New Restaurant Review: The Compass

Invited to check out a new opening in Rotherhithe, we fell at the first hurdle of finding it. Put the postcode into your Google Maps, though, because it’s worth the effort. An impromptu tour of Rotherhithe’s backstreets later, we’d even go as far as to say it’s something of a godsend in an area that’s full of shiny new apartments but devoid of any apparent pubs or places to go.

A sister pub of The Fellow in Kings Cross and The Amersham Arms in New Cross (which Londonist visited on our commemorative East London Line pub crawl), The Compass is the latest venue to spot an up and coming area (now also on the new East London Line) and make it its home.

As it obviously reads in the “How To Make A Trendy Pub” handbook, The Compass has eclectic furniture, bare-wood floors and a touch of retro charm. Something which the trendy spots often forget, though, is a friendly welcome. The Compass has this in abundance, and it’s the reason we love it so much. It may be swankier than some, but it’s still a local at heart.

The food is something a bit special, too. It’s simple stuff, but with enough twists to get us excited. A bacon sandwich comes with goat’s cheese cream, which we reckon is every bit better than ketchup. Plus the bread’s homemade. And try the salt beef salad if you get the chance, it mixes shredded salt beef with green beans in a mustardy mayo that becomes something of a posh coleslaw. The menu changes all the time, but we’re sure you won’t be disappointed. And there's a garden, too. The Compass is at 346 - 352 Rotherhithe Street and that postcode is SE16 5EF. Visit www.thecompasslondon.com.