The George – interior warmth, with a touch of glamour
As we walked into the refurbished The George, the gleaming bar enticed us over straight away.
Attention was quickly drawn to the gin station, carefully laid out with all kinds of flavour accompaniments.
A special treat on a night to celebrate the reopening, the barman went through the seemingly never-ending combinations available, recommending raspberry-flavoured gin (Bombay sapphire) with ginger beer and mint, which felt like a risk but was actually a great way to showcase the spirit.
Once regarded as mother’s ruin, there seems no sign of gin’s popularity diminishing.
We sat down nearby to enjoy our aperitifs and marvel at the new interior.
Boldly tropical prints have been commissioned on the soft furnishings, adding domestic interior warmth, with a touch of glamour.
A clearly defined dining area is situated to the left hand-side and back quarters of this quite vast pub, contributing to the upmarket feel of the place.
This was in part because it is new, but also because the steady stream of social media influencers in attendance made it feel like an episode of The Only Way Is Essex or similar docu-soap.
Perfectly manicured ladies and gents dazzled, while capturing every inch of life at The George on their camera phones.
The beautifully-crafted interior design was matched by a care and attention to service and drinks.
The George also boasts an impressive cocktail menu with a focus on the classics. Testimony of a superb old fashioned and espresso martini can be provided, if needed. Aperitivo hour (4-8pm, Monday to Friday) sees cocktails priced at £6.
The wine list is extensive, with staff on hand to help navigate the diner through food and drink pairings.
Beer choice is more limited – the cask choices available are Doom Bar and London Pride – but the Curious Brew lager is a superb accompaniment to many meals. Of course, it is fermented with champagne yeast. No surprise, this place attracts a Champagne kind of crowd.
The George offers what it calls a stylish and relaxed atmosphere. It’s as much of a restaurant as it is a pub and a popular one at that.
Manager Del told us he regularly oversees Sunday lunch service for more than 200 covers.
The evening menu is posh pub grub, giving classic dishes the modern touch, while adding those popular ones that are on their way to becoming classics.
Pan-fried wild scallops, cooked in ras el hanout and served with smoked haddock Florentine bonbons, celeriac puree, apple and fennel tartare worked surprisingly well.
A dish that seemed to have rather a lot going on was well thought out and finely balanced.
Salt and Szechuan pepper squid offered the piquancy its description promised, with chipotle mayonnaise a very welcome addition.
The portion was big enough for two and we rather liked the fulsome basket used to present this moreish pop-in-the-mouth dish.
We also ordered halloumi fries because it increasingly becoming a huge favourite and the salty snack dipped into sweet chilli sauce was a delight.
Starters of cheese soufflé, sauteed mushrooms on toast and duck parfait ticked the classics box nicely.
They were joined by the more daring Asian-style crispy duck salad and pank-breaded bried with apricot and ginger chutney.
Note, that in line with Government rules – every dish displays the calorific content.
The main courses are a solid effort at modernising the classics, most of which made sense.
Rotisserie half chicken, cooked and basted with sweet chilli sauce, and served with the most intensely chicken-flavoured gravy, seasoned with thyme.
Seriously, the most flavoursome gravy consumed in a very long time. Skin-on-fries and garlic mayonnaise to dip into completed this dish.
Smoked haddock Florentine fishcakes, seared salmon fillet and fish and chips will keep traditionalists happy.
As will the grill section, with its choice of 28-day aged 7oz fillet and 30-day 10oz rib eye steaks.
Both are keenly priced at under £27. This was a nice surprise, given the rise in food prices restaurants have to pass on to customers.
Most mains are priced around the £14 mark but if you’re looking to spend a little less, pizza will set you back a tenner.
Perhaps the finest execution of all was saved for dessert and our choice of white chocolate cheesecake trio – not so much a deconstruction, as more of a reconstruction, served as balls, with the biscuit bases wrapped around the fillings.
The good people of Hayes are truly lucky to be able to call The George their local.
While we will continue to mostly admire from afar, we certainly won’t be strangers.
THE GEORGE, 29 Hayes Street, Hayes, Bromley BR2 7LE.