And how was the weather?

So in the height of summer we took ourselves to A Grelha for the second time. Since we went last July this may be the start of a tradition. We booked the table and kept a close eye on the weather forecast since this is one of London's few open air restaurants which runs each summer on the patio of The Gun Pub in the Docklands.

The idea of recreating the experience of a beach side Portuguese restaurant is a great one and on our first visit we enjoyed a wonderful long evening filled with fish dishes and light Portuguese wines. What was the magic ingredient we wonder. The Fresh fish bought from Billingsgate each morning? The huge charcoal grill? No, I can confirm it was the weather. This time the sun scurried behind a cloud, the temperature plummeted and all the little niggles took over. The waiter was vague on the menu, didn't know if fish could be filleted, offered to put up an umbrella and disappeared for half an hour whilst more than one of our starters was lost in action and never made it to the table. You could argue that all of these failings are authentically Mediterranean and with perfect weather and a long wine list in front of you wouldn't care.

The wine list however is genuinely Portuguese so we tucked in as the the days of flavourless Vinho Verde are long gone and the countries wines are beginning to show some real character.

Fontanario de Pegões White, Palmela DOC



Made from 100% Fernao Pires grapes which are the most planted in Portugal, this is a clean simple citrusy, slightly spicy and peachy aromatic fresh white ideal for hot days. Good with food or as an aperitif, it is a great example of what a modern refurbished cooperative and an experienced winemaker, in this case Jaime Quendera, can produce. One of the new wave of straightforward but well made Portugese whites. At around £7.50 a bottle retail, it's an interesting summer alternative.



Reguengos de Melgaco Alvarinho Vinho Verde 2009



A fresh, aromatic peachy wine with some real compelexity and minerality, this was commended by Decanter for the 2007 vintage and shows some serious depth. Vinho Verde made from Alvarinho grapes have always had an excellent reputation within Portugal but the rise of the Rias Baixas region in North Western Spain has won this grape many friends in the UK.

In retrospect then, given that the food is all cooked on a barbecue and is served simply with boiled potatoes and salad, I think this restaurant makes me want to ban the burgers put in an order at the local fishmongers, get in a case of Portuguese coolers and invite everyone over to my mine. A Grehla a casa next year perhaps?