Tipped

Loved it....

February 10, 2009

I think some of the reviews here are a little harsh. I recently had dinner with 3 friends and everyone loved their food, and planned to go back.

I love the concept of well sourced quality ingredients leading the menu, and using them simple unfussy dishes. I also loved seeing fish & Chips, and Macaroni Cheese done with such care an attention.

Try it, it's a great place!

Keywords: British food,

Trying to be a gastropub but not

January 09, 2009

I wasn’t impressed with Canteen. It’s a cross between Wagamama and a gastropub but missing the goodness of each. The menu is simple with not many dishes but nothing too inspiring. NOTE: Do not go here if you’re a vegetarian as they’re not much to choose from. I’m actually not a vegetarian but don’t eat a lot of red meat. It took me forever to decide on what I wanted as nothing sounded good. I ended up with one of their pies which was just okay. The wine took forever to get too. The server was really nice though so I do credit them for that. Just not a place I’ll go back I’m afraid. Too may other choices down there that are better. Also be warned: the lite bites menu can sometimes overlap the actual menu (like the fish and chips) but different portions so if not careful you may get charged the regular one. It’s confusing.

Nothing spectacular but it'll do

January 06, 2009

Well, I've met my fiancee here a few times before going out but we took the time to eat there once.
I got there about half an hour early so I ordered myself a beer, some bar snacks and sat at the bar.
The beers are supplied by the wholesale side of utobeer, who I work for, so I knew there would be something decent. I wasn't disappointed.
Lucille was running late, very late and I was getting more and more hungry so I thought sod it. I'm eating!
I was shown a table quite close to the bar and I ordered the roast chicken, another beer and waited....and waited....and waited...My food came and having already asked for a table for two, the very friendly waiter started looking at me with pity, whether it was because it looked like i'd been stood up or because I was so hungry I was wasting away i'm not too sure but when my roast chicken arrived at the table it didn't stand a snowballs chance in hell!
Lucille finally turned up (an hour and a half late) and ordered her food grumpily complaining that I hadn't waited for her!
She cheered up when her food arrived beacuse it was excellent too and what looked like being a bit of a crap evening had turned into a decent one.
So, good quality food and drink, attentive service and a good atmosphere.

Keywords: good food and drink

OK but Canteen can do better

September 23, 2008

I felt like everything about this place was middle of the road.

Service - friendly staff, but we waited a while to be served and had to ask for some drinks a couple of times

Food - good but could have been better.

Whilst we waited for a late arrival, we snacked on potted duck with piccalilly and bread, plus pork scratchings. When I asked the waited if the potted duck was pâté, he said no, and that it was not duck liver but duck meat. When it turned up it was in fact pâté so I assume the waiter was a bit confused by my question or the definition of pâté...

For starters we shared a hot buttered arbroath smokie and a smoked mackerel salad. The salad was adequate; the smokie was a little dry, and I couldn't detect any butter.

For mains, my friend gave her Stilton and broccoli pie a thumbs up. The roast duck and veg on our table also seemed to go down well. My husband and I both had rib eye steak which was cooked as ordered (medium rare) but was a bit tough and chewy.

The produce is all regionally sourced so that deserves some credit, but overall I wasn't overly impressed. It is really just posh pub grub. However Canteen is a convenient place to dine if you are going to a show at South Bank. The wine list was good, and the cocktails looked pretty nice, though we didn't try them.

Keywords: cuisine: british

Film and food

August 27, 2008

I took my dad to the NFT for his birthday to watch his favourite movie (i know i'm a wonderful daughter) and post movie we decided to go for a bite to eat so we tried our canteen. The South bank has gone through such a transformation over the last couple of years with great versions of chains opening up but I had never eated here before and it was ideal.

My dad is a traditional sort of chap, and the pie and mash fare was right up his street, we both had the sausage and mash (my family have a history of food envy so we play sfae by always ordering the same thing) and a couple of glasses of wine. The staff were very helpful and attentive and we had a lovely experience overall.

I'm not sure its special enough to make the journey to eat there, but if you are pottering along the southbank or going to an exhibition/play/movie here Canteen is certainly a good bet.

And given I'm a huge breakfast fan and they have all day breakfasts on their menu it is safe to say I'll be visiting again

Keywords: breakfast, british, southbank, mash

A great spot on the south bank

February 06, 2008

This is a handy little find on the ever expanding South Bank. They seem to serve a bit if everything really, though I went there for breakfast and they served such delights as marmite muffins, bacon sarnies, eggs benedict and fried eggs with bubble and squeak. The place got really packed as we were leaving at lunchtime and I beleive you can't book so be warmed - though there's heaps of seating! I also noticed outdoor seating which would be lovely in the summer. They're licensed too if you fancy a tipple. Most breakfast dishes were around the £6 and v tasty!

Keywords: breakfast southbank waterloo restaurant

British Classics

December 04, 2007

Canteen prides itself on serving well sourced, sustainable British classics at reasonable prices. And they do it well.
We stopped by on a freezing cold Sunday afternoon after bitterly braving some culture on the Southbank. The staff were friendly and very accommodating in helping us to find a nice little table towards the back where we could hang up our giant parkas (Tables at the front are communal, and some of the smaller tables have places to put coats or belongings).
As we were late (3pmish), they were out of the Roast of the Day, but that didn’t matter as they were spotted the roast chicken with chips on the menu. The chicken was tender and moist and the chips were some of the best we’d had in a long time – perfectly golden and crisp on the outside and soft within. We polished off the lot.
Being greedy we also found room for dessert which was fantastic – a hot apple crumble with custard and some fragrant warm gingerbread with poached pears. If they’d have had a fireplace nearby I would have dozed off for a few hours.
The well chosen wine list features all wines either by the glass, the carafe or by the bottle – fantastic if you want to taste around or if you just want a glass of something nice rather than the “house red”.
Canteen is open all day long, and the extensive menu reflects this: You can come for breakfast (featuring everything from bacon sandwiches to muesli), lunch, afternoon tea (wide selection of homemade cakes, tea with freshly baked biscuits), cocktail-o-clock (all the classics), and dinner.

Keywords: british