Zerodegrees is the ying and yang of a micro brewery and restaurant dishing up seriously good Scottish mussels, pasta and wood fired pizzas and with a menu designed around pairing their organic beers. Found in Blackheath, just past Greenwich, we sit on benches outside next to the expanse of the heath and with the glint of Canary Wharf beyond. With no hesitation we jump straight in with two pints of their freshly brewed beers. Here it really is from tank to mouth.
Opening back at the turn of the millennium the vision for the name Zerodegrees came from the meridian line that runs directly through the leafy south east London suburb of Blackheath. But away from this premises, and most importantly, Zerodegrees is an in-house brewery which has been woven into the design concept of the restaurant itself – one is not without the other. Scouring across the menu, the signature ales are paired with various dishes and are suited to all tastes. The lightest, the pilsner which they recommend with Thai green curry mussels and teriyaki chicken stir fry.
Moving down the line, their pale ale is best enjoyed with creole mussels and penne arrabiata, whilst the wheat ale – lime and tequila chicken tagliatelle. For those who love heavier, darker ales the black larger really is as it sounds. Zerodegrees recommend pairing this darker ale with meaty options such as their gourmet sausages and the Americana pizza. Their last signature with a fruity finish is mango beer. This is recommended alongside their seafood dishes including the chilli prawn pizza and seafood linguine.
For the full experience (as all of those pairings are sadly not achievable within the one sitting), Zerodegrees recommend to all ale lovers a trial and test with smaller tastings across all the signature beers. With tastings they are more than happy to expand on each, all lovingly brewed, just yards from consumption. Leaders in the concept of a micro brewery their true USP is the companionship of brewery and restaurant as one. This concept has since filled a gap in the market linking the culinary market with homebrewed and expert pairings.
Open and honest the unique layout of Zerodegrees’s micro brewery allows all who enters the opportunity to see, smell and taste the beers. A strong motto – they believe that by offering organic beers that are unfiltered, pasteurized and without additives that the beers and ales themselves are healthier, tastier and with fuller flavours. Since 2000 Zerodegrees has opened a handful of other branches nationwide. These include Bristol, Reading and Cardiff but with the original name from Blackheath spanning the lot.
Zerodegrees is an honest, fun and extremely friendly concept. The mussels were second to none with creative touches from the classic and extremely tasty, creamy mariniere to the fiery green Thai.
The intuitive beer pairings across the lengthy menu are helpful but primarily incorporate and illustrate their love for good food and even better home brewed beers.
Address: 29-31 Montpelier Vale, London SE3 0TJ, 020 8852 5619, zerodegrees.co.uk/restaurants/blackheath/
