Last Updated on October 26, 2024
A relaxed Sunday roast with an emphasis on British ingredients and minimal waste.
For an East London Sunday roast destination combined with a walk in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – with or without a dog – Duvale’s at Riverside East is a handy place to dine on your route. Beneath the ArcelorMittal Orbit, the bright space is a large park café with a coffee counter that becomes Duvale’s restaurant residency by former Gordon Ramsey chef Jamie Duvale every Thursday to Sunday.
The Sunday roast menu (£22pp) comes with unlimited Yorkshire puddings and can be upgraded to their bottomless fizz option for an extra £20 each. Roast beef, chicken and a vegetarian rosemary and confit garlic baked celeriac are followed by generous desserts. Duvale’s Sunday roast joins other weekly offers such as “Wings and Wine” (£10pp, Fridays) and Saturday set brunch (£25pp).
With autumn leaves on the ground, the orange decor of Duvales at Stratford Riverside East suits the season. Overlooking the River Lea and London 2012 Aquatic Centre, you may have walked past Riverside East on the stretch between Westfield Stratford and the Abba Voyage Theatre. It also brushes near East London’s Greenway Walk. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park’s growing East Bank cultural quarter comprises the forthcoming Sadler’s Wells East, BBC Music Studios, V&A East and two universities.
Duvale’s is spacious inside with a bright IKEA-style industrial café vibe, wicker lampshades and huge windows overlooking the park. There’s a mix of banquette seating and long dining tables. The acoustics were a little noisy although large empty plant troughs were awaiting replanting and it’s likely these plants – as seen in the publicity photo here – would cushion sound levels.
I took my mother along who chose roast beef while I ordered the vegetarian option. Thickly sliced folds of tender beef were served rare on one side but seared brown on the other. My mother was defeated by the generous quantity however as I’m not vegetarian I did help her out with the pillowy meat. Potatoes alongside meat options are roasted in beef fat whilst the vegetarian ones are done in brown butter. More about those in a moment.
Both roasts included cauliflower cheese, roast parsnips and carrots. The cauliflower cheese included the greens and I realised it was the first time I’d eaten cauliflower greens since my grandmother had served them. My late grandma’s Sunday dinners being my yardstick, she’d have approved of the giant Yorkshires, creamy cauliflower cheese and red wine gravy. It’s hard to believe anyone would request additional Yorkshires even though they are unlimited but I’m sure some people do.
The rosemary and confit garlic baked celeriac comes in thick chargrilled wedges that are soft inside, with a fragrant aniseed flavour. This serving style did a good job of putting a less conventional vegetable centre stage.
I wish, however, I’d asked for extra gravy and the red wine one at that. This was a deeply flavoured jus that clings thickly to the food whereas the vegetarian gravy was thin as consommé and barely visible here in my photo. I found the brown butter roasties a tad dry whereas the beef fat ones with red wine gravy were softer and more enjoyable.
I wasn’t picking up much rosemary and garlic in my celeriac either but there was a deeper rosemary flavour in the Wild Garden Spritz (£10) I ordered afterwards. With Hayman’s of London gin, this cocktail has elderflower, rosemary and soda water happily reminding me of barley water but with a grown-up herbal flavour.
The Riverside Highball, pictured right above (£10) is made from a British rosé “Knightor” vermouth with bitters, soda and lemon. Served with a blood orange slice, this was a light cocktail with herbal flavour, slightly dry. Refreshing, it didn’t leave me feeling woozy in the middle of the day. Mum’s “Straight up lemonade” (£3.50), shown above left, was a cloudy natural tasting drink rather than the fizzing clear version she’s more accustomed to but she was pleased with it.
Although keen to burn off lunch in the park, we simply had to find space for dessert. Three desserts are offered, a lighter-sounding affogato and two more traditionally described puddings. Our choices were both a delight.
My mum picked “White Chocolate Cheesecake, Brown Butter Amaretti Biscuit, Passion Fruit Granita” (£7). It’s beautifully presented with white chocolate baubles, smashed amaretti chunks and a caramel-y whey reduction which I was informed had been added to use up extra milk that day. Mum pronounced it her favourite dessert ever and I agree it was impressive with a range of tastes and textures that sang together.
My choice was “Croissant Dough Bread & Butter Pudding, Vanilla Custard” (£6.50). Leftover croissants from the café are soaked in custard then baked and served with crème Anglais style custard. The broad stick of golden baked dough looked immense but was light and fluffy with a sugary crust. Desserts have gotten expensive nowadays with £9 upwards not being unusual so these two desserts were both fantastic value.
Duvale’s retains the feel of a park café, they welcome both dogs and children, there’s ample light, and it’s not claustrophobic. Between 12.30 and 2.30 it was never more than half full although there was a steady queue at the coffee counter. This part of the park is not somewhere you’d come to directly by car (although Westfield has parking) so if you fancy your Sunday roast alongside a walk or mall-based retail therapy it’s worth walking to, especially for the desserts.
Duvale’s is not a cosy venue with a roaring fire. In fact, it’s a bit draughty, particularly along the corridor to the loo as this is open for park visitors to use the facilities. However, if you come knowing that this is a bright modern café-style venue with huge windows rather than somewhere intimate with rugs and armchairs to hide in a corner you can enjoy a hearty Sunday roast before going back outside.
Duvale’s, Riverside East
Queen Elizabeth Park
5 Thornton Street
London E20 2AD
Looking for other Sunday Roast options? We have a roundup of reviews from the last few months and a couple of other recent recommendations. Do check out our Best Sunday Roast in London roundup or, for South Londoners, we highly recommend The Laundry in Brixton
