Pizarro

Bermondsey

José Pizarro’s food is laced with nostalgia for his childhood home, Extremadura. Indeed, this buzzy South London restaurant is named after the bar his grandfather owned in Talaván. The sleek service may be very ‘London’, yet its energy transports us to cork forests where Iberian pigs snuffle for acorns and Cáceres’s medieval streets, haunted by crowds spilling out of late-night tapas bars. The passionate Spanish atmosphere is infectious. As soon as we’re inside we find ourselves arguing about whether quail in vermouth vinegar or beef rib smothered with romesco sauce is the best slow-cooked option, before reconciling over manzanilla sherry at the bar. The highlight of the menu is the pica pica (snacks). Mostly priced between £3 and £12 they’re such good value you’d be justified in ordering the lot, which is exactly what we did. Exquisitely cooked croquetas are filled with unctuous béchamel and spinach filling, fat sardines swimming in a marinade of sweet peppers and smoky aubergine are perfectly balanced, while sizzling prawns arrive with a spicy dipping sauce that’s lick-the-plate good.