Roast Dinner at The Rivington Grill, Greenwich

Whilst we're on the hunt to find a house and escape the city, I'm also very aware that when we do finally leave Greenwich, we're going to miss it immensely. We'd live here forever if it wasn't so ridiculously expensive...! House hunting is proving to be a journey into the unknown... So with no clear idea of how long we may have left here in Greenwich, we've made it our mission to make the most of every moment. We have many restaurants, cafes and pubs on our doorstep to choose from. Infact we're spoiled for choice really! But whilst I appreciate the reliable chain eateries such as Pizza Express, Jamie's Italian and Byron Burger, what makes Greenwich so special are the independent establishments on offer.

Sundays wouldn't be Sundays without a roast dinner and I'd heard nothing but good things about the Sunday roasts served at The Rivington Grill, which is located on Greenwich High Road, next door to the Picturehouse Cinema. So on Sunday, Rob & I decided last minute to book a table for Sunday lunch. Another restaurant to tick off our long list before we eventually leave this part of London that has such a special place in our hearts! Greenwich is usually heaving on the weekend, with tourists coming from all over to browse the market stalls, shops, restaurants and museums. I didn't want to risk walking in for lunch and being turned away, so we booked over the phone an hour beforehand.

I'd never been inside The Rivington before, nor have I visited it's sister restaurant The Rivington Grill in Shoreditch (which also has great reviews). Although there are large windows along two faces of the building (as you can see in the photo above), the inside is kept rather private with dark, mahogany-effect blinds so I had no idea what it was like inside. We were both immediately impressed with the general ambiance of the restaurant though, it felt very inviting as soon as we entered the doors. The long, wooden stretch bar runs parallel to the back wall, with square wooden shelving units behind the bar displaying wines, liqueurs and spirits. Plants and herbs are displayed on the bar in rustic, wooden crates and dark wooden stools line the bar, offering the perfect place to perch and enjoy a drink. If you're a gin lover like myself, you'll love the impressive gin menu! Chalk boards and photos hang on the walls, along with striking artwork which you can read about and purchase on the Rivington Grill website.

The menu is typically British, seasonal and different each day. Pretty impressive! It focuses mainly on meat and fish dishes which personally I think is a shame - infact if I was still vegetarian then maybe I wouldn't have considered eating here at all because there are very limited vegetarian choices. That said, from peering over at other nearby tables, all of the food appeared to be very well prepared and presented. At the Rivington, popular English dishes are given a touch of class.

Shortly after being seated we were presented with some warm crusty bread and butter served on a rustic breadboard. For me this is always a good start when eating out. I don't eat much bread at home in an attempt to be healthy so the delicious simplicity of warm bread and butter is always such a treat whilst studying a menu. There's something so comforting about warm bread, mmmmm.

I decided not to have a starter but Rob chose the Scotch egg, which was cooked to perfection with a gorgeous runny yolk. He was really impressed.

We usually choose separate main courses and give each other a fork-full to try, so as to sample as much as possible, but on this occasion we were both won over by the idea of a 'rib of beef' roast dinner. The Devon chicken sounded delightful too but we eat roast chicken quite often at home so I felt that the rib of beef would be more special. And special it was, served with a huge Yorkshire pudding, seasonal vegetables and herb crusted roast potatoes. Seriously yummy.

For £15.50 each I think The Rivington Grill do a Sunday roast that is relatively reasonable. Few places in Greenwich are cheap when it comes to eating out, you're paying London prices after all, but at The Rivington you can be sure to expect well prepared, hearty food. Well worth the money I'd say. The serving sizes were just right, too and we both left feeling very satisfied. The perfect roast dinner for a chilly Sunday in November! We'll definitely be visiting again, and if we're still here next summer I'll be looking to eat outside under the umbrellas.

Lydia xxx