Our next day in London, we decided to do the tourist thing. Out in East Greenwich, Emirates Airlines built the Emirates Air Line, a cable car from the Greenwich Peninsula to the Royal Docks. It’s a bit of an odd transit option, connecting two points that normal people nor tourists usually need to go between, but it’s also shockingly high and gives a great view of the city. We also used it as an excuse to take the Thames Clipper river boat service to get there, which was a surprisingly pleasant and efficient way to get from downtown London (Millbank Pier) to Greenwich. On the way back, we were hungry, so we decided to stop off in Greenwich and check out the Gipsy Moth, a modest pub that’s near both Greenwich Pier and the Cutty Sark.
Indeed, it’s right next to the Cutty Sark, with their beer garden in the back being nicely nestled beneath the bow of the famed clipper ship. Actually, it’s a rather pleasant pub throughout, with the inside being a nicely decorated pub as well, so whether you want to sit outside in the garden or inside in the nice plush booths, they’ve got you covered.
Menu-wise, they are basically a slightly upscale pub, with primarily classic dishes like fish and chips and bangers and mash, and several other dishes included smoked salmon, and a few dishes featuring Gloucester Old Spot sausage. A nice pleasant personal connection on the menu: they also had a charcuterie plate from Trealy Farm in Wales, which is owned by a friend of a friend, James Swift, who we most pleasantly met up with when we were in Reykjavik, of all places. This was the first time I’ve actually gotten to see their stuff on a menu, although unfortunately I wasn’t in the mood for charcuterie. I’ll have to pay attention, though, now that I’ve seen that I can get their stuff in London.
In any case, I opted for the Gloucester Old Spot Bangers and Mash, and I’ll have to say, I was rather impressed. The sausages were rich, moist, and flavorful, the potatoes nicely mashed without being gluey, and the gravy was a pleasant onion gravy tying it all together. Not a fancy dish, but a nicely executed version of an old classic.
Carol didn’t fare quite as well, she Carol opted for the smoked salmon sandwich and chips. Nothing particularly wrong with this, but we both agreed the resulting dish was just “okay” and nothing special.
While it’s nestled smack dab in the middle of the tourist traffic for Greenwich, The Gipsy Moth did do a reasonably good job of providing a pleasant meal and an even more pleasant environment in which to have a relaxing lunch. If I’m back in Greenwich, I’ll probably try to check out one of the other pubs, but for a quick lunch near the pier, it was rather enjoyable.
