So apparently reads the inscription on the arch entrance to the old Greenwich Covered Market from the South side on College Approach next to the Admiral Hardy pub. Hmm.. my favourite Hardy is GH but the Admiral comes a close second. I say "apparently" as actually I couldn't find the inscription - I will go back and check harder during the week.
[Aside: GH Hardy contended that pure maths "has permanent aesthetic value" and "is eternal because the best of it may, like the best literature, continue to cause intense emotional satisfaction to thousands of people after thousands of years." Like this blog then. Which is destined to become like, I dunno, the Pepys' Diary of future generations].
This week, the Gannets two were even less organised than usual and so set out in the miserable weather that was Sunday for good old Greenwich Market - the covered one. 2 women and a dog.
The men waited patiently and heroically at home with crockery, cutlery and rumbling stomachs. "I would like the Thai curry and some samosas" instructed Mr Gannet 2, the one who in his own mind had a competent wife with a memory.
The market has been in existence since the early 1800's when it began at the West gate to the Royal Naval College and spread organically, before being corralled into its current site behind all the buildings in the middle of Greenwich's fetching gyratory. In the last couple of years, after much local argument, it has been refurbished with a new glass roof and flatter cobbles to enable those with wheels and heels better to totter around the stalls. It is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike.
The market is open Tuesday to Sunday (closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in off-season January and early February), and is full of enticing stalls selling handmade jewellery, candles, alternative clothes, ceramics, some vintage stuff, children's toys and other craft made items. But the southern half is now given over to food stalls, very like Borough Market. This is where we headed.
We were spoiled for choice: vegan patisserie, hand made sushi, burritos, beanburgers and sweet stalls. But we wanted authenticity. No pan-Asian fusion for us (been there, done that).
"Oh look", said Gannet 1, "that place looks authentic, they even have their name written in Indian script":
I know. It's sad. What can I say? We were hungry and so probably didn't have proper nutrient rich blood flow to our brains.
The nominally Indian stall (Desi Indian) was staffed by very authentic looking Thai men and women serving what looked and smelled like authentic Thai food.
The curries were being cooked as we queued. There was green thai chicken curry, pad Thai noodles, shredded beef curry, chicken and cashew stirfry and also squid and tomato curry. Prices were an easy £6 for a large box of curry and rice: making a filling meal for one or a light bite for two. Gannet 1's brain had engaged by now so she also bought the "curry only" box for £8, reckoning that there would be plenty of rice in her mixed box to suffice for two curries. She was right.
The queue was reasonably long and the pad thai noodles temporarily ran out after we took the last serving, although more was on its way. The curries smelt and looked fabulous.
I overbought the curries, knowing that we could freeze a couple for later in the week and that they would still be yummy. Gannet1 was more measured and bought the right amount.
Soon we were home and tucking in.
"Where are the samosas I asked for?" said Mr Gannet 2. Gannet 2 is sacked as a delivery service. Nonetheless Mr Gannet 2, along with the rest of us, tucked enthusiastically into the thai green chicken curry. Thanks to the Mr Gannets for bearing with us on this mission. It must be a tough life.
Later this week, we are planning on trying out the best Persian in town which is apparently the Caspian on Burnt Ash Hill. Anyone wanting to join us on Friday is most welcome.
Summary for Desi Indian in the covered market
For an Indian stall, it was authentically Thai cuisine 9/10
Freshly cooked in front of us: 10/10
Value: 7/10 slight tourist prices but really you can't complain at £6 each.
Ambience: 9/10 Greenwich covered market is crowded but fun and worth a visit any time. There was nowhere to sit and eat right by the stall itself but if you don't live as close as we do, you can take your curry in less than 5 minutes to eat by the riverside in Cutty Sark Gardens, or up King William Walk and into the park.
Day trip ideas: combine the market with a visit to the Old Naval College (Painted Hall, copy Crown Jewels) and the restored Cutty Sark tea clipper, both less than 200 metres away.
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