Rivington Grill

Sister to the edgier Shoreditch original, this Greenwich branch of Rivington Grill has an appropriately maritime feel, with brass railings and mirror-lined mezzanine. Both restaurants carry a meat- and fish-focused menu, though with far more vegetarian choices here.

Even at sunset on a summer's evening, both the main dining room and the mezzanine were gloomy and devoid of atmosphere, but our eyes lit up on perusing the menu. The likes of 'smoked mackerel, samphire and cucumber pickle, potato salad' sounded simple and delicious. There's a good range of wines by the glass too, but that's where our fun ended.

Listless service and expensive, below-average food made us feel as gloomy as the interior. After wrestling the tough outer skin from the bone-in smoked mackerel, the ice-cold fish turned out to be flavourful, even though overshadowed by a pleasingly salty pickle. To follow, the buttery, crumbly pastry of a half-filled pie was better than the few mouthfuls of chicken, ham and leek it contained, and a side salad of heirloom tomatoes and lovage outshone a tough, overcooked lamb chop.

A £7.75 cheese plate with three tiny nuggets of fridge-cold cheese compounded our misery. We left disappointed, and £60 a head poorer.