Under the Bridge

In a quiet corner of the London Bridge area lies Bermondsey Street. A street unbeknown to me until just a few months ago. For me, London Bridge meant Borough Market and as that was largely an event for a Saturday morning, there was no inkling that this street represented a buzzy area of a weeknight filled with bars, restaurants and an arty vibe. My first visit was a cold and grey Tuesday evening to the newly opened José, by José Pizarro - a former chef of the popular Brindisa in Borough Markets. In this small space, plates were flying around the crowded room, wait staff attended us efficiently and red wine flowed as we perched ourselves along the front window pane, watching the world outside and enjoying the dishes as they arrived. Croquettes were creamy and flavoursome and not stodgy, Iberian ham was cut thinly with a nice texture, chicken livers in garlic and fino were more-ish enough for a second plate, seabream was fresh and perfectly cooked and a blackboard special of rare Pluma Iberica was charred nicely and resembled a nice steak, though was surpassed by a similar dish we had at the Corner Room the month before. Lamb meatballs were not as exciting but a simple salad with walnuts and apple was a nice balance to the meatier dishes we ordered. Thoroughly enjoyed my meal here, it was simple, yet fulfilling with a nice vibe and great service; be prepared to queue.

José
104 Bermondsey Street London, SE1 3UB 
UNITED KINGDOM
http://joserestaurant.co.uk/
No Reservations
GBP23pp

Jamon Iberico Manuel Maldonado

Padron peppers

Croquetas

Tomato Bread

Rocket, Mahon cheese, apple and walnuts

Chicken livers, garlic and fino

Lamb meatballs,spicy tomato sauce

Pluma Iberica, served rare

Seabream, black olives and orange

Returning to this area, I found myself walking down and spotting a coffee shop I wanted to visit, a return to José or the newly opened restaurant of José Pizarro - Pizarro; or simply sampling a couple more of the drinking dens that lined this quaint street that appeared to be hidden away and offering a contrasting environment from the busy thoroughfare that is Tooley Street. 

Zucca, a relatively new modern Italian restaurant, was a single small room with an open kitchen, allowing you to watch the chefs in action. Complementary potato frittata and homemade bread basket, with a fruity and nicely bitter olive oil (sold for GBP10 a bottle which we later bought) was brought out and enjoyed before our meal commenced. A seabass carpaccio with lemon, peppers and chilli was light and refreshing, if not, cut slightly too thick. There are only two pasta dishes on the menu so we ordered both. A homemade Tagliatelli with a tasty ragu of venison and parmesan and an Orrechiette with slow cooked broccoli and salted ricotta, were the highlight of the evening. Cooked al dente, and with the simple meaty ragu and ricotta sauce - makes for an easy lunch meal for locals. Mains of the infamous Veal chop with spinach and lemon was cooked medium, and juicy with a nice charring; however, the Yin/Yang dish of Squid "Nero" with white polenta, was rather one dimensional and lacked any true standout of flavours. The prices are not high but if in search for a place to eat in the area, I do think there are better options. None the less, José, coupled with the drinking dens such as Village East, Garrisons and The Hide Bar do make this little corner worth seeking out.

Zucca

184 Bermondsey Street

London, SE1 3TQ 

UNITED KINGDOM
http://www.zuccalondon.com/

GBP40pp (including 2 glasses of wine)