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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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!!!