Restaurant Review: La Barca

A proper old-school Italian right in my neighbourhood. I like this place a lot, even if it is a bit slebby.  This is my review of Waterloo's La Barca for my South London Press column.

London’s restaurant scene is ever-changing.  You need look only as far as the Russell Norman empire of Polpo, Spuntino and the likes in Soho, or the hoard of overhyped burger joints to get a feel for what’s on trend at the moment. Whilst the quality of food being dished up at these establishments is not in question, the rest of the experience has a lot to answer for. 

It’s great that these establishments can leverage a bit of twitter talk to build instant demand, and with limited seats available, a no-booking policy makes vague sense. But most people consider eating out to be something of a luxurious occasion: a time when you’re waited on, rather than waiting in a line. Call me a snob, but standing for an hour in the cold before being grumpily ushered to a tightly packed table (or worse still, bar stool) just doesn’t do it for me.

With this in mind, Waterloo’s La Barca is a revelation. The restaurant has sat in the same spot on the edge of Lower Marsh for more than thirty years, and the pristine Italian food it serves has varied little in that time.  Entering on a sunny lunchtime, it’s the owner Gino who greets us rather than a surly doorman, and he’s a man that understands the importance of service. In fact, all the staff here are exemplary.  We’re laden with freshly baked bread, crisp breadsticks and plump olives as we’re serenaded with stories of the numerous celebrities who’ve passed through the doors.  This is a popular spot for actors appearing at the Old Vic and has a loyal following from the nearby ITV studios, too.  To suggest this is South London’s answer to The Ivy doesn’t seem too far off. It’s old school in exactly the way it feels right for an Italian restaurant to be.  Before long we feel more like old friends than customers, and indeed most of the tables are on first name terms with their waiters.

Food Stalls: Chula Fused Foods

Here's a piece originally written for www.londonist.com as part of a series which shines a light on some of London's best artisan food producers and businesses which attend markets around the city. 


Follow Londonist on Twitter to keep up with their daily posts on all things London.




Business: Chula Fused Foods

Based: HQ at Park Royal
What: Street food stall serving Indian inspired burrito-style wraps

Chula Fused Foods is the brainchild of Vinod Patel, a man well placed to deliver his take on the burrito. He spotted the full potential of street food in those heady pre-Meatwagon days when London’s offering still consisted primarily of pallid sausages and playing Russian Roulette with e coli. And for that matter, the heady pre-Wahaca days when our Mexican know-how didn’t go much further than Old El Paso. Yep, you’ve guessed it: Vinny had travelled to the States.

Back in town and following a foodie path, Vinny started work in the first UK outpost of American super-chainChipotle. Moving through four ranks from ‘crew member’ to ‘service manager’ in record time, he was in training to become a store manger when he decided once and for all that the corporate food world wasn’t for him and took the leap of starting his own business.

Eating & Drinking In...Waterloo

Here's my latest piece for Flavour London magazine, an area guide to eating & drinking in Waterloo.





Waterloo is no shrinking violet. Acting as London’s gateway to the Southbank, the namesake station is the busiest in the UK boasting over 1,500 trains in and out daily. It’s also the local stop for the country’s most popular tourist attracting, helping 3 million a year onto the London Eye.  What far too few of the area’s visitors realise is that Waterloo is also fast becoming a foodie hub for the capital. A hub for those who find Borough too busy and the centre too chaotic. It’s a place solely for those in the know. Let Flavour fill you in...

Lower Marsh

Tap out and turn right as you leave Waterloo Tube station to find Lower Marsh, an ancient market street that overflows with charm and character.  Head here on a weekday and you’ll find the narrow road lined with food-to-go stalls and an occasional veg seller.

If you’ve shopping to do, you’ll have to avoid being lured into brightly coloured Cubana (www.cubana.co.uk) which sits on the street’s corner. This modest Cuban restaurant churns out plate after plate of delicious and underpriced delights. They make their money instead on the Mojitos and other suppable cocktails which whizz off the bar of an evening. Catch their happy hour from 5-6.30 and join the party.

One of the first stalls you’ll see as you head down Lower Marsh is Buen Provecho, which has widely been hailed as one of the best places to eat Mexican in London. Try owner Arturo Ortega Rodriguez ‘s legendary pork pibli tacos or indulge in a toasty cheese quesadilla. Just make sure you add a dollop of roasted tomato and chipotle salsa – it will make your tongue sing.

Pull Your Own Pints At The Thirsty Bear

The Thirsty Bear is a London first - a pub where you can pull your own pint from the comfort of your table. And it's local to me. If only they had a few more beers on offer... Here's my post originally written for www.londonist.com. 


You build your own furniture because it makes it cheaper. Before you head to the airport, you check in online because it’s faster. When you go to the supermarket you scan your own shopping because you like arguing with electronic women who think you’ve bagged double the weight you ought to. We are in a D-I-Y era.

With the opening yesterday evening of The Thirsty Bear at Waterloo, self-service has come to the service industry, with London’s first pull-your-own-pint pub.

The venue, which replaces the old man friendly Stamford Arms, is the first venture by the appropriately named Robot Pub Group, and though we’ve been made aware of this place in Manchester which uses a similar concept, it’s a brand new one to us.

Restaurant Review: Ichi Sushi & Sashimi Bar

A stunning hotel, but what about the sushi bar? This review of Ichi (where's Scratchy?) at the Westminster Bridge Park Plaza Hotel was originally written for my South London Press column.

It was just over one year ago that Park Plaza Westminster Bridge opened its doors to become one of London’s biggest hotels. As well as providing a plush resting spot for tourists, just minutes from the popular sites of the London Eye, BFI, Southbank and Big Ben across the river, it bestowed Waterloo with several new dining destinations. The most hyped of these was Brasserie Joël, the latest opening from renowned French chef Joël Robuchon. There’s been much said about this opening, and many reviews. Most praise the restaurant but question the setting. Whilst I couldn’t comment since I haven’t been to Brasserie Joël, much the same sentiment applies to Ichi Sushi & Sashimi Bar.