Review of Pistachios in the Park, in East Greenwich Pleasaunce

After a knockabout on the tennis courts of Greenwich Park yesterday, myself and a chum decided to forego our “usual” – a Park Porker or a butter-less Bacon Butty from the Honest Sausage – and instead wandered over to the recently opened Pistachios in the Park in East Greenwich Pleasaunce.

Much care and thought has been put into the design of the building, with architects Jo Watkins and Alexander Sedgely aiming to deliver a building that is as environmentally friendly as possible. The green roof of the cafe has meadow plants growing on top of it, which apparently increases insulation and becomes a haven for butterflies and insects.

Solar energy is being harnessed to provide underfloor heating and also hot water in the cafe and toilets – yes, there are now toilets in the Pleasaunce. The green credentials seem to be something of an attraction because last time I was in the Pleasaunce, a couple stopped me in their car and asked me where the new “eco cafe” was – though one has to wonder if driving around in search of an eco cafe is a little contradictory.

When I turned up at Pistachios, I was really just looking for an apres-tennis snack and didn’t have my reviewer’s hat on, or indeed have a proper camera with me. I’m no Michael Winner at the best of times, but I had a tuna, mayo and salad baguette that was delicious. My friend had a similar filling but in a white bread sandwich. Those, together with two teas came in at just over £8 which seemed more than reasonable. If I was looking for something to be critical about, I would say that both mine and my friend’s teas weren’t very hot.

Service was great and very friendly – the owner of the cafe, Lizzie, came out and was chatting to us about how things have gone since she opened. Apparently they’ve seen a brisk trade since opening, which is good to hear because it’s a new business that deserves to do well. If you’re passing the Pleasaunce, I’d certainly recommend you go check out Pistachios for a decent snack in peaceful surroundings. Oh, and if you have a Wifi phone or laptop with you, there’s free wireless internet available – the password is written on the menu board at the back of the cafe.

Have you been to Pistachios in the Park yet? Share you thoughts in the comments section.

Paul says

July 26, 2011 at 7:59 am

I’m sad to say that I had an awful experience at Pistachios in Greenwich Pleasuance yesterday, 25th July 2011. I should have guessed that things were amiss when I first arrived as the tables were cluttered with dirty plates and cups. Not too distressing in itself but the place wasn’t even busy. In fact, when I went in to the cafe itself (the folding doors were shut on a lovely day making the place look unhospitable), I was the only person at the counter. There was a young girl behind the servery who was flitting about and I could smell cigarette smoke in doors. Looking over, I could see the back door open and a young man sitting in the doorway smoking. I later learned that this young chap was the cook). Well, I ordered an egg baguette and a tuna melt and paid for them by debit card. I now note that the order was placed at 13.28 hours from that receipt. I was sitting next to the door and 2 other people went in and placed drinks orders so I thought my food wouldn’t be too long. Well, 15 minutes later the egg baguette arrived. It was totally anemic without a hint of colour on the bread. I appreciate that the breads arrive (usually frozen) to be finished in the oven but this thing was totally white and hard. If it had been in the oven at all all that had been achieved was to make the thing almost bullet like. I kept waiting for the tuna melt to arrive and even went in once to see what was happening. After 25 minutes the young chap that I had seen smoking brought me the tuna melt. Well, what can I say? Again, I think an attempt to grill the bread had been made but all that had been achieved was to make the bread dry and hard. Not a hint of colour to the ‘toasted’ bread. It was just hard, dry and curled up at the edges. Lifting the bread I found a lump of cheese that had sort of melted at the edges but was otherwise unaffected by applied heat. It was, to be blunt, disgusting.

I paid £8.15 for two wholly unacceptable sandwiches in a venue that was left dirty and appeared unloved (when was the last time the window were cleaned?). I went back inside with the ‘food’ and spoke to the lad that had served me. He wasn’t impolite but he wasn’t apologetic either. When presented with the baguette and asked if it looked cooked he replied, “Well, I didn’t cook it.” When asked if the bread on the tuna melt was toasted his reply was, “I put it in the toaster.”

I asked for, and got, my money back but have left with a very poor view of the cafe. I live within a couple of hundred yards of The Pleasuance and had a guest with me on this visit. I like to support local businesses but the service, food and general condition of the cafe was dire, making it unlikely for me to bother again in the future. Honestly, why would you?

Comments

Paul says

July 26, 2011 at 7:59 am

I’m sad to say that I had an awful experience at Pistachios in Greenwich Pleasuance yesterday, 25th July 2011. I should have guessed that things were amiss when I first arrived as the tables were cluttered with dirty plates and cups. Not too distressing in itself but the place wasn’t even busy. In fact, when I went in to the cafe itself (the folding doors were shut on a lovely day making the place look unhospitable), I was the only person at the counter. There was a young girl behind the servery who was flitting about and I could smell cigarette smoke in doors. Looking over, I could see the back door open and a young man sitting in the doorway smoking. I later learned that this young chap was the cook). Well, I ordered an egg baguette and a tuna melt and paid for them by debit card. I now note that the order was placed at 13.28 hours from that receipt. I was sitting next to the door and 2 other people went in and placed drinks orders so I thought my food wouldn’t be too long. Well, 15 minutes later the egg baguette arrived. It was totally anemic without a hint of colour on the bread. I appreciate that the breads arrive (usually frozen) to be finished in the oven but this thing was totally white and hard. If it had been in the oven at all all that had been achieved was to make the thing almost bullet like. I kept waiting for the tuna melt to arrive and even went in once to see what was happening. After 25 minutes the young chap that I had seen smoking brought me the tuna melt. Well, what can I say? Again, I think an attempt to grill the bread had been made but all that had been achieved was to make the bread dry and hard. Not a hint of colour to the ‘toasted’ bread. It was just hard, dry and curled up at the edges. Lifting the bread I found a lump of cheese that had sort of melted at the edges but was otherwise unaffected by applied heat. It was, to be blunt, disgusting.

I paid £8.15 for two wholly unacceptable sandwiches in a venue that was left dirty and appeared unloved (when was the last time the window were cleaned?). I went back inside with the ‘food’ and spoke to the lad that had served me. He wasn’t impolite but he wasn’t apologetic either. When presented with the baguette and asked if it looked cooked he replied, “Well, I didn’t cook it.” When asked if the bread on the tuna melt was toasted his reply was, “I put it in the toaster.”

I asked for, and got, my money back but have left with a very poor view of the cafe. I live within a couple of hundred yards of The Pleasuance and had a guest with me on this visit. I like to support local businesses but the service, food and general condition of the cafe was dire, making it unlikely for me to bother again in the future. Honestly, why would you?