Wednesday 19 January 2011

Angels & Gypsies, Camberwell Church Street, south London


An unassuming tapas restaurant attached to a stylish hotel in edgy Camberwell, Angels & Gypsies is the place to go to try some imaginative and refreshingly different dishes. The tuna tartare (a bit stingy for £8) is served with avocado, pistachios and sea urchin caviar - a scintillating combination, while the filling pork belly (generous for £6.50) consists of big chunks of meat, topped with crackling, served with apricots, spiced apple and chutney. The chorizo tortilla (£5), which melts in the mouth, is sublime and the potatas pobres (£3.50), home made crisps loaded with garlic, pepper and rosemary, are moreish. Another hit is the succulent and subtle pulpo a la feria (£8), which is octopus spiced with paprika. The roast beetroot, served with goat's cheese and rocket, (£4) is also surprisingly good. You can wash it all down with the respectable house Rioja (Pinturas), which is £4 a glass. The centrepiece of the restaurant is a curvaceous tiled bar, where you may end up sitting, if you haven't booked a table.  The bar stools are uncomfortable, but give you a close-up view of the staff's expert carving of a joint of ham. Angels & Gypsies is all about the food, which is damn good. 8/10