William IV pub - Friday 29 April 2011

Rather apt for a day that was all about royalty we spent the night in a royally named pub the William IV at 7 Shepherdess Walk, near Old Street tube N1.  I had been to the pub about two years ago and since that it has closed once but is now reopened again.
Pub location
The pub is a little out of the way about 5 minutes walk off of City Road.
Whats it like inside?
The pub has the well worn gastro pub uniform of mismatched chairs and tables, its very bright and airy inside with all the furniture pretty much painted white.  A word of warning be careful of the chairs they are all a bit rocky and one of them collapsed underneath one of our friends!  Theres a more formal dining room upstairs.
What was on offer? 
Pub grub but with a twist you have the usuals we are talking bangers and mash, burgers, pies, and tarts.  All mains are pretty much below £10 pounds.
What did we order?
I had the Shredded Steak and Caramelised Red Onion Sandwich with Chips - cost was £8.00


The Verdict
Loved the...
Chips - have I discovered the best pub chips ever?....they were perfectly salted skin on chips, combining a crispy outside and gorgeous fluffy mash on the inside
Caramelised Red Onion - lovely, tasty and silky in texture
Doorstop bread wedges - toasted, crispy and rustic
Price - a great portion for the money
Disappointed in the...
Shredded Steak - what should have been the star of the show was tough and rubbery
Overall verdict
A little off the beaten track, and perhaps taking the gastropub furnishing a little too far but definitely worth a visit to sample more of the menu and to take in the chilled out atmosphere

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The Yacht - Sunday 24 April 2011

For this weeks Greenwich Sunday Lunch we decided on the The Yacht, a traditional Taylor Walker pub.

On the way...

The walk to the pub is a stunner, you can walk through the university or straight along the Thames we walked through the University and along the small lane that houses the pub.

Pub location
The actual pub is in a fantastic position right on the Thames and abouta 5-10 min walk from the Cutty Sark DLR station.

What was on offer?

On offer was Chicken, Beef or Pork at a very reasonable £9.15 each.  We both ordered chicken and settled into some seats by the window with a fantastic view of the The Thames and overlooking the Dome.

Whats it like inside?
Its a peaceful place, at least it was whilst were there, the pub sits right up against the river and you can hear the waves of the tide lap against the side of the shore as it comes in.  No music whilst we were there but I have been before and there has been music and on occasion live music too. 


Decor is traditional dark wood, with open fireplaces and cosy nooks.  Theres a more formal dining room to the back but the best seats must be up again the window to take in the great view.

The food
The food took about 20 minutes to come - just enough to work up a good appetite.  Now I must admit when it arrived I did let a small wow!!
It was huge and consisted  of a half chicken, 4 small roast potatoes, carrots, green beans, yourkshire pudding and tucked underneath the chicken there was mash potato too!
The photo really does not do it justice to the size and quantity!  The potatoes were small but perfectly roasted, the chicken was moist with a nice shiny glaze on it, the veg was just right in terms of hardness and the yorkshire was crispy without being rock hard.

Minuses - the chicken was quite boney and it was only after that it occurred to me that I should have checked that it was free range, looking at the website I cant find any reference that it is....bad me for not checking.  The potatoes although of a great crispyness the actual taste was quite bland.  Other than that I was pleasantly surprised especially for a chain pub and at a great price.

The Ratings:

Meat 4/5
Veg 4/5
Potatoes 3/5
Gravy 4/5
Other (ie yorkshire pudds and mash) 4/5
Service 4/5
Value for money 4.5/5 (fantastic value)

Total 27.5/35

The Yacht goes to the top of the leaderboard.

By the way if you click on the link for the pub take no notice of the photo - they have got it wrong on the website!!





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Boisdale - Monday 18 April 2011

We had a works dinner at the newly opened Canary Wharf Boisdale branch. Yes, I know your right its not a Sunday, lunchtime or in Greenwich but I definitely thought it was worth a post.

Its a Scottish / English influenced venue, and I say venue rather than restaurant because theres a lot going on here.  Its a restaurant, its a oyster  and champagne bar, theres a dedicated whisky bar, a jazz club and to top it all off theres a cigar room (aparantly with the only walk in humidor where you can snoke cigars to your hearts content.

Its spread across three floors above the main Canary Wharf shopping center with its own dedicate lift to each floor.  For decor think big hearty reds and greens with mahogany at every turn.  Think old boys drinking club, its the perfect city establishment.

But looking at the crowds on most floors it must be a winner  - it was Monday night but every table was full by the time we left.  Our table had a view of the jazz stage and a short but polite note told us that if we stayed at our table when the jazz started our bill would have a 10 pounds live music charge made to it!

The waiting staff were efficient and there were lots of them, picking up napkins if you happened to drop yours on the floor. The menu displayed the restaurants Scottish / English heritage there was lots of haggis, salmon, offal on offer and an eyewatering selection of caviar in both variety and price - anyone fancy some Golden Almas caviar at £3,750 for 125 grams......who says theres a recession on.

Unfortuantely our pockets were not quite so full as the bankers of Canary Wharf so we went for the set menu for £15 - not a bad price.  My starter was a Ceasar salad with Ortiz anchovies followed by Salmon on a pea risotto.   The Ceasar salad was good and tasty, the anchovies being the star of the dish.  The salmon was filling and flavoursome.  Some of my colleagues had the haggis - I must admit I was jealous, I wish I had taken the plunge, especially those that had also gone for the whisky chaser alongside it. I passed on desert but the dishes on offer looked tantalising.

Im not quite sure how I feel about Boisdales, its a little too full of itself, a little intimidating, but I definitely wouldnt turn down an offer to return, the whisky bar was mesmorising and needs sampling and the haggis is definitely calling my name....

The Greenwich Union - Sunday 17 April 2011

I have to say that I  was rather surprised by about 12 noon the streets of Greenwich were clear of all the runners and the spectators had moved on too.  The photo above is from about 10.30am over the next hour or the streets cleared.

The numbers that were left were just the usual for a regular sunny Sunday in Greenwich. However having learned from last week we set out early about 1pm to search for our Greenwich Sunday Lunch date. We decided to head straight to the Royal Hill area of Greenwich. If you have only spent some time near the market area of Greenwich make sure you head to Royal Hilll next time you are in Greenwich. Lots of pubs, a 'proper' butchers, cheesehop and organic veg shop and lots of gorgeous Georgian houses.


On the way...


The pub we decided to settle in for lunch was The Greenwich Union. The Greenwich Union is one of four pubs along Royal Hill - they are all pretty much in a row, but most if not all do great business and each seems to have its own vibe and particular atmosphere - there is something for everyone.

The Greenwich Union

In any case before we tackle the roast lets go back to the pub itself, its housed in what looks like a traditional pub and inside is also very traditional with lots of wood however the back part of the pub opens out into a light and airey conservatory with booth seats, further on is the beer garden.  The music going on in the back ground is just at the right level for you to be aware of it and to hum along to your fav tunes but not too loud that you cant hear yourself or anyone else speak.

It wasnt too busy which was great, though was largely because we went quite early it would soon fill up.  We sat in one of the booth seats.

On offer was a Vege option and Beef, Lamb and Pork the cost of each was £12.20 (the Vege option was cheaper).  I love it when a pub separates out its roast menu - it makes it feel a little more special and shows that on a week on week basis it could change depending on whats available.

I settled for the Beef and my other half on the Pork.  Before I could get to the bar to order one of the staff came up and asked if we wanted anything and were keen to please always a good sign. 

Inside...

The food arrived really quickly - probably within 10 minutes if that - maybe a little soon for my liking, surely some of the joy in eating food is the anticipation of it.....anyway

So once it arrived what did we get for our money:

Meat:  Beef in slices a generous portion \ Pork was the same in slices with cracking but a generous portion

Veg:  A large roasted carrot, green beans and red cabbage (a nice and different touch!)

Potatoes:  Roasted 2 large

Other:  Large yorkshire pudding, Gravy (made with Meantimes own London Stout), horseraddish sauce for the Beef and Apple sauce for the Pork in a separate dish.

Heres the roast...

It was very attractively presented and hot, I loved the fact their yorkshire puddings were home made and werent some uniformed Aunt Bessies - though it was a little too crunchy for my liking.  On the reverse the potatoes were large but not quite crispy enough.  The red cabbage was a nice touch - always nice to see different veg, and being lightly pickled it added a different taste sensation when combined with the meat or the potatoes. The gravy was rich and using London Stout again brought it to a different level - would have been nice to have more of it though!

All in all a nice roast - it goes to the top of the leader board.

Here are the ratings

Meat 4.5/5
Veg 4/5
Potatoes 3/5
Gravy 4/5
Other (ie yorkshire pudds) 3/5
Service 4/5
Value for money 3.5/5 (possibly just a little overpriced)

Total 26/35




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Greenwich and the London Marathon - 17 April 2011

Earlier in the week I promised a list of those places where you could go to cheer on or chill out during the London Marathon this Sunday in Greenwich,  I wanted to divide those that would be in the heart of the action where the runners and the spectators would be from those that were in a slightly quieter locale.  Apologies for this being a slightly later post than planned, it is of course the big day tomorrow but a rather big night in Cafe Brera ensured on Friday night.  We visited the Canary Riverside branch which overlooks the Thames at Canary Wharf for a work function and supped on their fantastic antipasti, pizza and red wine (a little bit too much of the red wine!).

Anyway if you are after a place in the middle of the action I would suggest the following pubs Greenwich Tavern,  The Kings Arms,  Admiral Hardy, Spanish Galleon, The Gypsy Moth

If you want to watch some of the race but then retreat to a slightly quieter haven try the following Richard the First, Greenwich Union, The Prince of Greenwich, all three of them are on Royal Hill in Greenwich and although will be busy they shouldnt be overrun.  Also try The Guildford Arms.

Others to try that are close to the race course but not directly on it are The Yacht, The Trafalgar Tavern and of course the Cutty Sark Tavern we reviewed their Sunday Lunch last week here.  Also try the Rose and Crown.

Theres obviously lots more pubs in Greenwich but these off the top of my head were the ones that came to mind that would cater for those that wanted to be in the center of things and those that wanted to see the race but then retire to somewhere a bit quieter.

As for me I think our Greenwich Sunday Lunch venue will be chosen at the last minute probably depending on crowds etc......roll on the race!!!

Cutty Sark Tavern - 10 April 2011

Due to a rather late start to our Sunday lunch, The Greenwich Tavern was packed by the time we got there, the late start was due to a late night on the Saturday night - a few hours and a few drinks whilst at the Ev Bar in Waterloo.  We did discover that for some reason they sell pretty cheap pints of beer for London £3.20 for a pint!

Anyway I digress, so we passed on The Greenwich Tavern, but will return another time.  We then decided to try the The Kings Arms  on King William Walk by this time it was around 4.15pm, and they had run out of any roasts!!  First rule of Sunday lunch in Greenwich is to go early!



On the way....

Undaunted we decided to go east - well just east of the main Greenwich center that is.....to somewhere we knew did Sunday Lunch on quite a big scale - Cutty Sark Tavern, they are based at Ballast Quay right on the Thames built in the Early 19th Century its a big old pub with lots of character.  Its based on two floors with a large outside area too.



We headed to the first floor, where the music wasnt quite so loud and settled into a table, on offer roast wise they had lamb, beef, pork and a vegetarian option.  Taking into account the time I checked what they had left - 3 lambs and that was it! Second rule of Sunday lunch - go early!  So we ordered lamb. Cost was 9.95 each.  They have a separate area that you order food from and then you order drinks separately.  From order to our table it probably took about 20 Minutes.  The staff were efficient and friendly.  Getting our drinks separately from the bar took a while as it was packed.

So once it arrived what did we get for our money:

Meat:  Lamb on the bone - a fair amount

Veg:  Carrots, peas, green

Potatoes:  Roasted 2 large roasted

Other:  Large yorkshire pudding, Gravy, Mint sauce separately

Heres the roast.....

It was hot - which I was pleased about - there nothing worse than a cold roast dinner!, the potatoes were large and roasted just enough to be crispy but not rock hard.  The carrots were not soggy and just firm.  The gravy was tasty and rich.  If there was anything I wasnt too keen on it was the meat! The lamb was on the bone and there was a lot of it but was a little tasteless.  I have been to the Cutty Sark Tavern before and I have had the pork which was great so this may be just be a personal dislike I have for lamb on the bone!

Here are the ratings

Meat 2.5/5
Veg 3/5
Potatoes 4/5
Gravy 4/5
Other (ie yorkshire pudds) 4/5
Service 3.5/5
Value for money 3.5/5

Total 24.5/35




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The Greenwich Tavern - Postponed!

Perched on the edge of the park at One King William Walk, The Greenwich Tavern has gone through various guises, the latest being the Greenwich Tavern.  We have decided to make this our first Greenwich Sunday Lunch.  At least try to make it, having walked by in the past its normally packed to the rafters - which should be a good sign!  If its impossible to get a seat we will try somewhere else.

More news, views and reviews tomorrow after the lunch!


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