The Canton Arms, Stockwell

    There were blackouts all over London last night, and the Carnivore and I found ourselves smack in the center of one.  A long, skinny swath of our neighborhood was left without power for several hours, rather inconveniently both after dark and during the dinner hour.  Nothing loath, we bumbled around in the dark for a while in search of candles and a lighter before deciding to ride the storm out in true English style:  at the pub. 

    The Canton Arms, located less than two blocks away from us, is the closest (of many) local pubs.  That’s naturally where we headed.  The fact that they serve hamburgers may or may not have had any bearing on our decision.
    We ordered our burgers almost immediately upon arrival and, although the service was polite and amiable, it was also slow.  The pub was not even half-full, so I was a little surprised that it took half an hour or more for our burgers to appear.  That said, it’s a very comfortable pub – we were seated on deep, squashy couches in the drinking area at the pub’s front, rather than the dining area at the pub’s rear – and the televisions were showing a football game.  And it’s not like we had anywhere to go, besides a dark and cold flat.  I do recall from previous visits, however, that food service there tends to be leisurely.
    The burgers themselves were good, though not great.  They were well-done, so were a bit dry.  The only toppings that came with them were a big pile of lettuce (definitely too much for the average burger-eater; I had three full-sized leaves to contend with), a squib of melted cheese, a strip of bacon, and some seasoned chopped tomatoes.  Call me a purist, but chopped tomatoes seem a little unwieldy to offer as a burger topping – they tend to fall out the sides of the assembled hamburger.  They were, however, quite nicely seasoned, and tasted very good.  Overall, the presentation of the burger was a little lackluster.  Presentation shouldn’t matter too much with a burger, but meat/bun coverage is important, and the little squib of melted cheese, and the single strip of bacon, provided neither.  That, in addition to the slightly-too-dry meat and mystifying chopped tomato topping, combine to make me rate this burger a little less generously than I might otherwise be inclined to do.
    The chips, however, were uniformly delicious.  They were thick-cut, neither too hot nor too cold, and neither over- nor under-fried.  Also, and this is really important, they weren’t oily.  And they were provided in wonderful big heaps, so I was really quite happy with them.
    Overall, the Canton Arms makes a nice neighborhood pub, but it’s not one I’d recommend people go out of their way to visit.  Although it really is very comfortable – the interior is pleasant and light without looking anachronistic or coldly modern – it can be a bit loud. The televisions were being played at full volume during the football match last night, which I can understand, but on previous visits to the dining section at the rear of the pub the music has been played at distractingly high volumes as well.  The food is good, and the menu offerings tend more toward gastro-pub than traditional pub-food, which is nice if you’re looking for a pork-chop rather than pie or fish and chips.  Apparently they run an excellent quiz, though I can’t speak from first-hand experience.

 

The Canton Arms

177 South Lambeth Road (Stockwell or Vauxhall tubes)

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Comments

[Jared]

Those *were* good chips.

Also, I wasn't impressed by the beer selection. We wound up drinking Amstel, which was odd.

[Bathsheba]

Hi, Carni
Great blog!
Just thought I would tell you that I have done a post on you on my blog Stockwell News.
All the best
Bathsheba

[Anne]

Thank you! We do live nearby, and hope to review more local restaurants and pubs in the future.