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.
This sounds like the location will grow into quite a popular store. It just needs time– they have all the critical elements!
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!
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.