PubChef's round-up of what the critics have penned about pub food

The Rosendale, Dulwich, London

0208 670 0812

www.therosendale.co.uk

Fay Maschler, Evening Standard, 25 July 07

The eel is good but served in a miserly fashion, its unannounced accompanying heap of rocket salad well-dressed. Ravioli is a bit stiff round the edges and the mustard sauce a dreary shade of beige. My daughter Alice, who chose the ravioli, is taken aback by another veil of beige in her main course - chickpea purée draped around monkfish fillet, which would have been much more enjoyable with just the accompanying squid-ink tagliatelle. The carpaccio was completely devoid of flavour - strange, as brining should have given the meat a kick. The few fresh raspberries scattered around just looked embarrassed...

The Bull, Ditchling, East Sussex

01273 843147

www.thebullditchling.com

Chris Arnot, The Telegraph, 18 August 07

Ditchling is an idyllic village in the foothills of the South Downs and the Bull is right at its heart. "When the farmer brings our lamb he comes in here for a pint," says licensee Dominic Worrall. Chef Greg Palmer sets about cooking it with care: pink in the middle and crispy on the outside. Pan-roasted rump with new potatoes, green beans and braised red cabbage is yours for £13.50. The Harveys, at a mere £2.60, is also in prime condition. Also on offer are Timothy Taylor's Landlord, a once-rare northern visitor at this latitude, and a couple of regularly-changing guest ales. The Bull serves splendid food, including intriguing snacks, such as Camembert "roasted in its own box with tomato and apricot chutney". But it's not the sort of pub where drinkers are made to feel like social lepers...