Despite not being known for our amazing weather, we reckon you can still never have enough al fresco dining options in London. Because you know, as soon as the sun does make an appearance, we’re collectively out in force.
The Green Room opened at the end of July and is offering exactly that with a huge open-air garden, capable of holding up to 100 socially distanced guests. The green space has been surrounded by herbs that the chefs and bartenders incorporate into your dishes and drinks. You’ll find sitting just behind the National Theatre on the South Bank, not far from Waterloo. Should the sun not be shining when you visit, fear not, the dining room is just as stylish (and fully covered).
Sustainability is the name of the game here with a focus on making as much as possible in-house and a menu dreamt up by the same team behind LINO, Kitty Hawk and Whyte & Brown – in fact, we even spied some of the same dishes. We kicked off with a repeat performance of Whyte & Brown’s dirty, crispy, chicken with buttermilk dipping sauce and LINO’s house croquettes with truffled mayonnaise – both dishes we’re happy to eat on repeat.
Home-baked pizzas are cooked to order, arriving authentically squishy and imperfectly round. There were just four to choose from when we visited, one of which is a margarita and the other vegan. Tucking into the remaining two we were impressed by the rich passata base dotted with fiery nduja and chorizo (impressively made in house!). One of the best white-based pizzas we remember eating, it’s topped with grilled leeks, courgette, tarragon and truffle. Pizza and cocktails are a winning combination and the negroni hit the spot (as did the second and third).
Rather heart-warmingly, the management of the restaurant has bought furloughed team members of all three Wright & Bell venues under one roof, and back into work. Meanwhile, Head Chef, Ben Hughes-Gage and his team from LINO are looking after things in the kitchen with The Kitty Hawk bartenders taking charge of the drinks.
Green Room is a much-welcomed lockdown success story and we’ll be straight back at the first sign of sunshine.
