Unless you’ve been living underground for the past few months, you will have noticed the recent explosion in Hispanic fever that’s hit London. First there was master chef winner Thomasina Miers’ Wahaca, paying homage to Mexican street food, swiftly followed by high street chains’ Tortilla and Mexicali.
Tapping into this demand for wide-smiled Latino escapism – so craved by a nation continually rained upon – is Camberwell’s very own Mexican adventure; Church St Hotel. Located just off Camberwell Green (as close as you’ll get to that fiery Mexican soil without leaving England), the rooms are painted in vibrant reds and deep hues of blue with authentic heavy weave rugs on the beds and enchantingly tiled bathrooms. The dearth of room space and amenities are more than made up for by the unostentatious charm of the place, and its diminutive size lends it the appearance of an authentic casita.
There’s a communal breakfast room/recently-turned second dining room. This renaissance is due to the ever-increasing demand for the restaurant’s Spanish-Mexican cuisine. It is here that you might spend hours in reflection on large sumptuous leather sofas, sipping cocktails from the bar as you dip back and forth into a collection of DVDs guaranteed to keep even the most ardent film buff occupied.
The restaurant itself, Angels and Gypsies, offers an extensive selection of traditional Spanish dishes, all of a tapas size so you have the chance to try more than one dish. The jamón ibérico was perfectly salted and oiled, and the sirloin steak with quail’s eggs and black beans was decidedly hard to share!
With attentive staff, and superbly priced food, it’s a charming little trip south of the river.
For more information, please go to www.churchstreethotel.com.
