Roast Update
Tina's been moaning that the old discussion about Sunday roasts and where to find the best ones is a bit creaky these days, being over two years old, so I thought that I'd reopen the debate at a time of year when we're all looking for that cosy lunchtime feast.
I confess I'm still with the Plume of Feathers. It's cosy, friendly and I like the food. I guess it's the one I end up at most often.
The Vanbrugh is another Phantom pick - while it took me several attempts to eat there (difficult to explain why I walked in and walked out again several times) but once I did, I really enjoyed it. I'd give you a link, except it's not working - is there something I don't know?
I've been hearing good things about the roasts at the Pelton Arms (or the Nag's Head - it's still wearing its Only Fools... badge of honour) I've only been there for a drink - though there was an enormous cheeseboard out on one of the tables for guests to graze. It's cosy (a bit too cosy if you fall for the lure of the fabulous comfy chairs by the real fire - when a place is too hot for me, it's too hot...)Jo - note - they have live bands.
Inside still has a fine Sunday lunch, though the jury seems to be out on the new sister pub at the Guildford, now the lovely French couple have gone - seems to me that the food's okay, but the atmosphere's a bit on the stark side, and, while I can cope with minimalist in restaurants, I want my pubs to be cosy.
The Union has just been refurbished - I haven't been yet but I know a whole bunch of you have. Maybe you can update me (No - not you, Rod, you could be a tad biased...)
Another place I haven't been to for a long while is Greenwich Inc's Trafalgar Tavern - it's the place I take difficult relatives for an all-purpose Sunday roast - you know the kind of relative - the sort who want a feel of 'Olde Greenwich' - it's perfectly okay.
But I guess the place we all have our beady eye on is the new Wood Wharf River Bar and Grill Restaurant. It's had a rocky ride to opening - promising dates that are always a couple of months ahead. I have heard that it really is going for a late November opening. I'll find out the exact details and report back, guys.
In the meanwhile - let's hear your favourite Sunday lunchtime venues...
I confess I'm still with the Plume of Feathers. It's cosy, friendly and I like the food. I guess it's the one I end up at most often.
The Vanbrugh is another Phantom pick - while it took me several attempts to eat there (difficult to explain why I walked in and walked out again several times) but once I did, I really enjoyed it. I'd give you a link, except it's not working - is there something I don't know?
I've been hearing good things about the roasts at the Pelton Arms (or the Nag's Head - it's still wearing its Only Fools... badge of honour) I've only been there for a drink - though there was an enormous cheeseboard out on one of the tables for guests to graze. It's cosy (a bit too cosy if you fall for the lure of the fabulous comfy chairs by the real fire - when a place is too hot for me, it's too hot...)Jo - note - they have live bands.
Inside still has a fine Sunday lunch, though the jury seems to be out on the new sister pub at the Guildford, now the lovely French couple have gone - seems to me that the food's okay, but the atmosphere's a bit on the stark side, and, while I can cope with minimalist in restaurants, I want my pubs to be cosy.
The Union has just been refurbished - I haven't been yet but I know a whole bunch of you have. Maybe you can update me (No - not you, Rod, you could be a tad biased...)
Another place I haven't been to for a long while is Greenwich Inc's Trafalgar Tavern - it's the place I take difficult relatives for an all-purpose Sunday roast - you know the kind of relative - the sort who want a feel of 'Olde Greenwich' - it's perfectly okay.
But I guess the place we all have our beady eye on is the new Wood Wharf River Bar and Grill Restaurant. It's had a rocky ride to opening - promising dates that are always a couple of months ahead. I have heard that it really is going for a late November opening. I'll find out the exact details and report back, guys.
In the meanwhile - let's hear your favourite Sunday lunchtime venues...
Labels: Food and Drink
posted by The Greenwich Phantom at
09:13
22 Comments:
It has to be the Plume.
You can't apply nouvelle cuisine principles to the good ol' sunday roast so why go somewhere which gives you a few anaemic slices of beef on a carefully sculptured minimalist arrangement vegatebles drizzled in "jus", leaving you empty of stomach and wallet. Nor does one want an over-done plate of low grade meat-and-two-veg drowned in Bisto.
The Plume serves great slabs of rare-roast meat, or the greater majority of a whole chicken, and doesn't skimp on the extras, whilst maintaining an appreciable level of quality.
After a number of truly miserable roast lunches of late I find myself wondering why I'd go anywhere else.
My mum cooks the best roast in Greenwich. You are all welcome!
The Hill is worth checking out, I haven't been there for a while but last time the roast beef was excellent.
The Pelton's roasts are lovely these days. Still a fan of the Union's too
sunday lunch (and brunch) at SE10 is always good
http://www.se10.info/index.html
To Anonymous...i believe SE10 has closed down now? At least it had over the summer I believe.
The Duke on Creekside road is worth a visit. Very Friendly staff and excellent food.
I tried The Duke for Sunday lunch a couple of weeks ago (The pork was on that day) and i was a bit dissappointed to be honest as ive had some of the platters there and have been very impressed. The friend I was with said it looked and tasted a bit 'school dinnery' and the veg was watery and bland. They had served it on quite small plates too which made it not very aesthetically pleasing.
The Vanbrugh tavern is very good for sunday lunch
We tried LE Guildford for a roast a few months ago during the summer and it was too Nouvelle Cuisine for my taste, with tiny portions that went cold very quickly. Don't know if things have changed at THE Guildford but it was rammmed this Sunday.
The Union is great for roasts. I quite like the Princess Of Wales too, although it's been ages since I ate there.
"(No - not you, Rod, you could be a tad biased...)"
Well - as if.....
Actually, I have no opinion regarding pub Sunday Lunch in Greenwich or elsewhere. It's the easiest meal in the world to cook, so I just do it myself. To the honest best of my recollection, Mrs Rod and myself have never purchased Sunday Lunch in 28 years together...
Can't beat the Union for beer though....... :-}}
I went to The Vanbrugh a few weeks ago and was disappointed.
Two slices of over cooked beef, with no marbling at all.
been to the Pilot a while ago and the Cutty Sark recently, and to be honest both produced a mountain of pretty tasteless food in the £8-£10 range. While there is obviously a market for this type of 'value', we recently went to a place in Dorset (http://www.anchorshapwick.co.uk) that was in the £10-15 for a main course, but light years away in taste and experience (and plenty of volume too), and we found ourselves wondering/wishing that somewhere in SE10/13 area would do the same...
We haven't been that impressed by the food in the Plume of Feathers for a while & Sunday lunch was particularly unimpressive. Shame, as the pub is great.
Anyone been to the Gipsy Moth for Sunday lunch recently?
The roasts in the Plume seems to vary according to what time you get there and how pressed they are. Go in when it's relatively quiet, towards the beginning of a sitting and the food is almost invariably superb, but turn up just after several huge parties have run the kitchen ragged and you risk a slight drop-off in quality. Even when below par, though, I'd say it's still head and shoulders above the other pubs in the area. I do wish they'd kept their old slow-roast pork on the menu, though...who wants a pork roulade with prunes when you could have crackling and apple sauce? Madness! Starters and puds are still lush, though.
Rod and "Anonymous" are right of course - a roast is best cooked at home, with everything from the oven coming to fruition at the same time. You'll always face a compromise with a pub/restuarant raost as the potatoes and vegetables will have been readied in advance and the meat will sit under lights slowly drying out for a while.
To avoid pub roast disappointment in general you have to make sure you get in early and recieve the first cuts.
Would second the Hill. The new chef there is the old SE10 chef and things have improved for sure (not that it was that bad before).
Without a shadow of a doubt the Green Pea restaurant next door to Hardys on Trafalgar Road is the king of roasts, not only in Greenwich but in the whole of London. Great personal friendly service, more food than you can eat for £7.50 and a good pint as well.
We tried the Pelton Arms tonight and were thoroughly impressed. I've only tried a few of the pub meals around Greenwich (the Yacht, The Cutty Sark, the Vanbrugh) and I would have to say that this was better than any of them. Anything with Pastry on it was very very good (the best sausage roll that we've had in London, which is a big call I know), the vegetables were not overcooked and the Sausage and Mash was very tasty. The chips were better than Gordon Ramsay's Gastro pub packet fries too! Didn't get to the desserts as we were too full. Proper decent flavour pub food not pretentious pub food. I'd give it a solid 7.5 - 8 out of ten (where most pubs get 4-6/10). I am generally a hard marker though.
Visted the Guildford Arms with 4 other foodies on Sunday, and Im delighted to say the food was fantatstic, backed up with good service and very reasonably priced. I will certainly go back and check out the mid week menu. It is more of a dining room than a pub a small cosy sofa area is available but it looks as though its more to use if your waiting for a table.
Taking a quick look for recommendations for Sunday roast in Greenwich I came across this site. Thought I would comment on the place we ended up at - the Ashburnham Arms. It was basically a perfectly acceptable roast: good thick cuts of meat (the beef was nicely medium rare), the veggies great - lightly cooked and crisp. I've never had good roast potatoes anywhere and these were OK.
All in all, we thought it was excellent value. I have paid almost double the price for a roast that was in no way better and piffling portions to boot. We were very satisfied.
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