Have lunch at the Quality Chop House

A Farringdon Road institution that has been trading from the same premises under the same name since 1869, the Quality Chop House has long intrigued your author, and last week an excuse finally arose to visit for lunch. A beautiful little place, set in a Grade II listed building, designed by the architect Rowland Plumbe and built by George Day, in what we are told is a polychrome Venetian Gothic style, the premises are apparently driven by Plumbe's desire to create utilitarian spaces for the masses that had a touch of glamour, something that is still evident nearly 150 years later.


Whilst it would be east to spend a relatively large amount of money at today's Quality Chop House if you desire to do so, it's also possible to have a reasonably affordable meal, and your author's "lunch plate" included roast ham, potatoes, veg and a glass of red wine for just £10, a rarity in this part of London. Staff were attentive and everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves, sat in tidy little wooden booths on comfortable cushions, experiencing how it's possible to see a little of the good life at lunchtime before scurrying back to a grey box to get back to work.

For more, see http://thequalitychophouse.com/