Whistlestop Lunch in Greenwich at Champagne & Fromage:
I had great intentions to spend some time in Greenwich. It’s somewhere I haven’t been for many, many years and somewhere that is often overlooked by visitors to London. On the map it looks just a little far away from the centre of town. Once upon a time it was – now, thanks to the DLR it’s an easy journey to Cutty Sark. But, despite having a date in my diary to meet a friend for lunch at the newly opened Champagne & Fromage, I somehow managed to end up working till far to late and only just making it to the restaurant on time. That despite the fact that Champagne & Fromage is just a few minutes walk from Cutty Sark station.
The new Champagne & Fromage is similar to the Brixton Village store and to the original Covent Garden outlet. Right now it seems a little minimalist, but I suspect that’s because it hasn’t been opened for that long.
We enjoyed a glass of Pertois-Moriset Selection Brut (50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay) each priced at £9 a glass or £56 a bottle. Champagne & Fromage specialise in grower champagnes – small champagne houses that make their champagne from grapes grown on their own estates rather than by blending grapes that have been brought in. I love the concept and I’ve always enjoyed the champagnes I’ve tried there.
Our gastro board arrived, complete with a whole assortment of cured meats, cheeses, tapanade and terrine. At £25 for enough food to more than satisfy two hungry dinners, it’s good value, though you might prefer to pick your own selection from the cheese and charcuterie counter. There’s also a selection of olives, terrines and a few hot dishes, though not quite the range that you’ll find in the two better established outlets.
Right now I get the impression that Champagne & Fromage in Greenwich is finding its space. It’s a very different location to the other two – although having said that, I can’t think of much further from Covent Garden than Brixton Village. This part of Greenwich is full of young families visiting the Cutty Sark and whether there is space for a Champagne bar remains to be seen. I’ll make my way back in a month or so once the holidays are over and spend a bit more time looking around Greenwich before stopping off at Champagne & Fromage for a glass of fizz and a plateful of cheeses.
Champagne & Fromage
34 Church Street,
Greenwich, London SE10 9BL
I was a guest of Champagne & Fromage, a thank-you for running a promotion for them on London-Unattached.
Nice post. Hopefully they will find their clientele such as professionals stopping for light dinner and a bite but they have to fight stiff competition. Greenwich offers a lot of more competitive options.
I think sticking with the serving boards is a good bet – the cooked food in Covent Garden last week was a bit hit and miss – maybe they’d been on the Champagne too – to cook a quiche to a cinder is one thing but to actually serve it!!!? The pear and cheese tartines was lovely tho’
LOL that’s not good Simon – did you ask for a refund/replacement? I’ve had lovely tartines in Covent Garden and Brixton and I like picking my own charcuterie and cheese too. I did have a slightly strange fondue in brixton once, but I think it is because we were sitting outside and it just went cold too quickly!
This sounds like the location will grow into quite a popular store. It just needs time– they have all the critical elements!