Green and Blue London - Restaurant Review , 36 - 38 Lordship Lane, East Dulwich

36 - 38 Lordship Lane,
East Dulwich,
London,
SE22 8HJ

0872 148 5092 Calls to 0871 numbers will be charged at a fixed rate of 10p per minute (from a landline or a mobile) no matter where you are within the UK. This number is unique to viewlondon.co.uk.

The ViewLondon Review

Review byNeha Gadhvi14/12/2007

An upmarket wine shop and restaurant that’s happy to share the contents of its cellar to provide the perfect place for a wine-quaffing session or two.

A member of Lordship Lane’s ever growing restaurant portfolio, Green and Blue (as in the colour of grapes) is a two pronged wine shop and eatery. On entering, you’ll find two expansive walls lined with racks of wine, carefully chosen from a selection of smaller vineyards from across the globe. On the left, a small but extensive deli serves up a variety of mezze, breads and cakes to take away or, if you’ve got the time, to sip and pick in a candlelit dining room that sits neatly next door.

The Atmosphere
Green and Blue has a real neighbourhood feel to it, the type of atmosphere that suggests everyones here knows each other. Expect to find a parking lot of three wheeled buggies in the daytime as it is a great spot for trendy mums wanting to natter over a well deserved glass of vino. Evenings take on a more calming experience with anyone from big birthday groups to acute wine connesieurs. The staff, including a knowledgeable sommelier, are youthful and friendly if not a little sparce in numbers.

The Food
The menu doesn’t extend beyond smoked meats, mezze or cheese platters – but then the important thing here is the wine so it’s unfussy food to accompany your extraordinary tipple. Simple yet delicious plump olives, crunchy baby gerkins and spicy chourico sausage with red wine really set the Sauvignon Blanc off and are a perfect start to a meal of high quality nibbles. If you’re feeling more adventurous then the Neal’s Yard cheese platter serves up a selection of three different cheeses served with organic bread, semi dried grapes and a crunchy apple.

For a warmer option try the pies that come from Simple Simon’s Perfect Pies in Scotland and are traditionally filled and baked to perfection. Desserts are similarly impressive and include a mouth watering slice of banana cake with butterscotch ice cream, and a sumptuous chocolate brownie, which diners claim as the best you’ll find in SE22. An interesting option at Green and Blue is the chance to do ‘chippage,’ which means you can bring your own hot food for a £3 a head cover charge.

The Drink
Notably the selling point of Green and Blue, Wine is the flavour of the day, featuring an international batch of grapes that will leave you more than spoilt for choice. You can choose any of the wines from the shop next door and, for a small corkage fee, drink it in the restaurant. Every bottle - and the stock is imaginative - carries detailed tasting notes and two prices. The first is the amount you pay to take the bottle to your sofa. And the second is what you would pay to drink it in the restaurant.

For white wine lovers, the weighty nettle and grapefruit flavours in Isabel Esatate Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand provide a punchy yet smooth taste. For fans of silky Spanish red wines the Casa Castillo Las Gravas from Jumilla, Spain is every inch both rich and ripe in flavour. The shelves at Green and Blue are divided by style (crisp, fruity, heavier and different for whites, and softer, spicy, rich and different for reds). There's also an 'Even Finer' shelf for those wishing to dig a little deeper and spend over £30.

The Last Word
Above being a relaxed and charming spot to enjoy a glass of wine, Green and Blue provides the ideal way to experience wine-tasting without feeling the possibility of public humiliation at a more stuffy tasting session. Unpretentious and seriously cosy, this is a Mecca for all wine lovers.

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