The Lighterman, Granary Square, Kings Cross

BY KELLY BESWICK

Sunday roasts don’t come much better than the ones served at this airy, modern pub and dining room, as evidenced by the tables packed with satisfied and sated diners.

Not wishing to blow my own trumpet, but I pride myself on making a pretty mean roast dinner, indeed, some might say it’s up there among the finest. However, a downside of this is that often a pub Sunday lunch is a bitter disappointment – flaccid meat, overcooked veg, soggy Yorkshires and watery gravy. Even the accompaniment of several glasses of wine doesn’t generally lift the experience.

As such, I approached Sunday lunch at The Lighterman with a certain amount of trepidation, which I am pleased to say, turned out to be completely unfounded. The roasts here are not just good, they’re superb, more about which later, but first things first.

We arrive at The Lighterman on a dank and dreary winter’s afternoon, hence the wraparound terraces being empty, but should the sun deign to shine and the temperature was to rise a notch or two, this would definitely be the place to park yourself, either watching the tourists mill around Granary Square or canal side to soak up the views.

Inside, however, the place is busy and buzzing, with the ground floor bar a cacophony of happy imbibers. We were lead upstairs to the slightly more sedate dining room, which even on such a dull day felt light and airy thanks to its floor to ceiling windows. We were immediately greeted by Jenna, our lovely server, whose warm smile further banished the winter blues, and before we knew it we were sitting perusing the menu with a glass of fizz in hand.

We steered clear of the signature flatbreads to start, fearing they might be a tad too filling, opting instead for St Ives crab on toast to share. This arrived as three perfect rectangles of sourdough topped with the aforementioned crustacean and drizzled with a smoked chili butter to provide a subtle kick. Sweet, delicate and utterly moreish, we both agreed we should have ordered one each.

Next up were those fabled roasts, half a roast Castlemead chicken for me and 32 day dry-aged roast sirloin for my dining companion. Seasonal vegetables included savoy cabbage, mashed swede, roast carrot and roast parsnip, plus the customary roast potatoes and a whopping great Yorkshire pudding, all covered in the lip-smacking house gravy. Everything was cooked to perfection, but of special note were the roast potatoes, golden and crispy upon biting into then giving way to a fluffy, almost buttery centre. Both meats couldn’t be faulted either, with the chicken so succulent and moist. I’m usually a leg girl as I find the breast a bit bland and dry, but here I was converted. The sirloin meanwhile, came in three thick slices, cooked medium rare and genuinely melt-in-you-mouth tender and packing a powerful flavour punch. I think we were a bit gratuitous in ordering the sides of cauliflower cheese and Guinness pigs in blankets, but what the heck, they were bloody tasty!

On the back of our chosen roasts, Jenna suggested a French Pinot Noir as the perfect pairing, being light but with a complexity that would compliment the food. Well let’s just say Jenna’s choice was bang on the money and even led to a cheeky extra glass once the bottle was finished.

Last but definitely not least on this occasion was our dessert of a blackberry fool to share, but this was no ordinary fool, coming on a bed of creamy custard, with little peaks of Italian meringue resting prettily on top. This came presented in a silver goblet with three hazelnut madeleines on the side and tasted even better than it looked.

Our wonderful meal complete, we bade farewell to Jenna and headed out into Granary Square happy and very full. In fact, as my dining companion quipped: ‘Perhaps they should rename it The Heavierman after the amount I’ve just eaten’. Not that he was complaining, he just needed to lie down and digest.

The Lighterman, 3 Granary Square, London N1C 2BH

thelighterman.co.uk