City AM Restaurant Review - Bar du Musee

City AM’s monthly restaurant review column is sponsored by The Docklands Light Railway (DLR), whose campaign to encourage people to try somewhere new highlights plenty of attractions, restaurants and bars around the DLR network. Each month a City or Docklands-based Personal Assistant will give us their opinion on one of the area’s restaurants. For further information visit www.dlr.co.uk

Restaurant: Bar du Musée
Nearest DLR station: Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich
Address: 17 Nelson Road, Greenwich, SE10 9JB

Reviewed by: Barinder Lahli and Daniel Whittingham, Dorchester Productions

Cuisine: French

Atmosphere & Décor:
Located right in the middle of picturesque and historic Greenwich, Bar du Musée has an atmosphere as pleasant as its surroundings. It was fairly quiet for our lunchtime visit, but the restaurant is spacious and no doubt a comfortable environment, even when full. A glass roof means that plenty of light enters the room and the back of the restaurant opens out on to a patio area. The walls were also decorated with an impressive array of pictures that reflected the naval traditions of Greenwich.

Food:
To start, both of us enjoyed the complementary and obligatory French bread, before tucking into our hors d’oeuvres, the leek tart. A highlight of the meal for my friend was the ricotta and spinach ravioli with tomato and basil sauce. I ordered a grilled lamb chop with minted bulgur wheat and yoghurt dressing. The quality of the food overall was excellent and a wide variety of dishes were available, including salads, soups and sandwiches as well as heavier dishes like the sirloin steak.

Also on the menu were the traditional snails in garlic butter, boeuf bourguignon and the croque monsieur/madame. The desserts rounded off the meal nicely. I opted for the caramelised apple tart with ice cream and a latte, while my friend had a chocolate mousse with ice cream and a cappuccino. Alternatives included a French cheese board and a good selection of dessert wines.

Service:
The service was warm and friendly throughout. We were given plenty of time to look at the menu, were regularly asked if we wanted anything, and never felt rushed at any time. Obviously there was no need to rush as the restaurant wasn’t very busy, but we got the impression that the service would be this good at all times. There was a small pause between each course but this was appreciated, particularly between main course and dessert!

Value for money:
The pricing was very reasonable as the portions were of a decent size - we were definitely full at the end of the meal! With the quality of the food and surroundings, I would recommend the Bar du Musée very highly. Not ideal for a quick lunch, but perfect for a long business meal, or a social occasion.

Comments on the journey:
Bar du Musée is perfectly situated in the middle of Greenwich, just around the corner from Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich DLR.

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