The Table Café, Southwark: 18/20

Location: 83 Southwark Street SE1 0HX

Website: http://thetablecafe.com/

Visit: Tuesday evening, Wednesday mid-morning, Thursday lunch

Scores

Ambiance 5/5

Design 4/5 (benches are not for looong sitting)

Drinks 4/5 (spirits to come!)

Staff 5/5

Extra LBC star

The Table Café. London’s Best Kept Secret.

As a tagline it worked for this Southwark Street eatery for a while but after seven years they are now stepping into the limelight and this is what their Tuesday night launch was all about. And they have a lot to shout about.

The Table was designed by the architect across the corridor; this used to be their office canteen which seems rather luxurious considering today’s limited real estate! It won’t help if I say it is like my office, but it is. There is a concrete ceiling and pillars. Windows are floor to ceiling and make up the walls. Seating is on sturdy wooden long tables and benches with orange cushions and there are high stools along the edges and (YES!) outdoor seating in a sheltered courtyard out back. The kitchen takes up the back wall and is open plan creating a nice buzz.

Food

Open from 7.30am till 5pm and steadily increasing their evening hours too, weekdays will offer breakfast and lunch with coffee and cakes in between; weekends are more brunch and I have been told create queues out the door, oh my! Breakfast offers one of my favourite – and yet least explored options – of French toast with banana and bacon. Yes, both. The salty and sweet work so well. Lunch and dinner are inspired by new chef Cinzia Ghighoni who not only started Michelin bib winning Zucca with owner Sam but went onto London dining scene darling Duck Soup. She has infused the menu with Italian “small” and “large” plates as well as excellent Italian breads. The friggitelli and ricotta was a favourite (peppers!) as was grilled chorizo but what really took me by surprise was the beetroot. I don’t like it. Seriously; but this offering was almost sweet and so tasty I will go back for more. Could this be to do with how local this is? Vegetables come from just half a mile down the road from plots run by the St Mungos homeless programme. Ethical as well as delicious and the launch saw us take away boxes of this local produce (the “shard” chard was particularly good!)

Drink

The wine list has also had a make over by Matt Walls (www.mattwalls.co.uk) who has created a concise, interesting, food friendly list. I particularly like the Masseria Pietrosa Verdeca 2010 from the whites and the Prieuré de Montézargues Tavel Rosé 2011 from the rosés for interesting summer drinking. They continue their local theme with Coates and Seely English sparkling. It may be winning awards but like many local wines it has not convinced me yet… Do watch this space for some interesting news on spirits, the next menu they are drawing up.

Events

Music To Dine For has seen The Table offer evenings of wine and fine dining paired with acoustic jazz. I cannot think of many better ways to while away an evening and look out for more tasting events to be put on as the year goes on.

Future

There are big plans here. Shaun (@thetablecafe) manager and owner, has more than proved to investors that this little number has real gravitas. There will be work on the outdoor area, (much needed in this area), more events, a carefully chosen spirits menu and with Cinzia at the helm in the kitchen the only way is up.

Seven and LAB G, Brixton Village: 17/20 and 8/10

Location: Brixton Village, wander till you find it! 

Website: www.sevenatbrixton.com  

Visit: Saturday night

To Notes: go downstairs if you can, out the front gives great people watching

Scores

Ambiance 5/5

Design 4/5

Drinks 3/5

Staff 5/5

Was it booking through my blog that got me the best spot in Seven? I don’t know but I was delighted to pull up on a Saturday night having nabbed the last reservation to perch on a high stool looking out over the entertaining Brixton market maze of corridors (and directly into the “Religious Relics” shop managed by a  cowboy?!)

The evening started very well with a bottle of chilled water filled with cucumber (on of my must haves) and the cocktails all looked great. We opted for a Basil & Ginger Beer Mojito and “Guns of Brixton”, a twist on the Old Fashioned. The first was a little boring but the latter more than made up for it with an orangey smoke haze captured in the bottle!

Then we wandered to the back to choose some Pixtos (mini tapas from Basque) to keep us going whilst browsing the menu. These change daily and you just keep the skewer it came on to be added at the bill at the end. Chorizo and Manchego chunks disappeared quickly and the refried beans were delicious and very moreish. As good as the food was, I would start at Seven for a cocktail and pixtos then move onto another of the restaurants, partly because there are so many places to explore and partly because they are great value for money.

From the “a la carte” we went for Patatas Bravas – my tapas staple and ultimate test – sharing board of meat and Pimiento del Padron. The peppers were some of the best I’ve had and what looked at the outset to be mayonnaise and ketchup on the potatoes turned out to be a lovely combination of spicy tomato and garlicky sauce, if only the potatoes were a little smaller than the half roasters we had! And with the meat board covering four different meats with gherkins, that was us full!

The upstairs was hosting a private costume party at the back – one I have noted for my birthday – and there is one toilet and a few more seats and a lovely haphazard selection of furniture. Staff were knowledgeable and friendly and I look forward to returning soon.

Website: www.facebook.com/LAB.G.Brixton  

Visit: Saturday night

To Note: Not much...

Scores

Ambiance NA

Design NA

Drinks 5/5 (i.e. ice cream)

Staff 3/5 (end of the evening tiredness had set in...)

After this we wandered to LAB G after I had read how good the ice cream was. There was not the crazy selection of flavours I was hoping for but my god the salted caramel was good. And they really squeeze a huge amount into a one scoop tub. Great value for money, great flavours, will be back for more!

Brixton Village...More to Come

I recently visited Brixton Village, something I have been meaning to do for many months but kept seeming to get my timings wrong. This was following on from a review by Jay Rayner and about a lot of talk about regeneration. And how right they were. So instead of just doing the usual write up I plan to dedicate a section to this great little South London find and here are my priorities:

Franco Manca for sour dough pizza

Elephant for Pakistani street-food / curry

Mama Lan for Bejing Street Food 

Honest Burgers (for burgers!)

I have already done Seven for tapas and cocktails and LAB G for ice cream so keep posted for these, and more, entries 

Public House: Highbury and Islington 19/20

Location: Just 2 minutes walk from Highbury and Islington or 10 from Angel

Website: www.boutiquepubs.com/

Visit: Monday and Sunday evening

To Note: Got a speak easy vibe going on but it's hard to miss this gem

Scores

Ambience 4/5

Design 5/5

Drinks 5/5

Staff 5/5

Extra LBS Star: Mmm, 19/20 seems good enough

As I was adding up the scores here I realised that I really could not fault it. 

Zone 2 to the NORTH of London is not my usual hang out, ever, however the banter of Public House’s owner Simon on twitter and a picture of Kermit working behind the bar convinced me that this boutique gastro pub would be worth a foray to Highbury and Islington.

Although my friend and I were the only two in the bar at 6.30pm on a Monday, we were not complaining as we felt perfectly comfortable perched at the bar in the centre of the room for a catch up and a Petit Lapin and a Pendennis Club cocktail respectively. These were confidently made and tasted very good with a lovely balance of flavours, sweetness and sour. As the evening progressed, being a school night, I moved onto the beer list which had The Kernel IPA (a good sign, and even better that it was sold out!) and Brew Dog 5AM Saint amongst others with a well rounded selection of wines to boot; my friend investigated a sparkling wine and really enjoyed it, as well as the 1920’s coupe glass it came in. Drink suggestions on the Sunday were even better!

This was a theme of the pub/bar/restaurant – think Powder Keg Diplomacy if you are a South of the river kind of person – with an eclectic mix of leather couches and Louis XIV thrones at the front then medieval high backed chairs, sixties swivel seats and school tables at the back with chandeliers hanging everywhere, even the toilets! And the design really worked. The 20’s – dare I say it “prohibition” - era was also evoked with the music, which I rarely notice in bars but I loved the swingy jazz that they were treating us too.

On a Monday and a Tuesday you can indulge in 2 courses for £10 with no restrictions (like a supplement on steak etc). As some newly arrived friends joined us we took up a table in the back part of the vneue and were furnished with some tasty olives and water was attentively topped up. We all tried each other’s starters; though I think I won out with the sardines on toast and salad there was nothing left of either the lamb shoulder or the pulled pork when the plates were cleared. We all opted for fish as a main, one sea bream and two salmon with scallops. Both were beautifully cooked and the accompanying honeyed carrots went down a treat. Another clean plate round but we stopped short of dessert (the girls together effect?) and Frangelico shots were delivered from the bar instead – we were very flattered and it was a rather nice end to a rather nice evening! Sunday was a day for roasts with the classics (beef, pork and fish/veg too) with a Bloody Mary for £15

It has to be mentioned that the staff were outstanding. Our two barmen for the Monday evening were attentive, efficient servers who knew how to mix a drink. Lucy and Simon lifted the spirits on Sunday. It is all too rare that everything comes together in a boutique pub like it did at Public House.

We could not believe how cheap this evening worked out when the bill turned up and we are definitely going to return again; after all it is only two tube lines away…