If you follow Do The Daniel on Snapchat or Instagram Stories (and if you don’t, you really should, we are hilarious), you will know that during the week I manage an awesome project called Pop Brixton. This is a brilliant container campus filled with street food start-ups and some retail. Two years on, a number of these restaurants and kiosks are beginning to expand, and for one of my favourites, Donostia Social Club, this is most definitely the case.
I have followed Paul Belcher for a while – enjoying tapas at Donostia Social Club and eating delish chorizo at their residency at the Clapham gastro pub The King and Co, so I was hugely excited to hear of the latest opening of The Tapas Room in south London’s, Tooting Broadway Market. South London is off the normal beaten track for visitors to London, so you need to be a local in the know or a friend of a local in the know, to get to visit these eccentric places.
The Tooting food scene has always been vibrant, with a huge Asian influence, however, we are now starting to see some other flavours and players move in. Both Franco Manca and Brickwood have expanded into the markets in the last year.
So as a chick that loves food, I was delighted to support The Tapas Room team for their launch. The cute corner unit has 24 counter seats, which not only houses the Tapas Kitchen, but also a small deli, where you can pick up Spanish delicacies. As we arrived, we were treated to Spanish Cava, and olives and salamis, and from there, our tastebuds were continually delighted. The squid was delish, as was the white tuna and from there we moved on to scrumptious cheese.
Later in the evening, we were introduced to Spanish vermouth. Vermouth is not something that I know a lot about, it is not a spirit that I had ever really thought about and definitely not one that I would feel comfortable ordering, given my lack of knowledge. That has all changed, we were treated to some amazing vermouth. A lemon flavoured variety that reminded me of lemon cheesecake, served straight with a shaving of lemon peel. A cola flavoured delight, served with a slice of orange. What can I say? I am a convert. I am not planning a trip to Spain for a while, but will definitely feel as if I am there, next time I visit The Tapas Room.
So, next time you are wondering where to eat, I am going to strongly suggest travelling to south London, it’s well worth it. Grab a seat at The Tapas Room, and take a culinary trip to Spain. And definitely order the vermouth – my personal favourite is the lemon! I’ll meet you there!
Luvs xx
Photos by Nicola Whyte