Living so close to the River Thames is amazing, even if only for the incredible running route I get to enjoy every weekend, as I run past some of London’s most impressive buildings, the London Eye, Houses of Parliament and St. Paul’s Cathedral. And since the start of the summer, my run always concluded next to The Green Room restaurant, behind the National Theatre, before walking up to Waterloo and back home, yet it had taken me many months to venture in.
But finally, it was last week when I did.
National theatre London
I love the concept, a boutique restaurant serving British cuisine, ethically sourced with as much eco-friendly as you can throw at it. From the reused National Theatre props, to the ex-wine bottle glasses, it’s a restaurant that is proving a point, particularly as it won’t be around for long. Developed as a collaboration between the National Theatre and Coin Street Community Builders, the temporary project with be pulled down to make way for CSCBs permanent redevelopment of the land. As such, it won the New London Architecture award in June 2015 for it’s ability to create a modern and stylish building, utilising renewable resources.
So that’s the background, now to the food and drink.
The atmosphere here on a sunny Friday afternoon is vibrant. Those eating enjoy the reused tables and chairs inside or outside on the small terrace, whilst those who have just come for a cheeky beer are sprawled out across the green grass, shades on and enjoying the warm summer evening.
To be fair, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I went in. But the staff were friendly and we didn’t need to book, although if you did want to venture here, I would suggest booking on their website just in case.
We were sat down next to the kitchen. On a warm summer evening, this wasn’t the most ideal table to be at, but a big glass of something cold should do the trick. Glancing at the menu, there was an adequate range of options that all sounded very tasty and the prices didn’t look too bad either. Feeling rather healthy, we opted for some non-alcoholic cocktails and decided to share a crushed cucumber and blackberry salad and a cheeseburger.
Both sounded delicious and they were, but as the very small salad was placed in front of us, the £11 price tag seemed quite ludicrous. Four blackberries, seven pieces of watermelon, a few polenta chips, some watercress leaves and the cucumber dressing. Whilst it tasted great, it was impossible to justify paying £11 for such a small “Mains”.
The burger was also good, as were the sweet potato fries, however, there are plenty of other places to go in London that specialise in burgers.
