I had been to the Sail Loft once before, because Greenwich is far and away the nicest part of London and, right on the river, this was a lovely place to go for a drink on a summer evening. Consequently, I was so excited to be invited along to Fuller’s Secret Supper, a showcase of the new autumn/winter menu.
It’s a gorgeous venue across two storeys, decorated with boats and ropes, and wooden floors like a ship.
The Sail Loft is one of the newest venues owned by Fuller’s, the brewery behind London Pride. However, what I didn’t realise is that they are also hugely focused on their food menu. Present at the event was Paul Dickinson, Head of Food, and Gavin Sinden, who won their Chef of the Year competition this year and is Head Chef at the Stonemason Arms in Hammersmith. Chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants have left to work for Fuller’s, hearing their vision for their food. Menus vary from restaurant to restaurant as chefs have freedom over what they make.
This menu certainly wasn’t straightforward pub grub (much as I love it). They did have some pub classics on there: fish and chips, and burgers. However, this was interspersed with dishes like ricotta, black fig and truffle honey quiche.
A couple of plates of each starter were brought to the tables so that we could try a bit of everything. There was venison Carpaccio, oysters and octopus amongst others. My choice would be the cured meat platter.
We got to choose our own main, and despite the choice, I still opted for the burger. It was a great burger though! My boyfriend said the duck was excellent. Other choices were steak, sea bream and wild mushroom ravioli.
We had the chance to meet more of the Fuller’s team – Georgina, Jo, Jane and I’m so embarrassed to have forgotten a name but everyone was lovely! It was such a fun meal.
The desserts were brilliant – again, they brought a selection so we could sample each. The baked Alaska was particularly good, and I’m never usually a fan of meringue-type desserts. There was also chocolate cake and salted caramel ice cream and one that I’m looking at the picture of and still can’t remember what it was! (Good though.)
I was so impressed by how much attention they pay to their food as I think there is a preconception that pubs just microwave their food and there’s not really much cooking going on! However Fuller’s really is making it as much of a priority as they drinks they serve, and I thought this menu was a good balance between dishes we all expect from a pub and something different.
As much as I enjoyed the meal, I would have gone back even if they just served bread and butter, because the Sail Loft is a stunning venue – easily one of the best-looking and best located in London. I almost don’t want to sing its praises too much so I can keep it for myself and those of us living in the southeast!
Thank you so much to the team at PR&EI for the invite, and to the brilliant team from Fuller’s who ensured we had a great night.
Wake Up Your Luck 