Living close to a tube station often means that I find myself travelling closer to the heart of London when wanting to dine in a restaurant that delivers both deliciously spectacular plates of food and caring service with a smile. However, I was recently invited to check out Chapters restaurant, a place nestled in upmarket Blackheath Village just north of Greenwich Park and in front of a lonely church on the heath.
While not within walking distance to a tube station, there is still a feel of liveliness and community feel about Blackheath. I was here on a Sunday and before nudging the door open to enter Chapters I noticed an outdoor funfair filled with families enjoying the eclectic mix of entertainment. Locals casually waltz by (many with dogs and cute babies in tow).
This part of town has arguably a fine example of London’s upmarket local independent shops and restaurants, which makes it a joy to browse and walk through.
Situated right on the heath, Chapters makes the most of its enviable location by installing a full wall of floor to ceiling windows with views of the heath and the distant church in the background. A contrary to some of the other local rustic spots, Chapters exudes an aura of understated elegance with contemporary interiors throughout.
We bagged a tucked away window seat for two just above the stairs. Tip: request for this table if you like lots of natural light, you won’t be disappointed! The staff here are extremely friendly, but yet they are not overbearing. In my opinion, that balance is so hard to achieve for a busy Sunday afternoon service!
As it was the weekend, we were given options of a la carte lunch menu with a range of Sunday’s best specials. Despite warnings of large portions for the epic Sunday beef roast, Mr. New Yorker opted for that and a starter of roasted tender chorizo on toasted sourdough. I like a man who isn’t picky about food these days, a rare find. Glad I married him.
I felt like something vegetarian for my first course to balance my food karma, as I was eyeing up the Josper oven range of charcoal meats. The creamy and cheesy wild mushroom risotto won my vote, despite its main-course portion, I cleaned up every last spoonful. Then, I tried the locally sourced Kentish lamb chump chops, cooked pink to perfection with a side of creamy spinach.
Mr. New Yorker secretly did a chuckle as the baby-head sized Yorkshire pudding on his Sunday roast made its way to our table. “Don’t worry. That’s a small sized one compared to some of the other plates!” Our waitress smilingly said as she landed his plate in front of him.
I gave him a look of good-luck-hope-you-survive-the-food-coma-after look. And then, we both tucked in full-foodie mode. Silence is a virtue at times like this.
Satisfied with our clean plates, we both looked at each other and started to debate who had the better main course dish. Just as well, the dessert menu arrived, all of which I wanted to try. Lighter options, of course, would be best.
Panna cotta is essentially like sweet frozen yogurt, that seemed like the most sensible option. I opted for the caramelised banana version with a side of honeycomb and vanilla ice cream. Mr. New Yorker rejoiced as he found his favourite lemon tart listed and paired nicely with raspberry sorbet.
We both cuddled our tea mugs as we sank deep into Sunday afternoon pre-nap coma. This is a great spot for a lazy weekend brunch and you’ll be surrounded by big-hearted local families who are enjoying their little slice of Blackheath heaven, one dish at a time.