Old Ship

Stunning River Views and Fantastic Service

Last weekend, I embarked on an adventure to The Old Ship, nestled beside the glistening Thames—a spot so picture-perfect, it's suspiciously cinematic. There's nothing gloom and despair can't keelhaul like a serene view coupled with generous portions of Sunday roast. Upon entry, you're greeted not just by the antiquity bathed in timeless wood paneling, but by the evidently effervescent soul of the establishment—Eggsie. Imagine being ushered into a gastronomic experience by someone whose smile contains the sun itself. There is a spontaneous camaraderie among patrons, helped kindly along by the attentive staff from downing cold pints to the tantalizing roast beef that reveals secrets with every tender bite.

It would scarcely be an excursion worth the retelling without the subplot of an unexplained charity donation appearing mysteriously at the bill's mountaintop. Ah, the familiar constraints of British politeness, prompting a benign perplexity rather than fiery objection—you'll choke it up with your filter coffee, reharmonized by the lingering warmth of sticky toffee pudding. With each drink introduced by mixologist extraordinaire, Flavius—a name seemingly torn straight from some poetic Roman prose—alcohol flows like dawn and laughter fills the gaps between plates. While the app peculiarities try to play the uncharacteristic thorn, deft offerings wipe these away; a consolatory gesture is the fortitude of their riverside panoramas. Go there for the food; stay for company like Eggsie, animal-friend enthusiasms, and scenes indelible against the endless, glorious confines of Second Waved nostalgia. — Penelope Savory