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David Sexton's rating
Cheered by the Angels & Gypsies
By
David Sexton
21 Jan 2010
The funky Church Street Hotel opened here, in this grubby, hectic highway, back in May 2007.
It's owned by a pair of Spanish/Greek brothers and it has a lot of atmosphere, colourful and eclectic, Mexican-themed, aiming to appeal to arty guests who might actually like staying in such an untouristy area, perhaps even priding themselves on being in real rough London.
Although the hotel has won plaudits for its breakfasts, its accompanying restaurant has been a long time in coming.
Maybe visitors have been patronising Patty Island, the Caribbean takeaway opposite? Or perhaps not.
Angels & Gypsies is buffered from the street - where emergency vehicles roar past, sirens shrieking, every few minutes - by a double door. Once you are inside, it's another world, almost Tardis-like.
It's a big, handsome room, with exposed brickwork on either side, around an oval central bar adorned with blue and white tiles.
There are church pews along the walls and the lighting is dim (to the extent of making the tiny-type menu a struggle to decipher, yet again). All around hang whole legs of ham and mighty dried sausages.
The place feels remarkably Spanish and rustic, a complete break from the turmoil outside. Service is composed and friendly.
Angels & Gypsies delivers a tapas menu at table, an easy way to eat, and the prices are remarkably low for the quality and quantity.
Good sourdough bread came with a bowl of fine olive oil flavoured with an aromatic sherry balsamic vinegar (£2).
Calamari romana style (£5.50) tasted very fresh and were served with a pleasant, citrussy aïoli, but weren't cooked quite crisp.
A spatchcocked quail (£5) came with an unexpectedly refined splash of brandy-flavoured cream sauce, while roast suckling pig (£7) was a whole chunk on the bone, tender, with good crackling and a refreshing sharp apple salad.
Swiss chard with oil and garlic (£3.50) was a big serving of well-flavoured, soft-braised veg, much needed in such a menu.
Chips bravas (£3) were as garlicky as they get, a mix half-and-half of potatoes and whole roasted cloves.
The cheese is all English from Neal's Yard; only two puddings were listed, a pistachio and almond tart (£4.50) proving perfectly nice, if not wildly exciting.
The wine list delivers well-chosen stuff at rock-bottom prices, beginning at £3.20 a glass for excellent house wines, with lots more choice in the lower ranges.
Finca Resalso Ribera del Duero, 100 per cent Tempranillo, full of vanilla-tinged dark fruit flavours and all too easy to put away in quantities, is a bargain at £18 a bottle.
There's also an intriguing list of sherries and rums, and puddings-in-a-glass.
The only real disappointment, oddly, was the fresh-cut Iberico ham (£6.50), dark red, translucent, deep-tasting, but unexpectedly stiff and dry, when it can be so melt-in-the-mouth.
Then again, we felt quite worried about the hams hanging right above the radiators all round the room. They looked a bit sweaty as well as scenic.
Angels & Gypsies is busy already with locals looking as though their ship has finally come in. Understandably.
If I lived near Camberwell, I'd be thrilled by such a surprising arrival too - and it's where I'd go, to drink and to nibble, and to spend my own money very happily, again and again.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (6)
I have been to this restaurant twice now, first time we sat in the main restaurant downstairs and second time we were sat in the hotel restaurant upstairs. My advice would be to ask for a table in the main restaurant, the hotel lacks the atmosphere and is up a network of hotel passages- very bizarre!
The food and wine are very good and it has to be one of the nicer restaurants in the area. we found the service to be good, although the girl waiting in the hotel restaurant could have done with a hand as it was very busy!
Our meal in the hotel was slightly overshadowed by the fact that the tables were so close together that we overheard the couple next to us have a full out argument, ( she wanted to eat there, he didn't), he proceeded to be totally rude and selfish and left her at the table crying. To that guy... what a Tw*t, to the girl... get rid! To the restaurant, maybe spread the tables out a bit so that your customers don't have to share others conversations. Apart from that, very nice!
- H_el, London, Camberwell, 26/03/2011 11:52
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I live in Camberwell and I have been to this restaurant as well as a couple of other Spanish ones over in Vauxhall. And I agree about the ham being disappointing here. The trouble is that there aren't enough Londoners who know what real jamón ibérico de bellota is about (try hamlovers.co.uk if you want to know, they only have the good stuff and they deliver direct, it's great). The wine list, though, is very good value and on balance I would still recommend it to anyone in the area.
- josep solteras, camberwell, london, 19/04/2010 17:10
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Myself and 5 hungry friends ate an impressive selection of tapas at "Angels and Gypsies " this weekend. We tried almost every dish on the menu and were more than happy with the quality of ingredients and the restaurant setting.
A huge disappointment though was the miserable service. Nay a smile as we arrived at the empty restaurant, maybe the brothers had argued that day? Who knows? but as paying customers we all felt a brief stay in charm school would do them some good.
Our table was booked for 2pm on a saturday afternoon, by 3pm we were told the restaurant was closing. Surely a bill of £140 merits a bit more flexibility and grace from management?
- Abbey Sauzede, london, 04/04/2010 11:39
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I agrre with simon, what a snobby review of the area. Camberwell is a place i've lived in all my life and there are many gems to be found here. Serious rolling of my eyes at the siren comment. Stick to food mr Sexton, not urban geography, i'm sure you'd have a heart attacked if you wandered into peckham.
I am going to angels and gypsies this weekend and can't wait
- Aijla, London, UK, 10/03/2010 14:41
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I have to say the patronising town if not smug comments by the reviewer regarding the area didnt make me want to go to this restaurant. I also thoroughly disagree about grubby hectic highway. To me Camberwell is one of the best parts of London, a real mix of people, artists, profesionals and ofcourse the wonderful ethnic makeup. You have to go there to experience it. Now the restaurant I found to be gorgeous, homestyle tapas you kight expect from someones grandmother. Everything on the menu seemed so appealing. My favourites the Chicken wit Black Apricots, Razor Clams, steak and black beans and they do an amazing auberbine stew. I agree with the reviewer that Camberwell has a restaurant the area can be proud about.
- Simon Eli, London, 15/02/2010 14:13
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Very best! congratulations...
Celio
- Celio Mello, Brasilia Brasil, 22/01/2010 23:28
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