Now with enlarged space to cut down the queues, but demand is still insatiable. Nick finds himself luckily landing for a table for lunch
I was told to get to Flour & Grape sharp as there are no reservations and it gets very busy at lunchtime. Well yes indeed, we rocked up at five minutes past one and there was already a scrum at the door and inside the place was heaving. The Dojo Book A Table app is recommended.
We got a table though and felt very lucky. The noise levels inside were off the charts, office workers yelling their way through lunch. I don’t mind that, a noisy restaurant is nearly always a good one.
This old pub is in what was once a rough backwater, there are still plenty of old council blocks around it, inside it has had its brick revealed and the old 30s tiles on the ceiling wisely retained. The bar is now a place to sit on stools and eat, rather than morosely sink pints until wobbling off back to work or the family..
I’d heard good things about Flour & Grape for years, both the pasta and the prices, with many people likening it to the cool Lina Stores in Greek Street, but with less chance of sitting next to a celeb. Last time I was in Lina I was rubbing thighs with Clive Anderson but I don’t think he minded.
The menu is short but you’re still spoilt for choice. Everyone told me to have the toasted sandwich with fontina cheese and nduja, so I did and they were right. Gooey and fiery it was just the sort of delicious thing you’d want to be offered when home late from the pub.
More refined was the Artichoke flower with miso vinaigrette. Of course artichokes are always just flowers, the only bit we eat. Here flattened out with the tough fibrous tips chopped off and the inedible ‘choke’ removed, it was delicate and rather stylish, the miso umami twang a novelty in an Italian dish.
You do expect ricotta cheese, though. Here it’s whipped like a Grand National winner so it’s dreamily creamy and served with roasted beetroot, balsamic dressing and a hint of horseradish. Very nice indeed, the earthy beetroot and the celestial ricotta a perfect pairing. A bread basket with focaccia helps scrape it up.
Of course pasta is the premier food here, freshly made in the window and the open kitchen. Nine dishes to choose from. I’m tempted by the carbonara, a dish all too easy to get wrong – never order it in France, it is disgusting – but here it’s made with guanciale (pig’s cheek) so it should be good.
Or there’s Pappardelle with beef short-rib ragu, which sounds the business as well but a bit too familiar. Ravioli stuffed with ricotta, pumpkin, almond, parmesan, sage butter and chilli is equally tempting, but I finally decide on Gigli, an unusual flower shaped pasta that was robust enough to handle the sausage, fennel, winter green and chilli ragu.
It’s been over-salted, but just about scrapes in , the pork well browned, the chards’ bitter edge cutting nicely and there’s a subtle warmth to the chilli. Not sure I could taste any fennel. The excess salt did eventually make finishing it all a bit hard. Otherwise a very good dish.
P chose Linguine with tiger prawn, datterini tomato, chilli, garlic, basil and was very happy. The prawns were pillow soft and generous, the tomatoes delicious. Rather watery though, it’s absolutely correct to finish the dish with some starchy pasta water for a ‘shine’, but this was a little bit too much, it needed to be cooked out more.
I really liked my Almond and prune tart with crème fraiche. The pastry was wonderfully ‘short’ and the almonds and prunes were a delicious filling. Apricot and prosecco sorbetto was fresh and flavourful.
They have a nice wine list here, thoughtfully chosen and well priced – 500ml of Montepulciano| Le Salare was £23 and it was a very decent wine to go with quality pasta.
You can see why the crowds come to Flour & Grape, it’s very good. At 1:55pm they melt away back to their offices so I would recommend either arriving then or before 1pm. In the evenings you can register on the app and then hang in a nearby pub.
The wait is well worth it.
214 Bermondsey St, SE1 3TQ