The White Swan

Really cool gastropub tucked away on Fetter Lane between Holborn and Fleet. The bottom level is a traditional pub, good after-​work crowd. Upstairs is a more formal dining room (but still a casual feel). The menu is definitely upscale gastropub food — a lot of seafood, fish, game. I had the tomato burrata salad which was very refreshing and then the gnocchi with peas which were excellent. Definitely try the sticky toffee pudding for dessert! Would definitely recommend for a nice meal or business dinner after work.

We went along and the staff are very friendly, helpful and nice. Also the table cloths on the tables look nice and clean however I think the room needs modernising a bit. the food was good but maybe a tad salty and I was not impressed with the portion size.

We were 6 people, wanting to catch up after a couple of months of busy life. It took us three weeks of an email chain and close to 50 emails to settle on a date… and then we forgot to book the place we wanted to go to. it was trendy. By the time I called, it was also fully booked.
So I looked on old faithful: tastecard, to see what I could rustle up at short notice, preferably with an apologetic and useful discount. The White Swan had great reviews (on google and tastecard) and 50% off the food. It was also in the perfect location. I booked.
They confirmed the reservation on the day, and I showed up a few minutes early. I found it easily, walked in… and was grateful to have read that the dining room was upstairs, because downstairs is YAP: yet another pub…
I climbed two flights of stairs, and found myself in a high-​ceilinged bay-​windowed air-​conditioned wood-​panelled little piece of heaven, with a smiling and professional french waiter in full long-​aproned gear. Heaven!
Friends arrived soon, but the main contingent took nearly one hour from our original booking time. The staff happily brought us bowls of delicious olives from the downstairs pub, and extra servings of bread as we waited for the latecomers. When we finally ordered, and the starters arrived… Wow… I have eaten in my fair share of excellent restaurants… I did not expect to find such exquisite flavour combinations and impeccably creative construction and presentation two floors above a pub. Neither did anyone else. As bites were taken, eyebrows were raised in delight… The latecomers, having helpfully suggested we «start without [them]», were envious.
Then, we ordered the mains. That was a tough choice for me. There was lamb (i usually hate it when it’s oven baked), duck (sometimes there’s too much fat for my liking), gnocchi (i will never order gnocchi outside of a — good — italian restaurant), turbot, veal cheeks, and one other fish that I can’t remember. Several of us opted for the veal cheeks. YUMMMMMMMY! Gosh. Despite the frenchness of the place, and the portions, I have to admit I found the serving generous! Far from overwhelming, but generous. Pair it with a side of chips (delicious double-​fried hand-​cut chips), and you’re golden. (the chips were too. Golden that is).
Moving on to dessert, a couple had the banana soufflé with peanut butter ice cream. Not enough ice cream… but… the flavours… the flavours! I’m a die-​hard chocaholic. I’ll have the cheese board if there is nothing chocolatey on the menu. And yet I would go back for the banana soufflé and peanut butter ice cream. If you don’t try it, you have not lived. Fluffy. Light. Peanutty. Banana-​y. Oh, and the peanut brittle on the side is yum too.
Then the bill came, we did some maths, and concluded that 6 people (3 had 3-​course meals, 3 had 2-​course meals) sharing two bottles of wine for £220 was a bargain. Mind you, the tastecard is needed for that… and has some exclusions, requires booking, yadda yadda yadda… But do you know what the fun bit is?
We all agreed we would go back and pay full price. It was DELICIOUS! And impeccably served.

Quick glance:
+ sumptuous food tucked away upstairs
+ fresh ingredients cooked to perfection
+ friendly staff
+ set menu available
+ good for business lunch
— musty pub smell on the way
From the outside, the White Swan looks like a normal pub. Heck, even on the inside ground floor it looks like a regular pub, serving a selection of ales and beers and traditional pub food. It even smells of a pub.
But upstairs is a completely different world. Crisp white tablecloth on each of the 10 or so tables, wine glasses, silverware, sharply dressed waiters… Have I just been teleported to another restaurant?
Set menu seemed to be the only option available on the Monday lunchtime when I visited. You could order just one course which would be charged at a la carte prices, but those were nowhere to be found so I guess that’s their not so subtle way of encouraging patrons to order two or more courses.
That little hiccup aside, the food and service were impeccable. I had the scallop to start (plump and juicy) and lamb loin for mains (tender and flavoursome). They also served us an amuse-​bouche before our ordered appetiser, and a bite-​size chocolate treat with our coffee. What a delight!
The place is packed with business diners from nearby offices. Booking is recommended since the venue is small (although we were lucky and got a table without reservation on a Monday lunchtime). It may not be the most glamorous location, having to travel up a few flight of stairs through the musty pub odour, but there is the reward of a delicious meal waiting on the other side.

Discreet, out of the way, wood panelling, perhaps a bit lawyery.
On the up side: Lots of rather decent beer (Doom Bar, Wandle, and a seasonal from Adnam’s the night I was there).
On the down side: A bit cramped. The upstairs is really wedged in and short.
Not a bad place, but I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way for it.

Ah, fancy pub food. That’s what The White Swan serves… really really delicious and fancy pub food in a laid back pub atmosphere. You get what you pay for here and let me tell you, it’s worth the extra cash.

From the moment you step foot inside, it is clear that the pub is the focus of this place. So if you’re looking for a drink after work in the area, its not a bad destination to go to, although its quite small inside so when its crowded it could be noisy!
The dining room is located all the way at the top on the 3^rd floor, away from the hustle and bustle of the bar. Service was quick and efficient — but it would have been better if staff were a bit smarter.
We went with a 50% off TopTable deal, which in terms of value, was pretty good for the portions that we got. My main of trout, peas, and bacon bits was rather bland and uninspiring though — although my partner’s skirt steak dish was decent.
The letdown was that as we were both in animated discussion, I had just skimmed through the mains and settled on the trout fairly quickly — and then looked through the sides, and thought peas and bacon looked good. The waiter really should have pointed out at that moment that my trout dish already came with the same peas and bacon — why he did not is just beyond my understanding. Hence I was left to eat lots of peas. and bacon. I know, it was my fault for not reading my dish carefully, but all the same, it doesn’t say much for the service there when that happens. Especially with the 12.5% service charge added on top.
Overall, it was a so-​so food experience, value for money with the TopTable deal, but let down by a basic service error.
The London Insider

Sort of discreetly tucked away on Fetter Lane, the White Swan is what I would characterize as being an update on traditional British fare. The ingredients are local and fresh and the presentation is always pleasing.
A weekday lunch here will likely bring you among the working crowd with suits and midday wine-​sipping being a popular sight. However, the upstairs dining room has a great atmosphere and (tip to the food bloggers) excellent lighting for taking pictures of your entrée.
I had the Yorkshire patridge with red cabbage and it was delicious. It also came with creamy potatoes and bacon (har har har) which packed a surprising punch. Everyone else I was with had the risotto, which I gather was a bit heavy, but still good.
The restaurant also has a prix fixe type lunch menu, which I considered trying but alas, that is an adventure for another day!

My girlies and I had a wonderful catchup meal in the upstairs restaurant of White Swan. We made a reservation ahead, which I highly recommend since it does get a bit busy up there — or maybe that was only because of the holidays.
The scallop and potato appetiser was wonderful. My friend actually ordered it as an entrée (doubled, basically) and it was the table’s favourite. Yum yum. The risotto main dish was a bit too rich and had fried sunchokes (or some sort of starchy vegetable) on top which only made it more heavy. It was very tasty, but I recommend it as a shared dish. The bread and butter pudding was amazing and accompanied by a citrus custard. Seriously good.
I highly recommend the upstairs dining for an intimate date or a catchup with friends. It would probably also be good for daytime lunch with coworkers — a bit on the fancier side though. The downstairs pub is your typical nicer pub with a good afterwork crowd. Prices are normal for the area.

This place is absolutely divine. Have been here several times, and whether having fish, meat, or something else from the menu, it has always been prepared to perfection. I love the soups for a starter, they are particularly good. And make sure, even if you are reaching bursting point, that you at least share a dessert, you won’t be sorry. This remains one of my favourite places to dine in town.

Positives first. I love the room. I also love the fact that it bills itself as a Pub & Dining Room rather than a gastropub and gives reasonable room to both aspects of that. Downstairs, a pub — a slightly posh pub, admittedly, but still recognisable as the sort of boozer City Boys, accountants and legal types will frequent. Which, given the location, is clearly the target market.
I was also impressed with the efficiency of the service — only two guys looking after 30, 40 covers — and my starter, smoked haddock, quail’s egg in a leek and potato veloute, was delightful. Just at the point you’d assume it was underseasoned, the haddock kicked in to prove otherwise, with the egg adding texture and richness. The Saddle of Lamb was also good. Tender, subtle but with a lingering hint of fields and happy sheep.
Less impressive though was salmon rillettes — very pretty but all lemon and dill and crying out for a little Melba toast or something — and a piece of veal. It was tender but mostly flavourless, a piece of protein generally overpowered by the gentle tomato sauce. And that can’t be good.
Poached seasonal fruit and yoghurt ice cream was declared a hit though, although gooseberry fool was too much fool, not enough gooseberry. Lovely biccies with it though
Pleasant enough and annoyingly close to being something really good. Maybe they were just having a slight off day though.

I was tempted to keep this gem of a place to myself, but I believe in the spirit of sharing, and what with the new year bringing with it a resolution to be less of a selfish so-​and-​so I thought what the hell, I’ll tell my fellow Qypers about the White Swan. I went to the more formal upstairs dining room just before christmas for a family meal with my mother, granddad and his lady friend, and all four of us cleaned our plates in every course. The menu changes often but highlights of our meals included gorgeous dressed crab, a meltingly tender oxtail starter, pheasant with an outstanding winter berry sauce, and an intense chocolate pot with cream as a pudding. The wines were also fantastic and the service was a dream– attentive without skulking around our table staring at our plates and glasses. The pub downstairs also serves food which– if it is anything like the quality of the dining room– would definitely be worth a try, and the meal was really reasonably priced considering the quality of the food [or so Mumsy said as she was the one footing the bill]. This is a brilliant little joint to know and I would definitely return with family, friends or dates who wouldn’t mind me eating three courses then holding my belly groaning. So maybe a second date place rather than the first