My love of sherry is no secret. The fact that it's now actually quite cool to do so is a revelation. This is my piece on London's burgeoning sherry scene, written for Blue Tomato magazine. Hands off, Grandma!
For too long has the fortified nectar been reserved only for Grandmas and trifle bottoms. Though revered by wine enthusiasts, the British public have never quite caught on. At least, not until now. The sherry revolution has begun.
Acclaimed hip industry man Richard Bigg, owner of Spanish restaurant Camino and guru behind Shoreditch cool joints The Big Chill Bar and Cantaloupe is at the forefront of the movement. He set the ball rolling with the opening of Bar Pepito a little over a year ago. Based in what could only be described as a glorified shed in King’s Cross, Pepito was the UK’s first sherry bar, serving upwards of 15 sherries by the glass despite there being room for barely 15 customers at a time.
Creating ripples of ecstasy for those already on the sherry bandwagon, Pepito has also given many their first opportunity to try authentic Spanish sherry in a bar environment in London. Too often in other venues would the only sherry choices be the likes of Croft’s Original or Harvey’s Bristol Cream. These sweetened versions of the drink made especially for the British market have their fans (mainly amongst oldies, it must be said) but are a poor representation of the many styles of sherry available.
Ganapati sits off the beaten track in a gentrified enclave of Peckham that you’d never guess was mere minutes from Peckham Rye station and the high street. The restaurant focuses on South Indian food and references the street food culture of the area as an influence. The thing with Ganapati, though, is that aside from perhaps naan bread, paratha and a dhal, you’re unlikely to be able to pick out a single dish you recognise from the menu as their offerings deliberately stray from the norm.
The kitchen is headed up by chef Claire Fisher, who is notably not Indian. Her passion for the cuisine started when she travelled the area in 1992, and she’s revisited numerous times since, bringing seldom seen products such as kudampuli (smoked tamarind) back with her. In Ganapati’s menu, she brings together traditional dishes which have somehow not made it onto the repertoire of Britain’s Indian restaurants, and isn’t afraid to add some of her own twists either.
