The Duke (used to be Page 2/Village inn)

[reds]

Drove past the old Page 2/Village Inn yesterday and saw The Duke is now open for business after a recent renovation. Has anybody visited yet?

[PeckhamRose]

Nope but it's nearby so will soon and report back.

[Marmora Man]

And I thought this was about the time John Wayne visited East Dulwich!

[david_carnell]

I got a flyer for this at the weekend.

Had a nice chat with the guy and he told me about their proposals:

Food will be local, seasonal and some organic. Menus will change regularly to reflect this.

Wines will be from Green & Blue

He'll have real ales from next week.

He's looking for a return to a real pub atmosphere from what it was before.

The flyer also gave you 20% off food.

Could be great if it lives up to the idea.

[Miss P]

Myself & Mr P picked up a flyer in Green & Blue last Sunday. We took said flyer to The Duke & found it closed and still full of builders stuff. We were a bit peeved as the flyer implied the place was already open for business. That was on Monday night, so maybe they've opened since? We ended up having a rather lovely evening in The Rye round the corner.

[TJ]

Where is this pub??

[Rolo Tomasi]

TJ - Here

[Miss P]

The building looks great (from the outside)... does anyone know when they're opening their doors?

[david_carnell]

It was supposed to be open already. Is it not?

[Miss P]

I haven't been since Monday night when it was still closed - anyone been past more recently?

[carolyn]

walked by last night and it looked like it was open. would have gone in but was meeting my young man at the Nun's Head. looked like there were plenty of comfy chairs, just not many people sitting in them yet

[standswithfist]

hi all

i went in on saturday to try out the food and check it out. the food was fantastic and my other half was impressed. (I mention this as it really does take a lot to impress him!). Unfortunately they do have (like any other new bars) teething problems (not enough staff on) - it was very busy for food and the front bar seemed to get busy too. I would like to try out the sunday lunch there but I really liked it - food good, staff lovely and very patient.

only downside for me no screens therefore still searching for somewhere to watch the footy now the mag has gone.

p.s. forgot to tell u what we ate - starter caeser salad which we shared and was SO delcious, mains - I had tolouse sausages with mash and red wine jus - again absolutely divine, Mr SWF had the burger and the chips were delicious like home made chips yummy. we skipped dessert as by this point it was rather late.

[david_carnell]

Website is up and running:

http://www.thedukese15.co.uk/#

Looks good.

[rhianwheeler]

Went there last Wednesday for dinner and it was lovely. A little bit quiet (not many other diners), but food and service were excellent. Will definitely be returning.

[Sue]

Dan Maitland used to put on a good evening here ("What's wrong with my boyfriend?") - wonder if they'll have music back.

[JJB]

Went there for the first time tonight, very pleasant, good food, can recommend :)-D

[PeckhamRose]

Where's my flier?!

Hmmpphhh

Shall check it out soon!

[lard]

Marmora Man Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> And I thought this was about the time John Wayne

> visited East Dulwich!

Maybe it is the modern day fake tanned one. Cheap as chips!

[SeanMacGabhann]

popped along here yesterday for some Sunday Lunch as was veeerrry impressed. The food itself was top notch with very thickly sliced roast beef, nicely rare and quality ingredients. David Oooh-no-alcohol-for-me-not-after-last-night Carnell joined me later and was similarly impressed

But for the first time since I've been going to whichever-pub-is-on-the-site they seem to have nailed the interior - front is lounge/casal eating with a more formal (but not starchy) back room. A candidate for forum drinks I say - it takes less that 5 minutes to get there from Locale or the Rye hotel so is easily convenient

[alm]

I'd like to second (or thirds) the good reviews. Mrs Alm and I went there Thursday last week - bit quiet but not deserted. The burger was excellent but even better was the crab starter - really fresh and tasty. The wine list as expected was very good and as SeanM states the unwieldy layout firnally works. I think it walks the tightrope between good local boozer and poncy gastropub pretty well. I confess a vested interest as it is my local and I would love to see the latest incarnation bed in, so get along and make it work.

[dulwich bhoy]

Yes this is my maiden post but no I dont work for or have any interest in the Duke. Lets get that out of the way before anyone reads my very very enthusiastic review of this pub and gets all accusatory.

To the pub..... The missus and I took a look at the weather yesterday and decided to go out for lunch to somewhere we hadnt tried before or hadnt been to for a while. This didnt leave a lot of choice given that we like to eat out a fair bit but it came down to the Montpelier, the Duke or the Nun's Head. Given that we hadnt been to the Duke, that was my favourite and so we headed in that direction. Should also mention the missus has a big problem with the Montpelier as it doesnt have seats outside even though it has the space - really rankles her as she smokes and hates what she sees as a wasted opportunity for the pub.

The Duke - great menu (pretty much something for everyone) from salads, sandwiches to steaks. I had the burger and chips. Really really top notch. Nice home made chips, fresh lettuce and tomato, nice grilled bun and a fresh homemade burger. The Rye does a great burger but the one thing it isnt, is homemade - its more burger van than William Rose if you know what I mean. The missus had the Sausage and mash. Three sausages and a good splurge of mash - a very decent portion - and judging by the lack of talking, it went down very well!

We had a nice bottle of Chilean red for ?14. Not a bad price for a pub. There is a decent wine list which starts at ?12.50.

The pub itself has beautiful original features from the twenties (?) - there is even a gas light on the wall in the dining room. The staff are really really friendly which is a refreshing change from some of the miserable buggers that seem to abound in some of the places on Lordship Lane.

Cant knock this pub in any way. The only thing was it was quiet - even for a Saturday afternoon. I did read another post which was exhorting people on this forum to suuport the likes of the Duke and the Old Nuns Head and I would back that totally. Stop winging about the loss of Inside 72. There are independant pubs right on your doorstep that deserve your custom, so give them a chance. Go on you wont be sorry and these places really do deserve to be recognised for what they are trying to do.

By the way there were no buggies! Not a sniff of farleys or cow and gate! But even if there were, this pub is big enough to accomodate all comers.

[languagelounger]

Do you know if they have internet access?

[PeckhamRose]

Just went there. It was shut. It was shut the other day when we went. Said it opens at 5 but it wasn't, so we went to lovely Nun's Head. Not giving up though!

[Pierre]

No offence to those who have eaten there, but the menu looks like uninspiring creatively-described standard gastropub fare:

>Chargrilled rump of Scottish beef, with roast field mushrooms, Watercress & ?fresh chips?

>The Duke pie (check blackboard for details)

>Toulouse sausage, creamy herb mash, crispy onions & red wine jus

>Beer battered haddock ?fresh chips?? pea puree & tartare sauce

>Soft herb risotto, tempura squid, planched tomatoes & gremolata

>The Duke burger, ?fresh chips? choice of extra toppings

>Macaroni cheese ?gratin?? wild mushrooms & gruyere (v)

With the exception of the risotto and "gratin", that's just steak and chips, pie and chips, bangers and mash, fish and chips and burger and chips. It's certainly not unique to the Duke but I'm getting fed up of places advertising how exceptional their food is and then wheeling out the same boring dishes with increasingly flowery descriptions...

: P

[Cassius]

I haven't eaten there but had a glass of wine from a short but interesting wine list, and thought the decor was good. I would definitely give it another go.

With all respect to Pierre - it is a pub not a full blown restaurant, so I would not expect the same kind of menu as I would get in say Franklins.