Ever wanted to eat your lunch ogled by naval enthusiasts? Yeah, a bit too niche for me, too. Still, if that’s how you get your kicks then you might like this riverside deli and bar from Tom Aikens’ usually reliable chain. Otherwise, it’s difficult to recommend.
The big issue here is the fact that the deli is awkwardly shoehorned into the HMS Belfast visitor centre (note: not on the ship), which means you’re sharing your dining space with nautical souvenirs, separate tills and those (no-doubt-lovely) people queuing for the gangplank to the boat itself. Then there’s the confusing, unexplained ordering process: food is all laid out but staff escort you around to plate up.
What we ordered was hit and miss, too. Salmon fillet with fregola salad was good but a goat’s cheese and salad wrap had been left out for too long, the flatbread dry and hardening. I liked the lemon-and-poppy-seed cookie but my flat white was okay at best.
Alfresco cocktails in the bar upstairs looked like a better bet but it was chucking it down on our visit, so it was closed. Rainchecks for both deli and bar, then.