With less than four months to go to the London Olympics, Greenwich resembles a large building site. All the equestrian events are to be held in Greenwich Park — albeit amid some controversy — so the newly created Royal Borough is undergoing something of a facelift.

The Venue
Much of the work is renovating the glorious Cutty Sark, which was almost destroyed by fire in May 2007. She will be magnificent when the work is completed by the end of April (2012), but for now accessing her eponymous DLR station is like negotiating an obstacle course. How lovely, then, to enter the Baroque splendour of the Old Royal Naval College, which houses The Old Brewery.

The Atmosphere
The vaulted ceiling of The Old Brewery soars three stories above the restaurant. Such a lofty space could be rather stark and intimidating, but excellent acoustics mean the room doesn’t echo and diners’ conversation is a muted hum. The walls are adorned with an illustrated history of brewing and distilling, while a copper rack suspended above one end glints with golden bottles. The bar is in the middle of the long room, with cloakrooms discreetly hidden by a long black curtain at one end and working ‘tuns’ — 1,000-litre copper vats used for brewing beer — gracing the other. Music tinkles, just discernibly, in the background. The whole is conducive to relaxed dining.

The Food
In these straitened times, nose-to-tail eating is almost de rigueur. Which means that you get those old favourites, ‘variety meats’, popping up on menus. Hurrah! So The Old Brewery offers a starter of lamb sweetbreads, served on toast with mushrooms and walnuts (£9.95). The sweetbreads are crumbed and crispy, with a sweet softness within, while the walnuts add crunch. A beautifully earthy mushroom sauce could overwhelm, but it is so perfectly judged that it complements instead. Plentiful mushrooms add a further contrasting texture. Also nicely judged is a starter of black pudding scotch quail eggs (£7). Like the sweetbreads, it’s a generous portion and the slightly smoky black pudding offsets the creamy eggs, which are just set — no mean feat.

Thursday nights at The Old Brewery are rib nights — and it would be rude not to. A whole rack of slow-cooked baby back ribs, marinated in Meantime wheat beer, served with hand-cut chips, homemade coleslaw and BBQ sauce, will set you back a mere £9.95, which is exceptionally good value. The ribs are juicy and, while meat will yield happily to your knife, it’s far more fun to revert to your inner caveman and gnaw it straight off the bone. A finger bowl is provided… The coleslaw looks a tad limp, but is tasty and the chips are piping hot and satisfying crunchy. If you can’t make a Thursday evening for the ribs, go on a Tuesday instead, when The Old Brewery offers Lobster Night; a whole poached or grilled lobster, with chips, costs £15, bargain basement for the luxurious crustacean.

While the ribs are excellent, they are beaten hands down by an apparently unassuming main of roast Sussex chicken, served with pancetta, wild mushrooms and dauphinoise potato £16.50). It is all too easy to dry out a chicken breast, but this is wonderfully succulent and needs no further adornment than the pan juices to bring the dish together.

The menu suggests beers to accompany all the dishes — including the puddings. It would be tempting to try the recommended Meantime Chocolate beer with the rhubarb sponge (£6) but actually, it’s really rather good on its own. Served warm, it is accompanied by custard as well as vanilla ice cream and warm rhubarb compote. Rhubarb is a much underused ingredient, and it's rightly allowed to shine here. The beer theme continues with the lemon tart (Meantime Raspberry), served with an unusual poached meringue. Instead of being dry and crisp, it is a voluptuous silken billow of pure white, with hops — of course! — to temper its sweetness.

The Drink
Even if you don’t fancy beer with dessert, it’s worth sampling some before or after. Or both. The Old Brewery is home to the Meantime microbrewery, where master brewer Alastair Hook will trial new recipes and recreate old favourites. It currently produces two beers onsite, Saaz Gold (half a pint £2.20, pint £4.40), a light Czech-style beer, and Harvest Ale (£2.45, £4.90). If you are not generally an ale drinker, do try the latter — it is dark gold, unfiltered with only light natural carbonation, with a delicious fruity flavour. If wine is more your thing, The Old Brewery’s wide-ranging list includes wines from Australia, Chile, Portugal, France, Italy and South Africa. Prices start at £16.50 for an Alto Rajo Chardonnay from Argentina, with several offered in 175ml and 250ml glasses.

The Last Word
Tempting though it is, there will be no jokes about what one might organise in a brewery. But it’s definitely worth organising a visit to this place, and you are sure to make many hoppy returns.

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