Deerlicious Dinner

My Mum and Dad have made it overseas!!

Currently, 50% of my family is in London, and I am loving it!

It is so nice to have my sister and my parents to frolic the streets and eat sticky toffee things with!

It is my dad's first time in London, and my mum's second - but really more like her first since she doesn't remember a thing about the few days she spent here as a 20 year old on a European tour. My mum's main concern is getting on the double decker red tour bus, and riding past Buckingham Palace. My dad's is how to avoid spending all day on the double decker red tour bus, riding past Buckingham Palace.

Sadly, I am at work all day so I won't be riding anything.

I am in charge of the evenings. Dinner, drinks, late-night walks. 3 things I can do very, very well. I started planning this week of food months ago, making sure to get reservations at all the best places. Since it was their first meal in England, I decided we needed to have dinner at a typical, British pub so they could try the world-infamous cuisine of England.

I heard several sources that the pub of all pubs was the Harwood Arms, and good luck getting a reservation unless you are the Queen mother. I may not be the Queen, but I am Lady Anna. So, using my charm, wit, and powers of persuasion, I secured a reservation - amiss the protest from my family.

My mum was worried the street wasn't cute enough and the reservation was too early. My sister thought it was a big mistake after looking up the sample menu, which did sound horrible with many strange animals poached or grilled with odd bits and bobs. But I trusted the raves reviews and insisted we go. And thank jolly goodness we did!

We arrived at the Harwood Arms to find the most adorable, dimly lit pub with flickering candles, worn wooden tables and mixed-matched patterned cushions. Moments after sitting down, we received two cloth baskets filled with warm bread and a slick slab of salted butter: 1 a potato loaf from Bourough Market, the other Irish Soda Bread made fresh in house. I started drooling from the smell alone.

We went through 4 bread baskets - that's a basket each. We could not stop eating this bread! I think the waitor found the whole thing quite amusing, as we theorized to him how delicious the bread would be as toast, as french toast, with nutella, on a pb&j....and how they should sell it to go. Our new BFF waitor kept bringing us basket after basket and drink after drink while we evaluated the menu...

Venison Steak, Pigeon Pie, Roasted Brill.... oh, how to choose when everything sounds so yucky yummy?

It really all sounded quite awful in the description. But the menu changes everyday, based on whatever is fresh and in season. So even though things don't sound appetizing, we knew they probably were. So we decided to divide and conquer. All try something different so we could taste more things.

I went for the poached cod, mum for the beef rib, dad for the pork belly, and Amanda planned on being very adventurous, and getting the pigeon pie.

But before doing so, she asked the waitor what pigeon tasted like.

His honest reply, which was an attempt to convince her to order this dish was,

"Imagine if you could taste the color grey"

Needless to say, Amanda went with the roasted brill instead.

We also tried the venison sampler as a starter, which arrived first on an enormous slab of tree, arranged like an art exhibition. The venison scotch egg was perched high on a nest of egg creates above 2 vension pates on toasted brioche. On the other side was two mini venison chops, and pudgy sausages adorned with sprigs of rosemary. To wash it down, 2 mini cups of venison broth.

Oh my, it was deerlicious! Who knew Bambi was so tasty?

After inhaling the bread and starter, we knew we were in for a treat when our mains came round. Anyone who says English food is bad has not been the Harwood Arms. We were in stange-meat heaven.

Of course, a Kloots would never stop there.

Next up was dessert! Fresh mint ice cream with bourbon cookies and candied popcorn for mum and dad, and cold rice pudding with elderflower, pears, and lemon curd donuts for me and mands.

Again, it sounded gross but was in fact, nothing short of heavenly.

Just when we thought things couldn't get any better, our waitor brought over a to-go bag with a huge hunk of their Irish Soda bread in it! There aren't even words to describe our joy and admiration. I can't get my mind off the loaf of bread wrapped up a few feet from me. I will certainly be having Irish-Soda dreams, and certainly be going back there often!

After all my doubt, I'm glad I trusted my instincts and gave this amazing place a shot! It was the perfect, welcome to London dinner to share with my family! I wish I could give the Harwood Arms a giant handshake and happily declare, "WELL DONE YOU!"