Inside
19, Greenwich South St, SE10
It's taken me a long while to get around to re-reviewing this place after a somewhat duff experience a couple of years back. They must have been having an off-day as everyone else (especially here) has been saying such good things about it, but it's still taken a while to come back to the fold...
Inside is very much a neighbourhood restaurant which enjoys a loyal, busy clientele and doesn't have to pander to the tourist trade like so many Greenwich eateries forced to provide speed and 'value' (read 'cheap') at the cost of quality.
Even early in the week the place gets pleasingly full with a mixed bunch of young and old, mainly well-heeled looking locals, most of whom already seem to know their way around the menu, despite the fact that it is clearly one that changes with the seasons.
The small, modern interior is clean and fresh, with dark and light contrasts in wall colour (pale cream and chocolate brown) lending an intimate, yet not overbearing atmosphere. I love the fact that they've retained the original leaded lights and indented shop windows(including concertina gates when the place is closed,) lending it some kind of link with the past, long pendant lamps and funkily modern seating keeping it from being old fashioned. The walls are adorned with art-for-sale (has anyone ever been into a restaurant anywhere where there was art-for-sale that they actually bought, by the way?) but apart from a wine rack in the window (not, perhaps, the very best place to keep wine, but maybe storage is an issue) and a little sideboard containing local free mags, the rest is unadorned.
The menu is fresh and interesting - modern European, but with a few twists - such as the 5-spice chicken, coconut and coriander spring rolls - crisp, ungreasy and tasty. Judging from the amount of seasonal ingredients dotted around the menu (asparagus and rhubarb to name but two) it changes regularly - clearly further research is needed.
My smoked haddock fishcakes were succulent, smoky and steaming hot, though I confess that I took the tartar sauce for mayonnaise.
Mains were excellent - a fine steak, cooked exactly as requested, and a spinach and goats cheese filo parcel which was about double the size that anyone could possibly hope to consume. After a while I was full, both physically and mentally - definitely less would have been more in this case - but I guess I shouldn't moan at being overfed...
Inside sticks to its local roots by serving Meantime Brewery beer, which is a welcome addition. The wine list is well-balanced and has examples to fit most night-out budgets.
When I visited the loo, I noticed, out of the open window, a tragic missed opportunity. A tiny, sheltered, courtyard garden, currently full of old windows, broken planks and other rubbish. It would be a wonderful place to site a few raised beds and grow herbs for the kitchen (as well as making a lovely place for the staff to enjoy a teabreak...)
One other thing. Guy Awford has slightly shot himself in the foot with the quotes he uses in the local free mags, in my humble opinion. He's won all kinds of awards - and deservedly so - but "Guy Awford's "interesting" cooking" reads to me as a euphemism - surely he could have found a better quote from the mountain of plaudits he must have already received?
Well here's one for you Guy...
A charming, visitable and revisitable local restaurant serving memorably tasty food.
Ok - fair enough. It ain't Shakespeare. Stick to the Hardens review, eh, Guy... ;-)
www.insiderestaurant.co.uk
It's taken me a long while to get around to re-reviewing this place after a somewhat duff experience a couple of years back. They must have been having an off-day as everyone else (especially here) has been saying such good things about it, but it's still taken a while to come back to the fold...
Inside is very much a neighbourhood restaurant which enjoys a loyal, busy clientele and doesn't have to pander to the tourist trade like so many Greenwich eateries forced to provide speed and 'value' (read 'cheap') at the cost of quality.
Even early in the week the place gets pleasingly full with a mixed bunch of young and old, mainly well-heeled looking locals, most of whom already seem to know their way around the menu, despite the fact that it is clearly one that changes with the seasons.
The small, modern interior is clean and fresh, with dark and light contrasts in wall colour (pale cream and chocolate brown) lending an intimate, yet not overbearing atmosphere. I love the fact that they've retained the original leaded lights and indented shop windows(including concertina gates when the place is closed,) lending it some kind of link with the past, long pendant lamps and funkily modern seating keeping it from being old fashioned. The walls are adorned with art-for-sale (has anyone ever been into a restaurant anywhere where there was art-for-sale that they actually bought, by the way?) but apart from a wine rack in the window (not, perhaps, the very best place to keep wine, but maybe storage is an issue) and a little sideboard containing local free mags, the rest is unadorned.
The menu is fresh and interesting - modern European, but with a few twists - such as the 5-spice chicken, coconut and coriander spring rolls - crisp, ungreasy and tasty. Judging from the amount of seasonal ingredients dotted around the menu (asparagus and rhubarb to name but two) it changes regularly - clearly further research is needed.
My smoked haddock fishcakes were succulent, smoky and steaming hot, though I confess that I took the tartar sauce for mayonnaise.
Mains were excellent - a fine steak, cooked exactly as requested, and a spinach and goats cheese filo parcel which was about double the size that anyone could possibly hope to consume. After a while I was full, both physically and mentally - definitely less would have been more in this case - but I guess I shouldn't moan at being overfed...
Inside sticks to its local roots by serving Meantime Brewery beer, which is a welcome addition. The wine list is well-balanced and has examples to fit most night-out budgets.
When I visited the loo, I noticed, out of the open window, a tragic missed opportunity. A tiny, sheltered, courtyard garden, currently full of old windows, broken planks and other rubbish. It would be a wonderful place to site a few raised beds and grow herbs for the kitchen (as well as making a lovely place for the staff to enjoy a teabreak...)
One other thing. Guy Awford has slightly shot himself in the foot with the quotes he uses in the local free mags, in my humble opinion. He's won all kinds of awards - and deservedly so - but "Guy Awford's "interesting" cooking" reads to me as a euphemism - surely he could have found a better quote from the mountain of plaudits he must have already received?
Well here's one for you Guy...
A charming, visitable and revisitable local restaurant serving memorably tasty food.
Ok - fair enough. It ain't Shakespeare. Stick to the Hardens review, eh, Guy... ;-)
www.insiderestaurant.co.uk
Labels: Eating Out
posted by The Greenwich Phantom at
08:20
11 Comments:
I have never had a bad meal here, its everything a good local eaterie should be. Saturday brunch is good also.
Never have a duff meal yet. A fabulous local restaurant
Not the best place for large groups. It's a fantastic place for a high quality local meal, but after having had several great evenings we booked a birthday dinner for 10. The experience was not even close to usual excellent service and food.
Having said that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a venue for anything from a romantic evening for two to an entertaining four square family table.
OH - that's interesting. And might start an interesting debate - just where in Greenwich IS the best place to have a group meal?
Inside are better at catering for groups at lunchtime. I've attended a birthday lunch there and it was fabulous. I often walk past on the weekend and see various parties.
I've lived in greenwich for almost 30years and Inside has by far and away the best food...
I had a wedding lunch here as well and although the acoustic was not good everybody had a great time.
Maybe the back will open up when the smoking ban hits ! But it is already virtually smoke free.
When I can't grt in at short notice I go and drown my sorrows in Daveys Wine Vaults
Never had a bad meal either - luckily mine didn't have chives however
We chose this restaurant because of some good recommendations. Service was adequate but not exceptional. Food-wise they clearly have a good supplier but we were all disappointed with the cooking. I would like to have seen more crab in my crab veloute than a few flakes. My husband and his dad were appalled with the steak which was overcooked, and bathed in an over salty reduction. Our only opportunity to discuss this was when the waitress returned to collect the plates, and on speaking with the manager the reply was (verbatim) "...lots of people say that..." and "...we use the same stock as base for sauce in lots of our dishes..." The explanation was that the sauce was a reduction of stock prepared from bones.
He wouldn't accept that a 'generic' sauce is wrong, or even volunteer a refund. At which point we paid up and took our desert order down the road to Rivington, who pushed the boat out to accomodate and serve an excellent sticky toffee pudding and apple crumble in spite of the late hour.
Inside has been our favourite local restaurant for some years. We don't go there that often, anniversaries etc but until Saturday night we thought it a great place. Saturday was the anniversary of when Shelley and I had first met, 37 years ago. I had forgotten and whilst at the match, Charlton, my eldest son suggested that I try and book a table at Inside. I rang and sure enough they had space for two but it had to be early. Fine, salvation. We arrived slightly late and were given a choice of tables. We made a quick choice of wine and food and settled back to enjoy. First up was a leak tart and unusually we both ordered the same starter. It was great but the accompanying salad leaves with pear were just too salty. We pointed this out to the waitress who duly reported it back to the kitchen who made no comment. Well it was designed to be helpfull feedback not a complaint as such so not to worry. I had ordered rib eye steak for the main course. It was very poor, thin, grissly and tasted as though it had been sourced from Morrisons. The lighting in the restaurant is very low and to be honest I could not actually see the steak properly to judge it. Rather than send it back I foolishly kept on eating it. I certainly did not want to ruin what was a very special night out ... I gave up on the steak though and when the waitress came to clear the table I said that I was very dissapointed with the steak and why I was. She looked concerned and off she went. Well the spell had been broken and the only hope of salvation was the proprietor having the sense to speak to me and perhaps offer some compensation. When the bill came th steak was still being charged at £17.99 I advised the waitress that I was dissapointed to see this; she had taken the remains of the steak back and it was clear that there was an unnnaceptable amount of grissle etc etc. The senior waitress/manageress? came and spoke to me, I explained and said that I would not be returning to the restaurant. She was genuinely concerned and went off to speak to the proprietor. She returned, no he would not make any allowance. If the steak was not up to standard I should have immediately sent it back to the kitchen. I am sure that that is exactly what I should have done and I am convinced that Jay Rayner would have known what to do - with the starter let alone the steak. I was not intimidated just did not have the confidence in the moment to do just that. So, my fault entirley? I had not ergo there was nothing wrong with it? I paid and left. No tip, which I feel guilty about because the service was good, the cooking was the problem. I felt that the proprietor dealt with the situation very badly, he never attempted to speak to me and was totally arrogant about the fact that I had had a dissapointing meal in his restaurant. If that is how Inside feels about me and my custom it's back to Chapter 2 to check them out again. Come to think of it the menu was looking a bit tired and predictable anyway, which is probably why we both had the same starter. A very good restaurant in its time but ruined by all round complaceny and bad attitude.
Hmm. Yours is not the first comment like this I've heard.
Try The Guildford, up the road. I've been very impressed with them recently.
I'll second that last comment.
Went there with my wife for some anniversary and it was awful!
Terrible 'east European' service, rushed and not willing to listen to our questions or remarks.
Pseudo professionalism with lots of 'sirs and madams' but they simply did not have a clue about the food they served.
Food was average, not bad, but certainly not worth the prices.
As often in the restaurant business, once they get a few good critics, it seems to go to their heads and oops, prices go up, quality goes down, add a sprinkle of arrogance and you have the recipe for loosing 'local patrons'...
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