Restaurants Borough Market
Filed under: Food in London
I adore Borough market. Throughout the week I long for the frothy, creamy cappuccino served at Monmouth Coffee Company and lazy hours spent marvelling at some of the wonderful produce on offer. Its miserable detractors grumble that it’s relatively overpriced, touristy and on one food forum (that shall remain nameless) one of the members snidely pointed out that it had now been (horror of horrors) infiltrated by Fulham mummies. Yet for all the critiscm it attracts it remains the most infinitely enjoyable food shopping experience in London. For the sake of a few lousy pence it trounces most supermarkets and though relatively busy is large enough never to feel claustrophobic. Furthermore if you are a familiar with the stalls and vendors it’s easy to sort the wheat from the chaff.
The only complaint I can muster against it is that the encircling restaurants have as yet failed to live up to the greatness of the market. The three that I have personally tried; Brew Wharf, Fish! and Tapas Brindisa have ranged from the downright awful to the marginally above average.
Over the winter for some unknown reason we began frequenting Brew Wharf a rather characterless and sanguine establishment, serving a limited lunch menu but an extensive selection of beers that pleased my husband but left me indifferent. The surly Russian waitress provided a constant source of entertainment with her brusque, matter of fact manner. “What do you want to eat?” was her frequent opening gambit, accompanied by the customary hands on the hips. Yet for all its drawbacks we returned week after week lured back by its excellent pommes frites and the relative ease in securing a table. A level of complacency set in until one particularly disappointing meal constituting a soggy quiche and a bland onion soup led us to seek an alternative.
Initial impressions of Fish! were good. An impressive glass structure in the middle of the market provided excellent people watching opportunities and on our visit was brimming with diners seemingly enjoying their food. This however is one object lesson in never judging a book by its cover. Things got of to a bad start with the calamari, lifeless and covered in some pathetic excuse for a batter. Nothing however could have prepared us for the mains - out of four three were inedible and sent back. A piece of insipid, smelly and flabby Seabass slung above some rotten vegetables tasted as foul as it looked. The fish and chips were equally if not more vile, the haddock so old that a whiff of ammonia jumped out at every bite. To be fair the staff were gracious when we voiced our complaints, maybe they also recognised and were embarrassed by the offensive nature of the food served.
After this experience I didn’t want to leave anything to chance so avidly started researching other options. The general consensus leant towards Brindisa Tapas which had garnered favourable reviews by critics and diners alike. However because of its popularity one cannot walk in off the street and expect a table - either ring ahead or be prepared to put your name down on a waiting list and return in a couple of hours. The place itself is buzzy and full of the happy Borough market vibe. Nice looking waiters jostle between tables serving up a selection of tapas. We ordered around nine, half of which were delicious: the manchego cheese with orange blossom, the croquettes with Iberian ham and the selection of Spanish charcuterie. The remaining dishes ranged from ok: the Spanish potato tortilla and the pan-fried chicken livers, to the poor; underseasoned garlic prawns and a watery spinach tortilla. Whilst it was undeniably the best meal out of the trio and I remain in no doubt that I shall return, it does not warrant regular repeat visits.
The increase in foreigners visiting Borough market in some ways is a positive sign, the old myth that the English are not foodies or gourmands is completely dispelled when one sees the passion and energy the market elicits in both the vendors and the buyers. Unfortunately however restaurants such as Fish, the worst by a long shot, and Brew Wharf only reinforce old stereotypes that we as a nation are prepared to pay premium prices for disappointing restaurant food.
The search for the elusive Borough Market restaurant continues…
43 Comments so far
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the potatoes are pretty good actually, and I love them too. And if you sit by the massive windows, the view is great (and they have fantastic martini glasses!).
Comment by Gisellabelle 03.30.06 @ 9:55 amThis blog is very dangerous for me. Every time I read it I must suppress the overwhelming urge to log on, buy a plane ticket and fly immediately to London.
Very bad! (In a good way …)
Comment by Ivonne 03.31.06 @ 2:07 amAfter being in London for the last year I’m back for a spell in New York and haven’t found anything close to borough market, all my old favorites over here pail in comparisson. However, finding a good lunch for 35 dollars is a piece of cake.
Comment by woofy 03.31.06 @ 2:06 pmTry Glas opposite the Neals Yard shop run by the Scandelicious lady. I was there last night and the quality of the food as well as the value for money was really impressive (stuffed for thirty quid ea including a pear cider). Delicious well conceived, well executed small plates. Killer herring, lovely lax, slightly unusual scandi combos (lots of berries+meat). Drop in for a bite next time ur at the market (they open Sat lunch).
I absolutely agree about the dearth of eateries elsewhere, however.
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There’s Roast of course but thats had mixed reviews at best and I think it was said by Jay Rayner that they couldnt roast a potato. And oh how I like my potatoes.
Comment by Damo 03.29.06 @ 11:29 am