Food Review: The Narrow

REVIEW
Gordon Ramsay has had a tough time of it recently.

Financial problems, restaurant closures and rumours about his private life dogged the multi-Michelin starred chef in 2009.

But the big sweary Scotsman hung on to his toehold in Docklands with his Limehouse gastropub The Narrow.

To encourage the punters in its offering a wallet-warming lunch offer of just £18 for two courses or £22 for three until the end of this month.

It's riverside location in a lovely former dockmaster's house next to Limehouse basin is an obvious attraction, but the food is also well worth making the trip for.

Shown into the conservatory, packed with extra heaters to combat the Arctic start to 2010, diners are treated to fine views of the river, in a relaxed and convivial atmosphere.

Given the recent icy temperatures, a starter of roasted pumpkin soup (£5.50 a la carte) is just the ticket for those braving the elements to get to The Narrow. Warming and filling, it's seriously good.

Smoked salmon fish cakes and rabbit terrine are also on the set lunch starter list, but choosing a la carte puts dishes like devilled lambs kidneys on toast (£5.85) and chicken and ham hock pie (£6.75) in range.

The latter - a big meaty slab in a light pastry crust - is moist and full of flavour and is served with a very good cranberry jelly.

The mains are excellent - if you happen to like meat.

Star of the show was, without doubt, the braised oxtail (£16.95). Three huge chunks of meat, admittedly with a hefty piece of bone in each one, slow cooked in Innis & Gunn beer and served on a bed of winter vegetables.

The meat falls away from the bone, the flavour is superb, making it one of the most memorable meals I've had in a long, long time.

Vegetarians are a little short-changed unless they eat fish.

The mushroom and chestnut parcel with Twineham Grange cheese (£11.50) was the only real veggie option.

Resembling a pie more than a parcel it was none the less tasty, with plenty of mushrooms tumbling out. It could perhaps have done with a touch more cheese but was still good.

If you choose a la carte there are dishes like beer battered fish and chips (£12.75) but for real value it's best to stick to the set menu.

Desserts, if you can find room for them, are well made.

The clementine cheesecake was little bland, needing a bit more of a citrus hit to combat the creamy cheesiness but the chocolate, brandy and prune slice is excellent. They'll even substitute the peanut butter ice cream for another flavour if asked.

The wine list is wide-ranging and keenly priced. A good choice is a fruity, soft 2008 montepulciano d'abruzzo (£17).

The attention to detail at The Narrow is good. The menus are pristine, not usually the case when eating in a pub, while the service is attentive without being overbearing.
Gordon might have his critics, but the menu he's devised at The Narrow is, for want of a better phrase, bloody good.

HEALTHY OPTION:

The Narrow isn't really the place if the post-Christmas waistline is worrying you. Portions are generous and the flavour of the dishes hints at no stinting on the calories in terms of butter and alcohol.

Perhaps the healthiest option is the hake, mussel and clams in Suffolk cider (£15 a la carte), and with chives added to the accompanying mash you can console yourself that you've at least had one of your five-a-day with it.

What would really do you good is the brisk walk back along the river to Canary Wharf after a hearty lunch. Your digestion will thank you.

WHARF VERDICT:

The Narrow
44 Narrow Street
London E14 8DP

Tel: 020 7592 7950

gordonramsay.com

Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 4/5
Convenience: 3/5
Overall: 4/5

GETTING THERE

A good brisk walk along the river from Canary Wharf via Westferry will take you to Narrow Street. Head west along the road, past The Grapes, and you'll find The Narrow just over the bridge spanning the waterway between the Thames and the Limehouse Basin. Nearest DLR is Limehouse.

WHAT THEY SAY:

"Great restaurant. Located on the river so great views. The waiter was really helpful and polite. Food and wine were fantastic."
toptable.com

"A bit disappointing. The setting is nice and the view over the Thames is great. Overall good starter and dessert but the main course seriously lacked."
london-eating.co.uk

"The menu is striking in its simplicity and has mixed results. Starter of scallops and black pudding was sensational, bangers and champ a little boring. Reasonably priced and unpretentious...a great destination for groups of friends.
timeout.com

ALTERNATIVELY:

The Gun
27 Coldharbour, E14 9NS
Top-notch grub in a pub reputed to have been a favourite of Admiral Nelson. Summertime barbecues are not to be missed. Real ale on tap.
the gundocklands.com

The Grapes
76 Narrow Street, E14 8BP
Historic pub serving up historic seafood in its restaurant. Popular with locals and visitors alike. Cosy and atmospheric and the beer's good too.

Pepper Saint Ontiod
21 Pepper Street, E14 9RP
Funky Crossharbour pub relaunched last summer offering homemade burgers, pizza and hand cut chips. Very popular on Friday and Saturday nights.
antic-ltd.com/pepper