THE CHEQUERS
Tucked away on River Street is a gastropub to define the term. So what’s new chef Ross Harper doing to make it his own? By Matt Bielby
B
ack in the day, The Chequers was already famous for its food – but everything else was very different. In the ’90s it was king of the Sunday roasts, huge and cheap, and they weren’t the only thing that was massive here: monstrous tables were crammed in everywhere, making a journey to the bar like turning to Puzzler Magazine and trying one of the maze games. These days there’s more breathing room, and food is an even more important part of the mix. Of all the four Bath Pub Company boozers, this is the one you’re least likely to treat like, well, a boozer. The Locksbrook Inn has a dedicated drinkers bar; The Hare and Hounds is large and mixed use; and The Marlborough Tavern, if similarly dining-orientated, at least has a semi-covered pub garden. But at The Chequers you’d only really grab a pint if was for a quick half hour at a quiet time. Come 7pm it’s basically a restaurant full of well-heeled couples and families. They come, of course, because The Chequers is comfortably casual – and good. There are always excellent chefs here – names like Leigh Evans, Tony Casey, Alex Betts – and now they’ve a new
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one, the lean and friendly Ross Harper, who some may know from his last role as executive chef at the OHH Pub Company, which runs places like The Northey Arms at Box. He’s a Bristol lad who’s spent plenty of time in London – including a stint as head chef at a Highgate gastropub he co-founded, The Woodman – and at The Chequers he’s retained the pub’s emphasis on seasonally-inspired cooking. He has, though, simplified the menu slightly and, he says, “put a greater emphasis on flavour.” The trick here, of course, is coming up with a menu that suits the pub setting, but feels special at the same time. Right now I’d say the a la carte walks right up to the line of being too fancy – then stops just short. These are honest, local ingredients, yes, but the presentation is tricksy, with blobs of purée here and smears of sauce there. At least two of the dishes we enjoyed were cooked sous vide – for a long time at a low heat in a pouch in a water bath – which renders great results, but is only something you find in a serious kitchen. Not, of course, that you have to go fancy: the compact menu has two sides, a la carte and Chequers Classics, the latter of which features filling pubby options like fish and chips or burgers at around £14.