Going Out

 The weather stayed very pleasant all day yesterday.

We were aching to get out in it so we took a slightly circuitous route over to Wapping Wharf.  This route meant that we went through a hither-to unseen bit of the Wapping Wharf development.  Gosh!

There was a surprising range of unessential shops - beauty place, things for the home shop and that sort of thing but an actual, proper, non-chain bookshop.  So delighted was I that I went in and found a book to buy.

The area now has a much more bedded-in feel and I have to say they seem to have made quite a good job of integrating the retained gaol buildings.  I think that there's more permanent development planned so that the container-based food businesses could end up moving into bricks-and-mortar buildings.

We went to the Junction (BBF) and, initially, were considering moving on after the first one - but they had both Independence and Southville Hop on keg and by the time we got around to deciding whether we wanted to stay the "creche" which had formed had largely dissipated.

It's a useful place but there are no cosy corners to sit in which is a bit of a shame so it never feels especially relaxing.  Nevertheless - it's place you could confidently take friends and family if you're doing the harbour circuit.  I also like it more than the Wildbeer incarnation.  We didn't want to eat there though so we thought we'd check out a few of the Cargo venues.

I'd wanted to try Daily Noodles which is right opposite Junction but it was full by the time we went to look.  So we had a bit of a clamber to see which (if any) venue called to us.

We ended up in Salt and Malt which is a combo take out chippy and bistro/eat-in place.   Lovely greeting the second we walked in by the FoH staff and we were soon perched at a tall table.

The menu for eat-in was much the same as the counter menu but with a couple of extra mains and some starters.

Ultimately, we shared fishcake and chips and a bowl of fish soup.  The wine list was short but we decided to have a couple more cans of Southville Hop which complemented the food really well.

This was none of your mug 'o tea, Mothers Pride and soggy chips affair - everything was fantastic and the bread was a generous portion of sourdough.

Service was easy-going and friendly - all in all a lovely, lovely place to go and we left feeling happy and full.  Quite keen to try somewhere else next time (although there's also a fair chance that we'd go back there given half a chance).

The walk home exercised off the chips but it's also a reasonably pleasant on.

Today?  Another bit of a walk and maybe a new taproom...