78 Northcote Road,
Battersea ,
London,
SW11 6QL
0872 148 1123
The ViewLondon Review
A colourful modern Spanish restaurant serving up tantalizing tapas with a twist.The VenueClapham’s Northcote Road is alight with top notch bars and restaurants and Lola Rojo is no exception. Sitting on a street corner at the quieter end of the main road, from the outside you could easily pass it by, as it looks more like a basic local cafe. But inside the combination of a bright, fashionable decor perfectly complements the restaurant’s passion for food, to create a very special place.
The AtmosphereLola Rojo has a fantastic Mediterranean buzz to it. A mixture of modern flock wallpaper and Spanish oil paintings dot the walls, and the modern red and white colour theme creates a light, bright ambience. The layout – two small rooms with tables dotted closely together – creates the sense that you’re almost in a Spanish home serving up food for all the owner’s friends. It’s a disarmingly fun atmosphere.
The FoodBy day the restaurant also has a deli selling Spanish food and wine and the owners clearly place a huge amount of importance on the quality of the produce they source. This quality of ingredients really comes through in the restaurant food. The most brutally simple Catalan bread with tomato is absolutely delicious – chewy, thick bread with piquant fresh tomato scraped across it. It really has that freshness and intensity of flavour that you find eating abroad. The cod carpaccio, decorated with exceptional quality olive oil, roasted peppers, sun dried tomato and pine nuts, is light and fresh. The brava potato is a novel twist on the traditional patatas bravas. Instead of the conventional tomato sauce, it is served with a frothy kind of mayonnaise which works very well. The tuna bombon is a real surprise – tuna stuffed with gooey goat’s cheese dotted with black olives, whilst the grilled calamari is beautifully offset by a delicate ink gazpacho and smoky aubergine.
Of course no Spanish restaurant would be complete without a paella, and the paella here does not disappoint – made with Bomba rice from Valencia and Arbequina olive oil. Choose from a selection of quirky paella options such as lobster and squid, corn fed chicken and smoked chorizo or duck and wild mushroom. To finish off, go for one of the mouth-watering Spanish desserts such as Crema Catalana with apple compote or coconut milk Torrija with red berries and cinnamon ice cream.
The DrinkLola Rojo’s well stocked wine cellar has been put together with great care and attention, and is all of course all authentically Spanish. For a refreshing start, have a cold Estrella Damm beer or a tangy Mayador cider. To get in the Spanish mood, Sangria fans can enjoy a fruity 1 litre carafe for £16. There is also a choice selection of Spanish cavas and sherries on offer, or of course you can enjoy one of the Spanish wines - the staff will happily recommend one to go with your meal. Recommended is the intensely aromatic E. Mendoza chardonnay from the Alicante region. Finish off with one of their sweet wines, such as the Moscatel de la Marina, also from Alicante.
The Last WordLola Rojo takes traditional tapas a step further with exceptional ingredients and lashings of imagination, all in an environment buzzing with Spanish atmosphere.