If you’ve been on the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen, you know you’ve made it. What else is there to do? What worlds left to conquer? José Pizarro has decided that opening a restaurant in Bermondsey just down the road from his hugely successful tapas bar Jose was the next move in his meteoric rise.
Training in Extemadura, Pizarro (the person, not the restaurant) moved to Madrid before striking out for a fresh challenge on foreign soil with the Tierra Brindisi and Casa Brindisi venues in London. José (the bar, not the person), described as the best tapas in Britain in 2007, was next. Now Pizarro (the restaurant, not the person – are you keeping up?) looks like another victory in the making.
We like the floor, we really like the ceiling, and we like everything in between, from the traditional blue and white tiling to the sturdy bench tables and seats. The menu is small, as are the portions and the plates, but the food has been well-received and there are often lengthy queues (both a good and bad sign) thanks to London’s hip restaurant standard, the no-bookings arrangement. Worth the wait.
Photography, Paul Winch Furness
