La Gamba, Royal Festival Hall Review
It’s a delight to see an independent family-run tapas bar tucked between the Southbank chains. Samantha Laurie reviews...
Address: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX. Get directions.
Our verdict
It’s a good test of a fancy restaurant when the first person to show up for lunch is a 22-year-old in a cropped punk T-shirt and oversized jeans held up with rope. La Gamba’s maitre d’ (owner, Jack Applebee) is charm itself – all eye contact, chit chat and warmth, as my son and I take our seats on the big riverside terrace of this new Galician seafood tapas bar on the South Bank.
And first things first – wow, what a location!
Situated between Hungerford Bridge and Festival Pier on the big wide riverside prom that is surely everyone's favourite place to stroll with out-of-towners, it’s set back from the throng with wide open views across the Thames, the magnificent Savoy across the river, Whitehall and Charing Cross Station to the left.
Yet, curiously this has never been a place to eat out – restaurants here are mostly mid-range chains and cafes. Among other volume-munching tourist spots, La Gamba’s immediate neighbours are Giraffe and Pret-a-Manger.
Mostly, when we walk this stretch, we’re heading to Borough Market for lunch or Soho for a pre-theatre quick dinner. So it’s a delight to see an independent family-run business filling that space – particularly one with the credentials of Applebee's, the fishmonger cum seafood restaurant business that excels at Borough Market.
This is the first brick-and-mortar offshoot (aside from pop-ups under Hungerford Bridge) of the three Applebee sons, with Jack (30) at the helm and Galician chef Juan Cabarcos in the kitchen.
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Brian Dandridge
Jack is a born restaurateur – a natural people person, full of sunny charm.
On this, the first searingly hot day of the summer, I admire the giant Mediterranean parasol. “£30 grand!” he exclaims, rolling his eyes in mock horror. It’s money very well spent; few places in London have the space or views to carry off this lunch-a-la-playa look, but it works a treat here.
La Gamba's aim is to serve tasty Spanish staples quickly – speed is key with the National Theatre and Royal Festival Hall next door – with a focus on quality ingredients and warm hospitality.
Naturally, fish is at the forefront of the menu. Jack advises us to order a couple of picoteos (nibbles), then two or three tapas each, followed by a main to share. We start with padron peppers (£6), always a hot, salty delight (but where these days are the hot ones…?) and a glass of Albarino (£11 a glass), the crisp white indigenous grape of Galicia.
Then comes a flurry of Spanish classics – plump gambas al ajillo, king prawns cooked with garlic, chilli and parsley (£14). They lack the fiery kick you’d expect from this dish – and we forget to order bread to soak up the garlicky oil – but the prawns are big, tasty and delicious.
Next up is a nice round tortilla, served as you like it (runny, of course) and a lovely bereneja asada (£8.50), roasted aubergine in romesco sauce, topped with goats cheese and hazelnuts. Less successful is the toasted sourdough with chorizo paste, goats cheese and honey (£9) – the meat/sweet favours are a tad overwhelming and the large doorstep slabs prove difficult to eat.
Star of the (starters) show is the plate of chipirones (£12), hot baby squid deep fried in fluffy batter served with a very tasty lemon alioli, smelling and tasting of long lunches at the Spanish seaside.
The portion sizes are large – easily enough for two – and we're already wondering whether we've overdone it when we're onto the mains. There are three on the menu – rib eye steak (£36), chicken thighs and chorizo hash (£19) and arroz con marisco, seafood rice with mussels, squid, prawns and mussels (£24).
We opt for the latter, but Jack warns us not to expect paella. He explains that the venue doesn’t have a gas supply and therefore can’t get the high burst of heat necessary for the crispy savoury crusty base – the socarrat - so beloved by paella aficionados. Instead, the chef has opted for risotto-style rice. The result is excellent.
The secret, of course, is the quality of the fish stock, and this rich bisque – combined with a generous helping of mussels and prawns – is my favourite dish of the day.
We are so full I’m sure we can’t manage a dessert, but 22-year-old art students never turn down food, and Jack is keen for us to try the burnt basque cheesecake (£7). It’s a wonderful Spanish take on crème brulee, crustless, scorched and caramelised on top with a fabulous light, gooey interior.
La Gamba sticks to a tight brief – there are no inventive tricks and twists here, and the food is unlikely to win any Michelin stars – but serving decent tapas in a warm, hospitable way overlooking some of the capital’s finest views is something indeed. Bien hecho!
