When the weather’s good, you just can’t beat a rooftop supper.
Gather friends, stake your claim on a nice big table, raise your glasses to the sky and enjoy the warm evening air.
And that’s just what we did, for a beautiful sunset at The Culpeper‘s new rooftop garden.
Frosty drinks, great company, the wafting smell of a bbq and a summer breeze.
What more could you possibly ask for?
The Culpeper is an unpretentious pub in East London.
A firm favourite with locals and west Londoners alike, they serve up great drinks and cracking food.
The rooftop is an urban farm, supplying all its own herbs and veggies. So about as “farm to table” as you can possibly get!
The fish and meat are sustainably sourced and tip-top quality.
We left it to the chef to send out whatever he thought was good.
He didn’t disappoint.
Scallops the size of your fist were plonked down in various spaces along the table.
Plump, fresh, buttery, grilled in their shells with the roe intact.
(Seeing as I was the only one keen on the roe, I got to eat all of them. One of the perks of being friends with picky eaters!)
Grilled mackerel arrived with a zingy shallot salsa.
Reminding us all of summer holidays beside the sea as kids.
Camping, sandy feet, grazed knees, pink cheeks, huge jumpers and mackerel cooking on the fire.
The drinks have gotten significantly better since then…
Jean Maupertuis Pink Bulles; crisp, light with a very slight hint of strawberries.
Summer in a glass.
Everyone picked, shared and tucked in happily.
The pink fizz that launched a thousand ships Instagrams.
The chicken and beef were perfectly cooked, packed with flavour and beautifully simple.
But (and I never thought I’d say this) the veggies really stole the show.
Stuffed peppers, grilled lettuce in blue cheese, and bowls of rustic ratatouille filled the table.
The veggies didn’t even leave the building before being cooked and served. I don’t think it’s possible to get much fresher!
We all rabbited away to one & other, stopping now and then to pass things around and fill glasses.
The sun dipped below the cityscape, turning the sky to fiery orange and eventually an inky blue.
Leaving us to our cocktails and chuckles.
