The Grazing Goat in Portman Village is a smartly fitted-out pub, with an upstairs dining room and townhouse style bedrooms. The Cubbitt House group, to which it belongs also has three other similarly smart public houses across well-healed West London.
Competition in the gastro pub market is fierce in London, so it’s vital that businesses get their formula right if they are going to encourage repeat custom. The Grazing Goat usually requires reservations so it must be doing something right, though this might be down to its residential location rather than what it has to offer.
The main bar level, while having very chic rustic decor suffers from being filled with too many tables. That coupled with the lack of soft furnishing means that the room reverberates with a lot of noise, making it impossible to have a conversation. Sadly, the skill of the waiting staff (and there are a lot of them) does not make-up for this as they seem to have no clear purpose which leaves you constantly waiting for service while they wander around aimlessly.
Food wise, things are a bit better. The seared beef salad with artichokes and a truffle shallot dressing is tasty and refreshing. Though, the half roast chicken may come as a bit of a disappointment if you are actually expecting the full half chicken. Instead, you’ll get a daintily carved-up breast and thigh, with a good half of the meat being left behind in the kitchen; not very satisfying. Also, a split Béarnaise sauce doesn’t show off a great level of skill. However, things are pulled back a bit with the homely banana caramel cheesecake with sea salt caramel ice-cream. Though over all, it’s clear that the food is at the average end of gastro pub food spectrum.
All together, the experience while not unpleasant is not memorable. There are certainly better places to have a pint and a decent meal, backed-up by professional service and a relaxing environment.