Angels and Gypsies
A good quality authentic tapas bar within olive-pip-spitting distance of my house and across the road from my local pub: I should be the definition of a regular visitor. I've tried to like it a few times, but unless dragged there at someone else's behest, the condescending front of house staff have caused me to give it a miss since it opened eighteen months ago.
Gritting my teeth (and pressuring Dr Vole to book) we decided to give it a try on a Friday night and I was pleasantly surprised. The service has definitely improved, they're warm and friendly even when rushed. The food is still pretty solid too.
55-day-aged Longhorn rump steak comes covering lusciously thick and meaty black beans, still a standout, though at over £9 for 4 small pieces of rump it should be. Potatas Poble are thin fried crisps cut through with garlic, annoyingly overpowering raw rosemary and piquant peppers. The rabbit was a fairly bland cut of normally flavoursome meat, saved by tangy well-stewed chickpeas alongside.
It's good enough to tempt dubious friends to Camberwell, but doesn't quite warrant the price. If I'm not having to pay a premium for the location, at £40 a head I expect bloody good to be bloody excellent.
Gritting my teeth (and pressuring Dr Vole to book) we decided to give it a try on a Friday night and I was pleasantly surprised. The service has definitely improved, they're warm and friendly even when rushed. The food is still pretty solid too.
55-day-aged Longhorn rump steak comes covering lusciously thick and meaty black beans, still a standout, though at over £9 for 4 small pieces of rump it should be. Potatas Poble are thin fried crisps cut through with garlic, annoyingly overpowering raw rosemary and piquant peppers. The rabbit was a fairly bland cut of normally flavoursome meat, saved by tangy well-stewed chickpeas alongside.
It's good enough to tempt dubious friends to Camberwell, but doesn't quite warrant the price. If I'm not having to pay a premium for the location, at £40 a head I expect bloody good to be bloody excellent.
I found A & G totally underwhelming, especially (as you say), for the price. I've tried the lunch menu too which saw me dropping twenty quid on four tacos and leaving hungry. It's a shame because I really want to like it and the room is lovely.
ReplyDelete@ Helen - it is a shame, because they're so almost there... the staff are much happier and friendlier and the food is good, with only a few misses. The problem with basic recipes cooked well is that they have to be mindblowingly good for that price, especially in central-ish London, as there are so many other options available. It's only a twenty minutes on the bus away from Brindisa and Pizzaro after all...
ReplyDeleteHmmmm I wonder what you two seem to have it in for the Angels and Gypsies, I have read the other restaurants that it seems thrill you and sadly I feel there is an air of snobishness whiffing its penmanship. I have been eating at my local since it opened and beleive it to be one of the best restaurants in London. I do not say that lightly, having eaten at many of the best. In terms of tapas this is the best there is in London, and I am proud to have it on my doorstep. In terms of price very well priced and above all consistant consistant. Maybe when you stop eating at 3 star places and let the thumb prints from the plate fiddling, and truffle aromas, leave your systems, which have obviously affected your brains. In terms of tacos Helen you must be kidding me their tacos are on par with LA boyle heights and that was said from a friend from LA. Long live Angels and Gypsies and down with the food snobs. I had langoustines on the plancha with salsa verde and winkles spinich and bacon, scallop cerviche to die for and slow cooked pork shoulder, tortilla salt cod nuts I mean nuts, all my friends love this place and talk about it in whispers. I cant beleive these comments. Anyway Im off to Angels and Gypsies tonight to eat like a king and sip on cold sherry.
ReplyDeletehe he... apologies if I offended! I can however assure you that it's not a snobbish dislike at all. I live in Camberwell mate and Helen (who I don't know personally, but do read the excellent www.helengraves.co.uk) lives in Peckham. As you'll no doubt know, it's a bit difficult to be a snob living round here! You'll also know, if you look at a few other reviews, that over fiddly gussied up places tend to wind me up more than anything else...
DeleteNot worth a row about, but I do say that the staff have vastly improved and the food is solid. I maintain that. It's a nice place to be, but in my opinion (and this is after all a place for my opinion;-) it's not close to being one of the best restaurants of its kind or indeed in Camberwell. I wish it well though, I'm glad it's here and I'm glad you enjoy it.
Rich
Hmmmmmmm the grumbling gourmet protests too much methinks. If the standard of cooking yu refer to is Dean St Townhouse(fiddly and gussed up like a stuffed Henry the eighth pheasant) which is school dinners, you write about it like a love affair or maybe the wonderfull food you squeel about such as Polpetto which is dog food I mean dog food, had the worst meal of my life their, not sure what strange worms from tequilla you ve been ingesting. Ive eaten at all the spanish in London Fino, Barrafina, Dehuesa, Pizarro, Joses, Cambio Del tercio, and they dont have finger near this place, they just dont have their touch or standard of cooking. Seemingly Marco Pierre white must be wrong as when I was sat at the bar munching who was their guzzling and stuffing his face with his now ex wife for a 3 hour meal Marco but hey your the Lord of pie, ill leave you to cry about the wonderfull food that is on our doorstep that upsets you so much and let you travel to the so called wonderful set in Bermondsey for quail in mushy romesco, maybe put your wellies on. Ofcourse sorry fiddly and gussed up Alan Duch in the oven noooooo not fiddly or gussed up. The grumbling Gourmet had been outed finnally.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you've offended the owner / manager / chef, Mr Grumbling Gourmet! I woudn't be going back soon if I were you, especially not booking under your own name! I loooove Spanish tapas and it looks ok, will check it out if I ever make it down to Camberwell.. Steph
ReplyDelete@Anonymous - Last comment from me on the subject. I like a lot about A&G, I've said that several times. It's a perfectly reasonable local restaurant if a little scattergun for the high pricing. I might be lucky enough to eat out for business, and write about it here, but I drink in the Hermit's Cave and get take-out from Mangal, Falafel and Silk Road, hardly Michelin starred pretensions!
ReplyDeleteI'm really happy to hear your comments on my reviews or the restaurants that you like / dislike, but please don't get carried away and make it personal. It makes you look like an (albeit anonymous) tit and I'll just block you.
@Steph - Don't feed the trolls! Thanks for reading though...