Wheeling out truly awful meals

There has been so much care and attention lavished on this pretty little pub. Everything personalised or specially commissioned: crockery, bathroom soaps, their own bottles of beer, even the doormat.

Furniture bears the stamp of stuff that's cost a bob or two. One wall is dominated by a truly lovely, original Lichtenstein print. The evidence all points to a major labour of love; so what happened to the kitchen?

We had such a terrifyingly bad meal on our first visit (salad doused in mouth-puckering quantities of raspberry vinegar; a chicken dish that looked like road kill flanked by a puck of plastic polenta; lamb that was, frankly, off) that I decided to schlep out to E14 for another go. I dreaded my return like a visit to the dentist but I felt truly sorry for the two young owners.

I willed our lunch to be great but sadly it just wasn't: stale bread; goat's cheese grilled over raw potatoes (this was removed from our bill); 'cod' - I don't think so - on a bed of creamed leeks with elderlytasting basmati studded with grey peas; an OK steak with frozenlooking fries and a decent pepper sauce; lemon tart with the lumpen quality of the bought-in. Go for a pint and a sandwich but leave the ambitious stuff alone.

A three-course meal for two with wine, water and service costs about £55. 2 Bazely Street E14. Tel: 020 7987 4414. Tube: Poplar

The Greenwich Pensioner
2 Bazely Street, E14