The Artful Duke – a new pub in the chain in the Livelyhood chain

BY PALOMA LACY

As pub groups go, Livelyhood is a safe pair of hands.

Notification of a new pub in the chain is enough to see me skip along, gladdened by the knowledge that a good time will most certainly be had by all.

The Artful Duke in Bromley opened in September, but events overtook and I was unable to attend the launch party so when I was invited by friends to the weekend bottomless brunch, I jumped at the chance.

This is yet another example that Livelyhood knows what customers want, from the décor to the menu.

Comfortable surroundings in which to enjoy decent food is the order of the day. Once our group gathered, we realised that few of us were in the mood for prosecco and despite having booked for brunch, changing to the a la carte menu was no problem.

The vibe is relaxed and cosy, just the sort of place I want to enjoy a cocktail – Espresso Martini on this occasion.

Livelyhood is known for its Sunday roast and kept South London fed during many lockdowns with roasts AT Home, when restaurants were closed.

Pre-orders were delivered to homes on Sunday for many to enjoy. The fact that that AT Home continues today shows how popular it is.

I spied the roast upon arrival and it certainly looked like the ultimate Sunday dish.

Available throughout Livelyhood’s pubs, the Swingers Roast serves two, but don’t let the name put you off.

It includes three meats – chicken, belly pork and beef so the diner doesn’t have to choose.

Quite honestly it could have easily fed three or a family of two adults, accompanied by the same number of kids.

The beef was a little overdone for my usual preference, I like mine cooked medium.

As strange as it might sound, meat isn’t at the top of my lunch agenda and the perfect roasties, and an interesting array of whole and mashed veggies made up for error with the beef. So too did home-made and huge Yorkshires and lashings of gravy.

One of my friends ordered the Meze and it fell short of the grand description.

It looked to be hummus, tzatziki, roasted peppers and pitta bread, with the strange decoration of whole cashews scattered on top.

In another deviation from description, dessert was allegedly, Eton Mess but I found the crushed filo topping, out of place and quite frankly, disappointing.

It tasted okay but was not as billed. Evaporated milk instead of whipped cream didn’t quite cut it.

Nonetheless, a few lapses didn’t spoil my overall enjoyment on this particular afternoon, and Livelyhood gets another general thumbs up.

The Artful Duke
196 High Street, Bromley, BR1 1HE
https://theartfulduke.co.uk/