A quiet, contemporary hotel restaurant offering a range of modern European dishes in a relaxing setting.

The Venue
Located in the Novotel London Greenwich, this venue offers an unusual mix of modern and ‘60s style decor, reminiscent of an airport lounge. The restaurant itself is fairly large with Rothko style paintings and low lighting. Wooden tables adorned with little square lamps are lined against the large windows overlooking Greenwich High Road or you can choose to sit in a more private area towards the main lobby.

The Atmosphere
The staff at Elements are incredibly friendly and diners are warmly welcomed. Music is played at a low level and the general atmosphere is informal and relaxed. This is the type of restaurant where diners could eat alone and not feel self conscious. There’s also a great bar where you can enjoy an aperitif before your meal.

The Food
Food here is generous in size, which is worth bearing in mind when ordering your courses. The great thing about Elements is that the menu offers several choices which can be served as a starter or main, and these courses can be eaten in the bar, main restaurant, in your room (if you’re staying at the hotel) or even in front of a TV. This is aimed at business guests who are travelling alone, and you get your own headphones so as not to disturb people whilst you eat.

The salmon and crab fishcakes (£6.75 for a starter, £15 for a main) make a great starter, with fresh tasty flakes of fish combined with onion and potato served with a fresh coriander and chilli salsa. This dish comes with a nice bitter rocket salad which really balances out the flavours. The seared scallops (£7.50) are also a good choice of starter and are served on delicious buttery sauteed potatoes with a creamy yet tart caper sauce along with a lovely English style salad with cress, chives and a balsamic glaze.

The confit of duck leg with chickpea and sweet potato galette (£15.25) makes an unusual main course. The duck is tasty and tender and comes with a wine jus. However, the meat portion is very small and comes with a rather dry, deep fried chickpea and sweet potato patty, which was although tasty, doesn’t really complement the dish. The vegetable pave (£13.25) is very large in size and quite disappointing – the layered vegetables are quite good but the cheese sauce isn’t thick enough to hold the dish together, and the end result is quite bland and watery. The caramelised shallots and charred asparagus are a nice touch though and very flavorsome.

Desserts are a different story – the Chocolate Elements Experience (£6.95) in particular is a triumph. This comes with a sweet white chocolate tart with a lovely buttery crust, gooey bitter chocolate fondant with a delicious squishy centre, soft and moreish chocolate brownie and pistachio ice cream, which is sweet and nutty – perfect. The chilled lemon tart with clotted cream and strawberries (£5.95) is was also fantastic, with tart lemon filling encased in a buttery crust served with thick cream and syrupy strawberries.

The Drink
There’s a small but good choice of bottled beers from France, Italy, America, Asia and Belgium (from £3.60 – £4.95), draft beers and a good range of Champagne, soft drinks and wine. A bottle of house wine is only £15.75 for the red and £15.85 for the white, the most expensive being £18.95. A surprising addition to the drinks menu is the Three Choirs (£18.40 a bottle, £6.40 a glass) an English medium-dry wine with fresh notes of elderflower and fruit – simply outstanding.

The Last Word
If you plan to dine in Greenwich – consider this restaurant. The food is good, presentation is impressive and the staff are amazing.

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