Laughing Gravy

The first time we ended up at this restaurant, it was due to a an unfortunate set of circumstances: we were drinking in a pub right next to Waterloo station and then we got hungry. A show at the Old Vic had just finished, which meant Anchor and Hope was too busy, and our mate Steve is allergic to chain restaurants (he’s a proper diva). Things were looking bleak. And then we found The Laughing Gravy.

As it turns out, while it certainly isn’t Anchor and Hope, The Laughing Gravy is a perfectly suitable substitute if you find yourself in a similar situation. What might seem at first glance to be a run of the mill British Brasserie actually has quite a few surprises in store, and by that we mean it’ll take you a solid 15 minutes to understand what exactly what’s going on with the menu, thanks to ingredients you’ve never heard of combined with names of dishes you only slightly recognise. The result will likely be that the majority of your party ends up ordering the burger. Which happens to be quite good.

But experimentation at The Laughing Gravy does pay off, as even the most unfamiliar of dishes tend to be enjoyable, and the the dessert menu is actually insane. Insane in a good way. Every item on the dessert menu looks like something you might frame instead of eat, and tastes a lot better than eating something in a frame. Skipping that part of this menu would be a very large mistake.

The Laughing Gravy may not be your first pick restaurant in this neighborhood, but you want something more exciting than a chain and Anchor and Hope is not an option, this is a very decent back-up plan. Even if you do just end up ordering the burger.