Brunching at the Daisie Green Collection is no news to you all, I have forever banged on about how good the brunch is at each and every one of the DGC restaurants across London (My favourite being Timmy Green in Victoria). However, knowing the manager of your favourite brunch restaurant has its perks, Man Eats London introduced me to their semi-new restaurant ON A BOAT in Little Venice, Darcie Green.
First of all, yes the restaurant is on an actual boat! I am so sold on that! I don’t think I’ve ever had lunch on one of those little boats on the canal at Little Venice so it was definitely an exciting experience for me. It was one of those rare occasions in London last week when the sun was out on a crisp winters’ day and it was beautiful weather to be on a boat.
Steve from Man Eats London and I decided to go for lunch as I’d had brunch there numerous times (and I mean numerous!). So we ordered to our hearts’ content…
My favourite matcha latte around
Clockwise – tempura soft shell crab with caramel sauce, Betel leaves with coconut sambal, Spicy tuna tostada
Betel leaves with coconut sambal and chill – LOVE
Halloumi fries with Pomegranate yogurt
I am a halloumi lover but I’ve had halloumi fries before – these halloumi fries however were something else!! They were divine – crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside I think I died and went to cheese heaven!
Celeriac Steak
I had recently been introduced to celeriac at my last visit to The Frog E1 and I fell in love, so when I saw celeriac steak on the menu I had to order it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite what I expected – the celeriac tasted rather lacklustre and almost hard to chew too. The dish needed some kind of sauce to distract your taste buds from the blandness of the celeriac. Maybe we’ll let the Masterchefs do the celeriac from now on.
Melbourne Mars Bar and Cheesecake Ball
I’m really not exaggerating when I say this is one of the best desserts I have had! I was expecting a standard chocolate ball with chocolate oozing out of it, instead what I got was so amazing. The chocolate ball on the outside was beautiful, hard chocolate – it was somewhat of a mission to break into it. When you do you’re welcomed by creamy mixture of white chocolate and double cream, with caramel drizzle and Oreo cookie crumbles. I cannot even attempt to explain how beautiful this dessert was!
We were offered beverages and even though I had my matcha latte to keep me well and truly satisfied, I agreed to a mocktail – never say no to a mocktail kids! As a Muslim, one of the things I miss the most is not being able to drink cocktails in a fancy glass – I never want the alcoholic drinks just the pretty glass it comes in! So every time a restaurant brings me a no-alchol drink in a fancy glass I genuinely feel like Carrie Bradshaw with her Metropolitan in hand and the world at her feet! Not to mention this was one of the nicest drinks I had had in a very long time. It had ginger, orange juice and non alcoholic gin which was great – it kind of gave it a kick at the end I loved it!
All in all, I loved everything about the lunch menu at Daisie Green. I do wish they served halal meat but until I blog about it enough for them to change their menu, there are plenty of dishes to keep you satisfied as a part-time pescatarian. Although I have to say eating on a boat is an odd experience for sure, you don’t expect the bumps but when you have the odd bump here and there your heart kind of sinks. Just take a swig of that non-alcoholic gin and you’ll be fine! It is a small boat though so spaces are limited make sure you book if you’re gonna pay them a visit.
Food – 7 out of 10
Service – 8 out of 10
Atmosphere – 8 out of 10
Experience – 8 out of 10
Overall, giving Darcie Green a total TLH score of 7 out of 10.
Address: Grand Union Canal, Sheldon Square, Paddington Central, W2 6DS
Website: http://www.daisygreenfood.com/venues/darcie-may
Halal Status: No halal served, but do cater for a halal diet (i.e. no alcohol, etc)
Closest Station: Paddington (Hammersmith and City line)