Lovely Loire Wines and Super Soup: RSJ Restaurant with wines from the Loire

Searching for wines from the Loire, we had found this restaurant. The name RSJ stands for rolled steel joist, and you can see the supports holding up the old building, which is painted clean white inside and out, with charming arched windows in the upstairs dining room overlooking a quiet side street.

The set menu included soup of the day. The parsnip and chestnut soup was one of the best soups I've ever had, enhanced by salty flat ribbons of parsnip on top.

My main course of chicken and white beans with green spinach was rather so so. (I must admit Heinz baked beans have been a best seller for years, but I still think I'd rather have potato.) The fish dish came with potatoes. Somebody on the a la carte menu had fish with large chips. The risotto was very good but not wonderful.

Dessert time was again a mixed blessing. I opted for the rhubarb with white chocolate womethign and shortbread. The white mousse mould was boring, neither good texture nor flavour. However, I managed to swap part of it for somebody else's dessert, and got a taste of the nut tart.

The mints with coffee were good but not superlative. So why was I so pleased with the restaurant and why were my two companions so thrilled with it?

The answer is the wines. (Plus service and decor.) Let me tell you about the wines. The wine expert amongst us chose a wine with the Huet family label, from the good old days. A sweet wine. Delicious. It pleased those who like sweet wines and those who like dry wines. It was aromatic.

I confess that what we chose would not be everybody's choice. The man who runs the restaurant said their best seller was not the sweet wine but the Sauvignon Blanc. The fact remains that if you like Loire wine, this place has a huge choice.

Decor? Plain and clean. Some colourful paintings for sale on the ground floor. Some caricatures on the staircase. Attentive staff.

Bust of somebody on the reception desk on ground floor. See the description on the base of the sculpture.

Warning: The toilets are down a flight of stairs in the basement and the restaurant is up a flight of stairs. Our friend with a walking stick managed, but better check if you are likely to have a problem with stairs.

Getting There
We walked from Waterloo station. Satnav on a smart phone sent up to Coin Street. We made the mistake of taking the section which seems barred at both ends. (I wondered, how do the cars get in?) The restaurant is on the corner, so when you reach Coin Street, look both ways across the main road for the restaurant, instead of marching impatiently in the wrong direction.


Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, researcher, author and speaker.

London's RSJ Restaurant With Loire Valley Wines By The Glass

RSJ Restaurant is a short walk from the station, by a corner, with ground floor entrance. Three dining areas, the main room at the top upstairs, a small private room mid-level, a larger character basement for conference meetings, AGMs, Xmas parties and so on.

Small round or oblong tables. Jolly, friendly staff. Set meal was pork, vegetarian or mackerel, which suited one of our three diners but the other two chose off the main menu, duck and venison.

Bottle of wine, Vouvray demo-sec, was about £40, (would have been £25 bought outside a restaurant - our wine buff has found this place because he wanted Loire wines, which include demo-sec and sweet wines, and he thought the mark-up was reasonable. 

The pink organic wine which is bottled we had also seen sold at Borough Market.  You could also order a kir royale which I missed - it must have been on the main wine menu as I did not see it on the one sheet wine by the glass menu.

I was a bit perturbed by the way the jug was handled. Please everybody, remember to keep thumbs out of jugs even if they are heavy and carry them with one hand on the handle and if too heavy use another hand at the base for support.

Our starter of poultry and cashew nuts and citrus fruit pleased the birthday boy, though I found the cashews a bit tasteless - same goes for the ones at home from the supermarket - is it the wrong time of year for cashews or is it just me?

Main courses kept everybody happy. The high point was the desserts. We had told them we had two birthdays and they brought up the dessert with a candle. Five star enthusiasm for the toffee pudding. 

Other diners included those early diners dashing off to the Young or Old Vic theatres. Yes, We'll go back. We had corresponded with two people who must be office staff. In the evening those visible were Nigel, waiter Bob, and another. 

A brief flurry when the bill had not registered that one of the diners had the set menu. But soon sorted.

We were shown the multi-arched basement with pillars where the grooms used to sleep, then the yard next door where horses were kept. A fine finish to a satisfying evening.

Organic juice. Vouvray wine by the bottle.

Duck and mash with small onions.

Birthday candle on the delicious dessert.

Notice about tastings and special dinner events.

RSJ Restaurant,

33 Coin Street, London SE1 9NR

Tel: 020 7928 4554

rsj.uk.com

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