Bermondsey Street was a main thoroughfare for us. It may not have always been the most direct route…read morebut when you don't know where you're going, it's good to go where you know as you figure it out. I will say that the app - City Mapper - is worth installing on your phone. Oh, but when you're travelling out of the US, you don't want to pay the high roaming charges. Then I say, go to the "airalo" website and see if what they offer might meet your needs, and if it does, install it too. Most newer phones allow you to install electronic SIMs. If you follow the instructions very carefully, you can set your phone up to use this second line for local data access and that will allow City Mapper to run for you while you roam around. I know that I'm sounding like a commercial but that's how much I liked using the app. While I didn't always know which direction I was facing, by watching the app as I moved, I could see if I was heading toward or away from my target.
Okay, back to Jose. We walked by this place several times, both during the day and at night. They always had guests, especially at night when the crowd seemed to spill out of the restaurant to the outside tables and surrounding area. People looked happy as they indulged in their food and wine. We stopped once and read the menu. It's quite small and written on a chalkboard. It looks like every now and then, they erase something and write something else up. Having been to Barcelona, we weren't particularly impressed with the menu and didn't plan on dining there. Until I read the reviews. And looked at their website and learned about Jose Pizzaro, chef, owner of six restaurants in London and one in Abu Dhabi, author of six cookbooks, a regular on BBC cooking shows AND that the Tapas Bar Jose is mentioned as a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide.
Service was wonderful. It was cool watching Chef prepare our food. The Pan con Tomate was so simple and yet so delicious. A slice of bread, toasted, rubbed with garlic, rubbed roughly with a ripe tomato, slightly salted and drizzled with olive oil. I could eat that every single day and LOSE WEIGHT.
The Bermondsey Bomba was like a giant Porto Bakery (forgive me Jose) Potato Ball with more meat in a spicy sauce placed on top of a bed of aioli with a dollop of seasoned tomato paste on top. I could eat these every single day and GAIN WEIGHT.
The Boquerones were heavenly. The Clams with Garlic and Parsley, devine. And the Patatas Bravas...come on man, they're just potatoes! Crispy on the outside, soft and warming on the inside. Once again, the aioli and seasoned tomato paste just brings it all together.
Service was warm and friendly. They were kind enough to let us order in rounds so we could gauge how much to order. Honestly, we had five dishes and were stuffed.
Pictures to follow.