Last night I met some friends for a drink near Waterloo as it’s a handy, central location which we can all get home from.
We met at Topolski, a gallery and bar/cafe named after Feliks Topolski a Polish artist. Feliks would have been licking his whiskers at the prospect of the happy hour! I enjoyed two cucumber gin and tonics and two glasses of house red for just £13!
We contemplated eating there too, but fortunately I managed to persuade the party otherwise. It was all sharing boards of meat and salmon and olives etc. The thing is about ‘sharing’ boards is you don’t really share do you? It’s one big build up to the inevitable moment where you all stare at a piece of salami for 45 minutes desperately trying to convince each other you don’t want it.
One of my co-drinkers proudly exclaimed to be the owner of a Taste card, boasting of 25% off at certain restaurants. He gave me his phone with the app on and said, “hey buddy, if you won’t share cold meats find us somewhere to go.”
And I did!
A short walk over a bridge and we were all searching for RS Hispaniola. We didn’t find it for ages. Then it dawned on me…I’d booked for us to eat on a boat. After the name calling had finished we went to have a look. We were confronted with a very steep ramp at the entrance. If you’re planning on taking elderly family members or wheelchair dwellers be sure to have your wits about you.
Once aboard we saw there were only approximately 3 other diners in the place. Unperturbed, we decided to stay and ordered some wine and main courses.
As we were on a vessel I decided I should probably have some fish, I mean, hey, if you’re not going to eat fish when you’re on a boat when are you? The pan fried salmon, pancetta, savoy cabbage, white wine and butter sauce was a lot more enjoyable than I had anticipated. I shared a laugh with the waiting staff when I asked whether the salmon had been caught locally! I think she thought it was funny, or may have just been polite, a good thing either way.
In summary, if you’re looking to eat on a boat with a view of the London Eye you can’t say fairer than the RS Hispaniola.
Foodie Boys 