There are few - if any - things better in the world than having a night off from "childcare" (trans: watching TV while crunching pumpkin seeds) and actually go out of the house to eat something that only adults like. Last night, we did this in Rebato's the finest place in London to actually go out and eat something only adults like. But why is it so good? Well, here are the facts:
1. It's on South Lambeth Road, possibly the greatest stretch of culinary wotsit in south London.
2. It is the one Spanish island in a brilliant sea of Portuguese fooderies. Like our old, old favourite, Bar Estrela.
3. The front bar is dark and tiled and lined with bull-fighting posters, old photographs and framed newspapers. There is not a hi-chair or a children's menu in sight.
4. The bar itself is long and highly polished wood. As soon as you sit at it a nice man pours you a cold dry sherry and offers you interesting things to eat.
5. Within minutes you are surrounded by said interesting things and a glass of fresh red wine appears at your elbow.
6. Everybody looks happy and unhurried and planning on drinking a little more than they normally would but not worrying about it too much.
7. The food - we had the croquettes, the stuffed chillies, the hot chorizo, the squid, the octopus and incredibly salty (and delicious) bread - arrives with amazing speed and is cleared away with a smile as soon as you merely catch someone's eye.
8. You cannot have a bad time in Rebato's. It is impossible.
9. But you might forget to take a picture. Which is why this plate of Pate de Negra comes from a bar Silvana and I ate in in Madrid about four years ago. Oh yes.
Anyway, we still got home in time to go to bed before 10. Well, there's no need to go mad, is there.
4 comments:
Will definitely check this place out. A friend has just moved to a house near Stockwell tube station, which I'm unreliably informed is extremely close to Rebato's.
I've just put a healthy looking West Country corn-fed chicken in the oven, with some roast potatoes and celeriac. I’ve stuffed the breast skin of the chicken with thyme, Parma ham and garlic. The wife and I are enjoy a bottle of Rioja whilst listening to and arguing about whether Springsteen’s ’Darkness On The Edge Of Town’ is a masterpiece or utter rubbish (I think it’s a masterpiece) . We’ve got one eye on the cricket and the kids are playing on the PS2 and eating fruit. I officially love Sundays!
I'm not surprised you love Sundays. It sounds like it's great round at your house!
Agreed - I want to move to Native12's house. Maybe we should get our old Playstation out of the basement and play Wipeout on it!
Rebato’s was the very first of many Spanish restaurants that I ever went to and I loved it. I went back recently with a regular of Rebato’s and we were treated so well.
FAB
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