Canal Walks and snacks @ The Narrow

One of the most enjoyable things I love about London is walking down the towpaths beside the canal on a Sunday.

It takes me back to my childhood in Hampshire, when we used to follow parts of the old Basingstoke canal through the countryside.

How I miss those days of eternal youth, the feeling that life had no end, and we were to be young forever, free to do whatever and young enough not to care.

Sadly those days are long gone and I have to face the fact that I am getting on in years, and my eternal optimism is slowly but surely disappearing.

I love the canals, I love looking at the barges and wondering if I could ever be able to live in one. It’s doubtful, as I am a real messy person, especially in the kitchen, but I do love the peacefulness of the canals.

What I hate are people who are not willing to share the canal with others. This basically includes manic joggers who scream up behind you shouting for you to move, and stupid cyclists who think they can ride side by side and everyone must move for them. Can’t they read the f’ing signs saying, “Pedestrians have the right of way.” So they can ride a bike, but they cannot bloody read.

Anyhows this given Sunday we made our way down from Victoria Fields to the Limehouse. This is the last stretch in the east we had never done before. 

It’s a lovely slow walk that took us about an hour or so. I think we were going about as quick as the barges. I even managed to help a few out as they entered and exited the locks. Well it was a Sunday and that’s my good Samaritan day.

We eventually came back down to the Thames at the Limehouse. A place I would not like to live, so soulless and devoid of anyone apart form people who had just come there down the canal.

We stopped off for a couple of beers at the Narrow, a lovely listed building owned by Mr R. This is one of his last pubs, as he has either sold or closed down the others for whatever reasons. This one seems to be doing good business for him.

As it was a nice day we sat outside supping away watching the world and boats go by. A good spot for it as well.

The walk although not long or fairly taxing did make us a tad peckish. Thankfully they have a good bar menu, so we ordered a couple of nibbles off it. We had a plate of honey mustard coated sausages and a scotch egg. I am a sucka for a scotch egg.

I think they actually boiled the egg, encased it in sausage meat and then cooked it, as it took about 30 minutes to arrive.

The chipolatas were nice and good beer food. The egg was good, nice and crispy, nice sausage meat, although the white of the egg was still a little undercooked. But the beer was good, so that made up for it all.

The restaurant inside was packed, so they must be churning out good food for the local punters, although I don’t think there is too much choice in the near vicinity. Git it all sown up has our Mr R. At least one of his places is doing well.

You can continue along the river towards Wapping and further west. It’s a nice walk on a good day that is, which we haven’t had too many recently.

My next trip n the canals heading west from Little Venice I will come with some protection to push those joggers and cyclists into the canal. 

Sunday Roast @ The Island Queen

The Island Queen is literally sitting in between two pubs. The Duke of Cambridge, with its organic virtues, and the Narrowboat with its boil in the bag foods and quite crap beers.

The Island Queen kinda sits (geographically) in between these two pubs. Although I would say it is the better of the 3 by far.

I’ve never eaten a full meal at the Duke of Cambridge, but to what people have told me and the reviews I’ve read, its food is over priced and not that fantastic. But their bar snacks and cheese boards are. The beers are really why I drink there (when I do). The openness of the bar area is fantastic, so much light and space gives you that relaxed feeling.

The Narrowboat on the other hand is cramped and less than cosy. Its only redeeming feature is that you can stand outside by the canal and watch the world run and cycle by you. Other than that it’s not that good. Again never eaten there, as their boil in the bag food does not grab me. I watched the kitchen before whilst drinking outside.

The Island Queen has a lot of character. Linas cousin introduced me to the place just after we got back. It struck me from the off as a great pub with lots of life. I liked the bar staff and the people who drank and ate there. I love pubs like this.

So for ages I’d been wanting to go back and eat there, as the menu looked appetising to me. An excuse wasn’t needed it was just finding time to fit it in. Not that I’m doing a lot recently, unemployment leaves you with lots of time to do, like err, nothing.

We awoke late on a beautiful sunny Sunday morning. A walk along the canal was planned to take us all the way to Camden and beyond.

Food was either gonna be the Breakfast Club, a favourite in that part of the Upper Street area, or now I had a chance to try the Island Queen. It had been quite a while since my last roast, so let’s kill two birds with one stone.

There are a few tables outside but after my last roast outside on a sunny day, we took quite a battering from Mr Sun, we were glad there were no spaces.

The fantastic horseshoe bar hits you as you walk in. Its high ceilings and those small dainty chandeliers add to the atmosphere of the place. Even though the décor has an Autumnal feel to it, with the large windows in the front and mirrors aptly placed it still feels light and airy.

The roast was what we came for, and the roast we had. I opted for the roast beef, and Lina had the roast leg of lamb, with 2 pints of Hoegaarden it came to about £26(ish).

Normally I would choose a bitter, but on a day like this I wanted something light and refreshing. I even opted for the slice of lemon to be added, something I normally scoff at. But it was a stunning day.

The roasts came and looked identical. Well apart from the meat they were same same. Two roast potatoes (not crispy at all), small mound of nice mash. (I like mash with a roast sometimes), sautéed leeks (yum), a yorkie, that looked not home made but tasted good, and some slightly undercooked carrots and some untopped and untailed, but well cooked French beans.

The meats were ok. Linas lamb had more flavour than my beef, but the good gravy over powered both. The mint and horseradish sauces were both from a jar. Not only could you tell, but the chef asked a barman to go out and buy some more as he was running out. Quality.

It was not a stunning roast by anyones standards, it was more like going round a mates house and having a roast there. Nice and comforting.

I want to return there, but maybe just to drink, as they have an impressive display of Euro beers and some good ciders, and I love pubs with character. There are so few of them left these days.