Listen. 53 years a Londoner. Born and bred.
Never been to Battersea. Not once for anything.
Spied the power station from the safety of the north side of the dividing line.
Marvelled at the bigness. But never plucked up the courage to dive in and doggy paddle over.
No tube station, no chance.
And then the other day a mate suggested we meet for a bite there. Battersea? How the fuck am I going to get there?
Butterfly wings? Hire an oarsman?
The missus consulted google maps and here for you now I have a London life hack that might just change where you eat forever.
Battersea, it turns out, is a mere 15 minute walk from Sloane Square.
Yes that's right. Sloane Square and Battersea are connected by one straight road with a bridge. The bridge has no trolls and you don't require a rope to traverse it. It's stable. You can walk over it.
And when we did, we didn't melt like the Nazi in Raiders.
The walk is pleasant. The monolithic destination is unmissable. And the arrival is quite the eye opener.
Because Battersea is not some industrial wasteland. Not a kind of food refugee camp with trailers and tents for restaurants.
It's all been built and paved and signed and everything.
And it's alive. With bars, restaurants, offices and, check this, flats. People LIVE there. With a marvellous view of the side of London they would like to live on one day and a bridge to get them there and all the sustenance they need in the meantime.
Brindisa is a smart, modern, new tapas bar selling all the old favourites to a young, buzzy crowd.
The menu is divided into egg, grill, braised, cheese and sweet and true to the word of tapas, there's something for everyone.
Tortilla, patatas bravas, king prawns, chorizo on toast, asparagus with romesco sauce, lemon chicken thighs and some squid ink croquettes were all dispatched in a timely and tasty manner. Nothing outrageously good or daring or special, the food isn't necessarily the star of the show although the asparagus was plenty moreish and everything went down well enough.
But the place itself has life. Inside is noisy with sarf London chatter and it opens to outside seating which gives you views of old father Thames and the brand spanking newly cleaned up power station. Pretty special stuff. A wonderful aspect for a bit of Spanish scran and a catch up with friends.
It's a whole new village, a sort of food festival but without the free nibbles. That said, Brindisa didn't break the bank and the short walk back to Pick and Beck's London masterpiece makes the whole thing rather accessible on all counts.
We shall return. Maybe not solely because of Brindisa but no doubt it'll do just fine if we're in a mood to pick and chat. No, we shall return to explore a new London village, gleaming and buzzy with a shit ton of eating and drinking options and a pretty spectacular aspect. read more
