Craft London, Greenwich Peninsula review ★★★★★

In a nutshell: a collaboration between chef Stevie Parle and designer Tom Dixon, which serves up creative cocktails and fancy food in a sleek, chic bar and restaurant space right next to the O2 Arena.

The welcome: you enter an impressive round glass building into a reception area, then you're directed either to the ground floor cafe, first floor restaurant or second floor bar. Staff are smiley and genuinely enthused about the produce and menus (it's well worth heeding the mixologist's cocktail recommendations).

The room: designer Tom Dixon has decked out the three-storey space with his trademark copper, atmospheric lighting, smooth lines and sleek touches. The restaurant has a fresh take on formality. The 360 degree rooftop bar is a stylish space, with large windows overlooking the towers of Canary Wharf and the O2 on one side and the kitchen garden supplying seasonal, locally crafted ingredients on the other. Even though it was curiously quiet when we reviewed (a Thursday evening) there was still a lively atmosphere.






The food and drink: Adam-Wyatt Jones' cocktail menu is a celebration of seasonality and an enticing showcase of all the produce from the kitchen garden. There's a botanical freshness to the Craft Bramble and hit of summery wild strawberry in the ever so drinkable SE10. The spirit of seasonal, locally produced ingredients spans the food and drink menu, with honey produced by Craft's own beehives, meat cured and smoked on site and freshly churned buttermilk.

The well-curated menu of British dishes is brought to life with delightful details. Cheese custard (every bit as decadent and creamy as it sounds) is offset with tangy crunches of yeast cracker and deep-fried kale. Steak and salmon are both succulent and generously seasoned. And desert is especially memorable, thanks to a divine sourdough ice cream.

Would we go again: it's an absolute must if you're seeing something at the O2 – and the food, drinks and decor are special enough to warrant a trip to Greenwich anyway... especially with the happy hour offer (quote 'I'm SE10' at the bar for £5 cocktails between 5-7pm every Thursday and Friday).