I get into a bit of a rut with my “where to go’s” from time to time, which is funny really, as you’re surrounded by so much choice in London! I also hate that feeling of going somewhere you think is going to be really amazing as it looks so shiny and promising, but then walking away a bit disappointed. The waiter was surly, your dish was lukewarm or just not that appetizing, or you walked away feeling hungry- the worst!
One fab thing about London (if not the UK) is that you can generally always find great value food. Perhaps harder is finding the restaurants that offer that bit more, the ones which hit the 9’s or 10’s across the board. Those are tougher to find, right?
Flour and Grape came to me on recommendation from eastldngirl_foodieblog whose instagram account is my go-to for London food heaven. I check her account weekly and make note of the ones that really catch my eye and leave me feeling hungry! Flour and Grape had been on the visit list for sometime, and it choices made perfect sense for a girlfriend and I looking for somewhere around the London Bridge area, to suit us both when looking to get home at the end of the night.
The restaurant doesn’t take bookings. I really thought I had messed up when I arrived and saw the queue! Happily heaving on a Thursday night- a really lovely atmosphere and vibe. But it does operate a “virtual waitlist” so you can leave your details, and grab a drink at their cocktail bar downstairs or pop along the street, until you receive a text letting you know your table is ready. In our case, we were sat at the bar: and we loved it! It felt like we were on a date, we had loads of room, and our waiter was just wonderful as soon as we sat down. Wine recommendations were made, our water was replaced without us asking, photos were taken with a smile and service was always prompt and helpful. Honestly, whatever Flour and Grape are doing for their staff, it is working, as we really reaped the benefits of their evident work happiness!
The important part- the food! For starters we had the Bruschetta (with a spreadable pork salami called nduja- has to be tried as such description does it no favours, it was unusual and light and beautiful, and I had no idea this was salami based), and the bread selection: a gorgeous choice of breads that had us stuffed. My friend tried on the waiters recommendation the Taglierini which was preserved truffle, butter emulsion, cured egg yolk, and I had the roasted vegetables, tomato, oregano. Delicious, light, well seasoned, and certainly not your standard Italian chain restaurant food 🙂 We shared a dessert- a chocolate & hazelnut budino, sprinkled with sea salt which was melt in the mouth. With a couple of drinks each our bill total with service charge came to just over £60 and we were truly well fed and watered and HAPPY!
Bermondsey Street where the restaurant is located is a fortunate location as it’s a 10 minute pleasant stroll back to London Bridge for underground, overground and tons of bus routes.
Why visit? excellent service, food and atmosphere! Great value- you won’t leave hungry. Unusual dishes that are super tasty.
Where is it? Bermondsey Street as above! We walked to and from London Bridge was was max 10 minutes.
Anything to know? you can’t book, but you can turn up, put your name down, and head for a drink if it’s busy (it’s understandably very popular, so be prepared you might need to wait) https://www.flourandgrape.com/
Website: https://www.flourandgrape.com/
If you go and love it as I know you will, please let me know!
x
Loving Living London 