Bermondsey Street. “Bur”+ “muhnd” + “zee”. Say these sounds out loud, exaggerating them at first and repeat at least three times. Why? Because Bermondsey Street is a MUST VISIT. It’s off the beaten tourist track- tucked away close to London Bridge tube. It’s a treasure trove- there’s something for everyone here. You can go and watch glass blowers practising their craft at London Glassblowing, you can pop in to the Fashion & Textile Museum to see their latest exhibition and no self respecting art lover can come to London and not visit the White Cube gallery. All that culture will make you hungry. Luckily, I know just the place you can stop at for lunch, even if it isn’t properly lunchtime (see below). Jose Pizarro’s latest opening, Lolo.
Let me explain a few things about Spanish chef José Pizarro and the impact he has had on the London dining scene over the past 25 years since he moved over from his country of birth. He taught us what good tapas should look like and brought over with him really good cavas, the ones that the Spanish usually reserve to themselves. For me, I will forever be grateful for the way he transformed the Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly. Previously, it was just an art gallery, since he took over the catering, it’s a foodie destination, where you can also see some art. One of London’s best kept secrets, is that at the Poster Bar in the Royal Academy on a Friday night (when they stay open later), you get one of his pintxos free when you purchase an alcoholic drink. A pintxo is a small snack made of various ingredients held together with a stick or on a piece of bread- a glass of something chilled tastes ever so much better with it.
As for Bermondsey Street, well it might as well be called José Pizarro Street. “Pizarro” is the more high end of his three establishments there, everyone I know who’s been there raves about it (I haven’t been lucky enough to visit, yet). “José” is its younger brother- a proper tapas bar- always lively, always filled to the brim with happy customers sitting at tall stools. And now: Lolo.
One of the issues you might encounter when visiting London is the rigid British dining times. We eat breakfast between 7-9am, lunch 12-1:30 pm, and dinner (we like to call this meal “supper” if we’re feeling posh) 6:30-8pm. That’s it. If you want breakfast at 11am or lunch at 2:30pm, you’re a bit stuck. But not at Lolo’s. Here, it’s all day dining with no rules as to what you should eat and when.
“Lolo” is José’s nickname, a play on his middle name Manuel. It’s the middle brother in the family of restaurants he has on this street. The sensible, polite one that comes to greet grown up guests and helps to pass round the canapé’s. The decor is elegant, quirky and welcoming, certainly aimed at a more mature clientele than “José” next door. The menu is everything that José likes to eat as opposed to an allegiance to a certain cuisine, though obviously the Spanish influence looms large. That’s why an egg and bacon sandwich sits next to Gildas. A Gilda by the way, is one of the most popular pintxos from the Basque region of Spain consisting of an olive, an anchovy and pickled peppers on a cocktail stick
I had a good look at what the tables around me were eating on a Wednesday lunchtime before I made my choice. The next table had an egg and bacon sandwich to start and then an Iberican pork tenderloin for their main- impressive choice. The kitchen is right there, very much part of the dining room so the crew have to get on as their mood sets the tone for the whole place. Thankfully, it was all jovial and easygoing, and just like the menu reflects José, the crew reflects the restaurant.
There’s a section of the menu dedicated to devilled eggs and that alone is enough to endear me to Lolo’s. You can have them classic with anchovies, salted cod and saffron sauce, smoked eel or sobrasada (a Balearic sausage like chorizo). They arrive pretty as a picture, and lovely to eat. Arrocina bean salad with smoked aubergine went well alongside them but was a bit light on the aubergine and may have benefitted from more seasoning; cumin and cayenne pepper would have lifted them a level or two. The courgette carpaccio with pine nuts was refreshing and went well with what I think was the star of the show, a homemade cheese with tomatoes and preserved lemons. I am a huge fan of tinned fish, as is José it seems. Another section of the menu lists all the different ones which you won’t find easily in shops or on other restaurant menus for that matter: tinned mussels, clams, squid as well as the usual suspects, sardines and anchovies- all served simply with toasted bread. There are many times in your life when all you might want to eat is a tin of fish and a bit of bread, if you’re near Lolo at any such time, pop in for the best of the lot.
Angela Zaher is a freelance food writer based in London. Her articles have been published in The Evening Standard, Delicious, Platinum, Good Housekeeping and The Brussels Times. She writes regular restaurant reviews for luxury lifestyle magazine, Time & Leisure. She is on the Committee of the Guild of Food Writers. Find her on instagram @angela_zaher.
