Messing about on the river

The Grand Union

Location: A canal near Kensal Rise

Rating: Two and half stars

There's nothing better than working up a healthy appetite by going for a stroll along London's canal towpaths. Time always seems to fly when you hit the waterways, thanks to all of the entertainment on offer.  From ducklings harassing their mothers and swans giving you the evil eye to tramps making impressive headway through a six pack of Special Brew and cyclists attempting to mow you down, there's always something to keep you occupied on the canal.

Another bonus of canal walks is that before you know it, you've walked more than enough miles to tuck into a hearty lunch; without giving a flip about calories.

After our latest mini adventure, which saw us hop on the towpath by Camden market and make our way up through Little Venice and on to Kensel Rise, we stopped off at The Grand Union pup for lunch.

Not part of The Grand Union chain, this little bar/pub has the benefit of a great location for outside dining. However, when we arrived for some lunch in the sun, it seemed that everyone else had the same idea, so we made our way inside.

Inside was a bit disappointing. On our visit, there was a distinct lack of atmosphere, which was amplified by the moody staff, who were not only unhelpful but plain rude too.

We decide on grilled sardines with a tomato salsa, whitebait & squid with sweet chilli mayonnaise, and a bowl of chips. The food was very reasonable, and although they were small dishes (think tapas), at £3.95 a pop they're not going to break the bank.

Maybe it was because we had been so looking forward to our well deserved lunch, or maybe the sullen faces of the bar staff had left a bad taste in our mouths, but the food didn't come up to scratch.

The sardines hadn't been boned, and to be honest, they didn't taste good enough to be worth all the bother. The whitebait and calamari was fresh and tasty, but unfortunately the chef seemed to have forgotten that the mayonnaise should have been partnered with sweet chilli.

So we ate our food quickly, and hastily made our way back to the canal - a far more enjoyable experience.

www.grandunionlondon.co.uk