If cava flowed from a mountain spring, it would taste like the wondrously fresh and dry Raventos I Blanc de Nit Rosé 2008, which we enjoy as we settle in at José Pizarro’s eponymously-named restaurant in Bermondsey Street...
If cava flowed from a mountain spring, it would taste like the wondrously fresh and dry Raventos I Blanc de Nit Rosé 2008, which we enjoy as we settle in at José Pizarro’s eponymously-named restaurant in Bermondsey Street. Once the chef-partner at tapas favourite Brindisa, Pizarro launched this, his latest venture, less than two months ago, and just a stone’s throw away from his own tapas bar, José, which he also opened last year. Pizarro is the sophisticated (albeit relaxed) older sister to informal José, with its brick, wood and tile dining room, open kitchen, and a menu offering a more traditional combination of starters and mains, rather than just sharing plates.
Our first dish is carefully-shaved jamón Ibérico from producer Manuel Maldonado’s acorn-fed, free-range pigs. At first the texture is pleasantly resilient, before the meat simply melts on your tongue, though not until you have had a chance to savour its concentrated intensity and subtle sweetness, a taste unexpectedly akin to finely aged parmesan. Carved off the bone and served on its own, this is some of the finest ham that Spain has to offer, and it sets a very high standard for the rest of the evening.
A standard which our next dish, white anchovies with soft boiled egg, peppers, and salad leaves in a light vinaigrette on thick toast, lives up to. The combination is simple, the flavours are bold, and the ingredients of the highest quality, including the freshest anchovies we’ve had in London. Following this, a main of seabass, roasted winter vegetables and salsa verde is a good example of the kind of refined, home-style Spanish cooking that has already made Pizarro a neighbourhood – not to mention a culinary insiders' – favourite.
The portions are generous, and the short, daily changing menu is accompanied by well-edited cava, wine and digestives lists. The 2008 Godelia from Bierzo is a perfectly smooth and suprisingly light red companion to our vibrant dishes, while our post-meal brandy de Jerez Amerigo Vespucci doubles as a dessert, with hints of caramel and molasses.
"My menu changes daily because everything I choose from the market is hand-picked that morning"
The whole menu feels fresh, nourishing and light, or as Pizarro himself has it: "when I decided to open José, and then Pizarro, I knew I had to be single-minded about the focus on quality, fresh, simple, seasonal cooking. My menu changes daily because everything I choose from the market is hand-picked that morning. Quality shows in the calibre of my ingredients – from prawns to olive oil. Simple because the best meals are ones with the fewest ingredients, cooked freshly and with love. And finally, seasonal because, well, it's obvious; things taste at their best when they are eaten in the month they are at their most abundant.” A statement simply put, and expertly executed.
Text by Ananda Pellerin
Ananda and Neil visited Pizarro on Saturday, 28 January at 2pm. Ananda Pellerin is a London-based writer and Neil Wissink is a visual artist also based in London. More from The Hunger here, and contact The Hunger here.
