which I will find out tonight …