Review: A Grelha at The Gun

By Rob Virtue on May 28, 2009 3:16 PM |

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You've got bills to pay, a growing list of problems to sort out and the on-set of what the little hypochondriac voice inside insists is a stomach ulcer.

What you really need, rather than to be stuck in a air-conditioned, germ-filled office is a holiday.

Somewhere hot and sunny where you can get away from it all, lounge out by the water with a glass or two of wine and some fine foreign food.

But before you start headbutting the desk and winding your watch on, help is at hand.

Yes, God has brought the sun to us and this year is going to be a scorcher.

And the sun brings out in Canary Wharf a culinary delight at the A Grelha barbecue, a feast of Portuguese style fish and meats, just a stroll from your desk.

For the last three years The Gun pub has been bringing this combination to a large group of happy, slightly inebriated punters.

From the end of May until the start of September, every morning the chef takes a look outside and if the sun is shining he heads off to Billingsgate Fish Market before stoking up the barbecue.

A 10 minute walk from the centre of the Wharf, or a short taxi ride, it is that burst of beautiful sunshine, excellent food and exemplery surroundings that your body and mind is craving.

Within minutes of sitting down at the deck area on the banks of the Thames opposite the O2, you are a world away from the bustling business metropolis.
For two or three hours you can relax and watch the boats pass by.

As for the food, starters range from shellfish to baby squid in garlic with coriander and chilli (£6) or chorizo flaming in Medronho (£7) and salt cod croquettes with aioli (£6).

But the mains, cooked on a grill that sits on a barbecue - or A Grelha as they say in the Algarve - are the real reason for coming.

Fish dishes such as gilt head bream and red snappers (£3.50 and £3.90 per 100g) are cooked perfectly and you can taste the fresh salty goodness of the sea.

Meanwhile, the Portuguese fish specials such as Cataplana (£15), which includes monkfish, salmon, mussels and huge prawns, served in a spicy sauce with potatoes, are exotic delights rarely found in this part of the world.

Other dishes such as the chicken "piri piri" and chips (£12.50) or a brand new dish, pork and clams cooked in white wine sauce (£14.50) - a delicious combination - leave you spoilt for choice.

If you've room, a host of summer desserts are available - after all you are pretending to be on holiday.

All in all, A Grelha - which opened to the summer crowd last Wednesday - is a Wharf experience not to be missed.