BERMONDSEY LARDER

LONDON • BERMONDSEYLARDER.COM

They say when one door closes, another opens. Well, throw a pandemic into the mix and that’s exactly what happened for Robin and Sarah Gill. In August 2020, their restaurant The Dairy permanently closed its original location in Clapham, only to reopen a few weeks later as part of the Bermonds Locke complex on Tower Bridge Road. A name change followed soon after, and Bermondsey Larder was born.

When I visit in late September, the atmosphere is pleasantly raucous — within the confines of Covid-19 rules, of course. The dining room is light and spacious, which bodes well for social distancing, and the smattering of cacti and ferns give the place a Californiameets-scandinavia vibe. As for the food, the concept remains the same: small plates made using fresh, local produce. The waitress recommends a few dishes to share between the two of us. We order pulled aubergine, grilled radicchio and wood-roasted lamb. Each is flavoursome, but the lamb — which comes with ‘hayonnaise’ (hay-infused mayonnaise), charred lettuce and mint oil — is smoky and sublime, melting effortlessly in my mouth.

Dessert is a choux bun, which, with a gentle poke of a fork, unleashes chocolate and salted caramel cream, like the eruption of a gooeyyet-crisp volcano. I scoop up as much of the sweet lava as I can. Despite being someone who often skips dessert, I still dream about this one. And sweet dreams are made of these choux buns. Three courses around £38 per person; wine from £26.50 a bottle. Farida Zeynalova