Greenwich’s National Maritime Museum is one of London’s most iconic buildings, and one of it’s most beautiful. Soak in the site from its summery restaurant Brasserie @NMM

The Brasserie @ NMM (that’s the National Maritime Museum, if you’re not down with your acronyms) is a beautiful summer hangout, with dual-aspect floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing the tree-lined southern edge of Greenwich Park. The terrace – all limestone, white parasols and nautical-print deck chairs – takes on a Mediterranean hue on sunny days, so do bag an alfresco seat if you can.

On fresher evenings, take up a spot by the window, from where you can admire both the park and the cool, contemporary architecture of the resturant, created as part of the NMM’s new Sammy Ofer Wing in 2011. The wave-like metal ceiling panel, which you’ll also find in the museum itself, nods to the area’s nautical past and bounces around the light gloriously.

The menu is contemporary British, but the chef clearly enjoys the odd foray into the exotic – the spiced lamb rump with aubergine paste an obvious nod in the direction of Morocco. But we started with distinctly British appetisers – a thick, creamy butternut squash soup and a salty-yet-sharp beetroot and feta salad, served with pine nuts, watercress, apple strips, chunks of butternut squash and a citrus dressing.

For the main course, my dining partner ordered the 8oz rib-eye steak – cooked medium, hold the peppercorn sauce – served with chunky, hand-cut chips and finished with baked cherry tomatoes on the vine. The spiced lamb rump was served up on a bed of chickpeas, roasted red peppers, butternut squash – the veg of the day, it seems – and aubergine paste, topped with a slither of sundried tomato. The dishes were presented beautifully, though I didn’t detect much in the way of spice. I ordered a side of chips too – gloriously chucky chips doused in sea salt that make you wonder why skinny fries were ever invented.

A trio of chocolate treats (a delicious, gooey-in-the-middle fudge cake, chocolate orange mousse and ice cream), and a ‘light’ lemon, raspberry and vanilla pod parfait with toasted pistachios, saw us well beyond sated. To the point, in fact, that a digestif – in this case a plummy, moorish dessert wine – was an absolute must.

Cost
Three courses for two, £72 (excluding drinks)

Good for…
A quiet dinner away from the bustle of tourists

What to eat…
The spiced lamb rump is a truly beautiful dish

What to know…
If it’s sunny, bag a table on the terrace and enjoy the scenery

NMM, King William Walk, Greenwich SE10 9NF; 020 8305 0445; brasseriegreenwich.co.uk