The Waterside shares much with its sister venue, The Riverside in Vauxhall, a brand, spanking new Youngs' bar housed in the ground floor of a new wharfside development, with a poshed-up brasserie menu, bags of Peroni and live jazz at weekends.

The Venue
Set on many levels and still smelling of new carpet, The Waterside is undeniably plush although not necessarily chic or cutting-edge. It’s not likely to offend anyone, but it won’t win any design awards either; with a certain kind of comfortingly familiar hotel chic, it’s thoroughly civilised, passably sophisticated and just a touch middle-of-the-road.

The Atmosphere
Atmosphere can be an intangible thing. However, it’s a safe bet that The Waterside tends to fill up firstly with the Imperial Wharf residents, then with some of the King’s Road overspill. The live jazz adds a certain swing to the evening, but a meal would certainly be a more relaxing affair without constant interruptions from ludicrously overkeen waiters.

The Food and Drink
With a chef boasting an Oxo Tower background, you’d have every right to expect something special; the menu at The Waterside is certainly a notch up from the ambitious pub menu at Vauxhall’s Riverside, but still a long way from Michelin quality.

The menu covers most bases: a gourmet burger, steak and chips, sausage and mash, a veggie choice, a couple of fish options and so on – not forgetting some substantial desserts. On Sundays there are a couple of roasts on offer, along with a good-value Carve Your Own Sunday Roast, enough for two adults and two children.

The Last Word
Like its sister venue, The Waterside isn’t going to make headlines – but it isn’t going to make enemies either. The famous Youngs brewery in Wandsworth may have fermented its last hop, but by going for safe bets like this, you can be pretty sure the name will be around for a while longer yet.

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