This ultra-modern restaurant is perfect for a canteen style lunch with plenty to choose from. In the evenings The Table transforms into a beautiful, intimate restaurant with food to die for.

The Venue
Situated right opposite IPC’s new Blue Fin building, this restaurant is right in the middle of Southwark. The restaurant itself is housed within an architects’ head office and you can tell. Two walls are made out of glass, and the kitchen is open plan. The emphasis is on comfortable yet functional. During the day there is a salad bar lining one wall, and the open plan kitchen is a serving hatch (but much more glamorous than the school dining hall version). The seating is on long tables with benches and one high table with bar stools to perch on, all made out of thick chunks of wood. There is also a small outdoor terrace in a courtyard, which is perfect for summer lunches but won’t see much use over the winter months. In the evening the lighting is dimmed and candles are lit. There are menus to ponder over at length whilst you sit and enjoy the table service and it no longer feels anything like an eat-and-run venue.

The Atmosphere
There is a marked difference between the lunchtime and dinner atmospheres which is testament to how well the restaurant has been thought out, allowing it to transform from canteen to sexy restaurant in a matter of hours.

At lunchtime the place is alive with activity, people are bustling in and out with take outs, and friends and colleagues meet for some gossiping over lunch. The kitchen is busy but the service is excellent, and you’ll never have to wait long to be served. It’s self-service which is then weighed in at the end, meaning you can really mooch over the food at your own pace, and the chefs are only too happy to advise you if you’re new to the format. Clientele at lunchtime seems to be mostly local office workers and perhaps a lucky few tourists who happen upon it when in search of the Tate Modern nearby.

In the evening, the restaurant is transformed and becomes much quieter, with customers eating at a leisurely pace, enjoying the great service and really revelling in the fantastic food on offer. The only bustle comes from the kitchen, but it doesn’t intrude on your evening. Many people seem to wander along the ghost street that is Southwark Street without really knowing where they’re going. However, as soon as they glance at the tempting menu, they’re sold and begging for a table. This makes for a good cross-section of diners including people on dates, old friends on double dates and people catching up after work. The service is impeccable in the evening as well, and the waiting staff will be happy to advise you on the menu, should you need it.

The Food
At lunchtime there is a good selection of salads on offer, from the sweet roasted butternut squash salad with crunchy and fresh green beans to a perfectly cooked wild rice salad and some very decent lentil salads. There is also hot food on offer such as delicious quiches (the stilton and broccoli is perfectly salty with the fresh broccoli undercutting the harsher tones of stilton) and pasta bakes (which are freshly cooked and full of rich tomato flavour).

In the evening the menu is a la carte. Starters include an oak smoked salmon which is perfect and not too smoked, still retaining its seafood flavour. This comes with an exceedingly rich, poached duck egg, which is perfectly cooked; a runny golden yoke can be found inside. The beetroot salad is also not to be missed. The beetroot is accompanied by some warm goat’s cheese and the flavours combine in perfect harmony and give a surprisingly light start to dinner.

Main courses are all mouth-watering and the biggest problem of the night will be choosing what to have. The slow roasted rump of lamb is perfectly cooked (beautifully pink on the inside) and melts in the mouth. It comes served atop some incredible mashed parsnip, which is rich, soft and creamy and tastes of comforting sweet winter vegetables. Heaven! If this isn’t enough veg for your liking, you can order sides. It is impossible to over-hype the burgundy mash, which is again perfectly creamy and is held together with a beautifully rich and indulgent cheese, which pervades the sometimes otherwise bland mash. The steak with bearnaise sauce is also very good indeed. The steak, which is sourced locally (as is all the food at The Table), is a little tough but full of delicious, meaty flavour and the bearnaise sauce is rich and salty.

Desserts include traditional choices like sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce. However, the lemon tart is the perfect way to wrap up a rich, fulfilling meal. The citrus flavours cleanse the palate perfectly. The prices for the meal seem too good to be true, with the most expensive dish tasting like it should be double the £15.00 you’re charged, this is really wonderful food with a bargain price tag. Most meals are from £7.00 - £9.00.

The Drink
There’s a decent wine list, which is not overwhelming but still offers a good choice. The white sauvignon blanc from Hawkes Bay is absolutely delicious. All wines come in bottles or by the glass, which is a refreshing change. The prices are extremely reasonable and there’s something to suit all budgets. If beer is more your style, there’s a range of bottled beers on offer including Peroni and Stella. Prices are very decent indeed for these two.

The Last Word
This restaurant is a real find on Southwark Street. Whether you fancy a really hearty lunch or a superb evening meal, this is the best Southwark has to offer. It’ll be the best meal you’ve had in years.

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