Meeting House Misery
I thought I'd written about this - but it appears I hadn't.
I was miserable enough to find that The Meeting House had closed. But the warnings that one of you (Sorry - I can't remember which of you was the harbinger of doom) gave me that it was to be yet another Greenwich Inc eaterie is sadly all too true. Goodbye, wonderful platesful of good, simple food served both cheaply and pleasantly, hello - well - exactly the same stuff as you can get from anywhere else Greenwich Inc owns - which now includes all four corners of the market as well as the Meeting House. There aren't that many units left...
The builder standing outside with a coffee commiserated with me - he too will miss the old cafe - and told me that it will be a trendy coffee bar by day, a trendy wine bar by night.
Nuff said.
I was miserable enough to find that The Meeting House had closed. But the warnings that one of you (Sorry - I can't remember which of you was the harbinger of doom) gave me that it was to be yet another Greenwich Inc eaterie is sadly all too true. Goodbye, wonderful platesful of good, simple food served both cheaply and pleasantly, hello - well - exactly the same stuff as you can get from anywhere else Greenwich Inc owns - which now includes all four corners of the market as well as the Meeting House. There aren't that many units left...
The builder standing outside with a coffee commiserated with me - he too will miss the old cafe - and told me that it will be a trendy coffee bar by day, a trendy wine bar by night.
Nuff said.
Labels: Eating Out, News
posted by The Greenwich Phantom at
15:47
13 Comments:
I hate to be controversial but I don't actually have a huge problem with this. Central Greenwich really does need a few decent coffee places - at the moment you get to choose from Starbucks, err, end of sentence. I'm sure the organic deli does OK coffee but it is not the most welcoming of places. And I guess you could get takeaway from some other cafes and restaurants but there is no really standout places, unlike the outskirts of Greenwich which have great places like Royal Teas and Buenos Aires. Now, Greenwich Inc can do what they want at night, most of us know to avoid such places and instead go to Inside, A Taste of India, Kum Lang etc but if they can do a decent coffee shop during the day then I would welcome it. And I'm sorry, but The Meeting Place was like something out of the seventies - it's time had passed. Flame away...
No - you're staying flame-free. Personally, I liked the Meeting House BECAUSE it was like something out of the 70s - the food was hardly cutting edge, but it reminded me of my childhood and was - well, comfort food, really.
My only worry about a decent coffee shop is -
George of Greenwich. And yes, it's run by Greenwich Inc. I utterly hated that souless place when I tested it out. If GI can give this new place a bit of atmosphere - like Royal Teas (which also has a spot of hippy- charm about it, though perhaps more 80s than 70s)then I'm prepared to reconsider.
BTW I love the way you describe Royal Hill as "the outskirts." Blimey - I must live in the Greenwich equivilant of the Himalayas... ;-)
There's much greater choice than just Starbucks; good coffee spots include the little cafe down Turnpin Alley (sorry can't remember its name but the coffee is fantastic); the bar in the Picturehouse, the cafe just inside the park gate, and if you're desperate there's always Costa upstairs in Ottakers or the cafes in the Tourist Info centre or the Maritime Museum.
Ah yes - you're talking about the Coffee Cellar in Turnpin Lane. Splendid coffee.
It's no wonder that only the big boys and Greenwich inc can open eateries in Greenwich. I have been thinking for ages to open somewhere decent to eat in East Greenwich and after finding out that rents are around £13,000 pa and business rates are £3800 I had to forget my dream after that. I really can't see why Greenwich council don't have a startup scheme to help new businesses to see if we can make a go of it and then start charging us the inflated rents.It would also make Trafalgar Road look less down at heel as well.
Thanks Phantom, I was 50% there! I knew you would know, since I got the original tip-off about the Coffee Cellar from this very website!
Anon, you should consider casting your net into Deptford or Catford - both areas have grant schemes for tarting up shops etc. And we need a bit more variety in terms of restaurants.
I'm sorry but this really is going too far. I'm sick to death of Mr Frank commandeering every bar/restaurant/cafe in Greenwich and turning it into a self-indulgent orgy of fancy wallpaper and chandeliers. Is there no limit to what this man wants on his necklace of teeth? I understand the argument that people would rather have INC than a high street chain. However I would argue that he provides a vacuum of variety in what used to be a centre full of hidden gems. The man is building a monopoly that Mitchell and Butlers would be proud of at the beginning of the century. Humph…rant over. Anyone fancy a pint down the ‘traf? ;-) Duke
I agree with all of the comments Inc sux, but at least it is a coffee shop at the dark end of Greenwich. I too have looked into opening a coffee shop on trafalgar road - it is amazing the rents and the tiny sizes of the shops. I think the IT shop probably has the only double fronted place on the road, if only they did good coffe and had a couple of old couches...
I am praying that the building they are doing up opposite the auction rooms on Old woolwich rd turns into a nice local italian deli, but I have a sad feeling it might be turning into a stone and marble show room....
Keep up the good work Phantom!your blog is a great read
Thanks! I had a horrid feeling it will be a stone showroom too. It woudln't be so bad if I thought there was any chance of getting rid of those godawful portacabins they're using now. I'm not holding my breath.
I really can't see why Greenwich council don't have a startup scheme to help new businesses to see if we can make a go of it and then start charging us the inflated rents.
It's not in their interests to - why would the council help small businesses when there's big chains to suck up to?
As Knit Nurse says, Lewisham council's a bit more pro-active in this kind of field. Take a walk through the lower reaches of Brockley, and compare.
What about looking further afield say somewhere like.......Plumstead?! Now I know it is the deepest darkest depths of Greenwich but it is still in the borough!! I have bee lamenting the lack of - well anything really - and rates must be cheap and there is certainly a supportive community of locals who would use a cafe - I think we would be so overwhelmed that we probably be there daily in our droves!!
I keep meaning to explore Plumstead a bit more. I have friends over there, but somehow they always visit me, rather than the other way round. I think I need to insist. The common looks very nice...
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