Shooting from the hip – The Gun wins hands down as one of the finest gastropubs in London.
But now the owners have decided to go one step further and use up next door’s empty terrace by the Thames and create an earthy Portuguese restaurant.
But will Londoner’s take to an al fresco only establishment?
They say:
The Guardian: “On Sundays, when the bands play, you could be a million miles from home.”
Square Meal: “Heat lamps ward off any chilly nights.”
We say:
Who could say no to a place which as soon as you enter through the gate promises heavenly smells of a barbecue in full swing? Add to that a shack like beach bar with sangrias and Pimms not to mention open air tables and food cooked right in front of you.
Not bad at all, huh? Well, the food is a kind of an “almost there” and yet not quite. The beautifully rendered smoky chorizo (£6.50) flamed to the table, drenched in the traditional Portuguese spirit of medronho, but then that’s let down by an underwhelming threesome of scallops with garlic and fresh chilli which despite the latter’s addition, doesn’t quite pack as much flavour as it should.
Mains include fresh fish brought in daily from the nearby Billingsgate market. So what better way than to use it in oodles than in the seafood stew of cataplana (£28 for two to share) – presented in a copper pot and brimming with salmon, cod, monkfish and shellfish.
Perfect, well, not so. Everything’s dandy but for the watery tomato-based broth the fish is swimming in. If only there was d ash of seasoning or mounds of garlic close by to give it that extra kick.
But just when you think this place is a so so comes the stonkingly good piri piri organic chicken (£12.50) that leaves you craving for more.
Top that with that familiar Portuguese custard tart made all the better with lashings of butter and a dash of cinnamon and you really do end on a sweet note.
Wines offer a fine choice of Portuguese bottles and there’s good if limited beer – Super Bock, San Miguel and Sagres – to boot. The atmosphere is jumping and jiving though one wishes they weren’t so many suits from the local offices. Go and enjoy with friends.
Oh, and A Grelha is the grill above the barbecue, thought you should know.
ADDRESS
27 Coldharbour
London
E14 9NS
tel, 020 7515 5222
POSTED...
Fri 8 Sep 2006 at 5:19pm
