Food & Drink

SIMPLICITY - SE16

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16 August 2007

Simplicity Cafe & Restaurant
1 Tunnel Road,
Rotherhithe,
SE16 4JJ
Tel: 020 7232 5174
www.simplicityrestaurants.com

BEST OF BRITISH

Hugely welcomed in an area that has been starved of a good restaurant, Simplicity is sat in the middle of historic Rotherhithe, writes Kevin Quinn...

Opposite Sands Films and the Brunel Tunnel Museum, in the picturesque surroundings of St Mary’s Churchyard, Simplicity opened in February this year. Owner and head chef Lawrence Lingard has converted the space into a brand that bears all the hallmarks of the name – simple dark wooden tables and chairs, clean white walls, a minimal amount of pictures, unfussy without any curtains or drapes and a single tulip on each table. Lawrence was at pains to point out to us on our recent visit there that Simplicity isn’t just a name: “It’s also our mission statement,” he said. “We’re all about providing uncomplicated, top-quality meals using fresh ingredients.” 

Once an amateur boxer, who narrowly missed out on competing for England, Lawrence trained in local boxing gyms the Henry Cooper and Thomas A Beckett. However, while trying his hand at the noble art of boxing he also trained as a chef in some of London’s Michelin-listed restaurants before opening up Simplicity Eat Café in Manchester. The café won recognition for its push to give British food its rightful place at the table. Now 24 years on from his first days in the kitchen Lawrence is eager to fulfill his ultimate dream – transferring the success of his café in Manchester to the restaurant in the heart of Rotherhithe.

In recent years comparisons of British cuisine to those of our continental neighbours has found that we may have been too harsh on our culinary heritage. Anyone who saw the recent master chef series witnessed some top British chefs competing to first serve the best of British at a birthday bash for Her Majesty the Queen, then having to serve our top dishes to the French in the British Embassy in Paris.

The results were impressive and Lawrence is determined to do his bit to revive what he claims is a resurgence of British cuisine being the best in Europe. “Up until the first World War we ate better than most of Europe,” he boasted. “The Italians with their pizza and pastas and the Spanish with their tapas would not really compete with the richer more expensive food of the British of that era. Roast beef, vegetables, etc, this was seen as food fit for royalty. First with Keith Floyd and then the likes of Gary Rhodes we are seeing a surge in appreciation in our own food.”     

Taking a patriotic bite of my roast rump of Welsh lamb studded with garlic and rosemary and wait for it…bubble and squeak (£14.50) I was both proud of Simplicity doing its bit for Britain and really pleased with the quality – it was a delightful combination. Other such patriotic servings include breast of chicken with pork forcemeat wrapped in an envelope of filo pastry and baked until crisp and golden (£10) or extra mature 8oz Cheshire Sirloin Steak, homemade sauté potatoes and Béarnaise sauce (£12.95). 

The menu is small, which according to Gordon Ramsay is the sign of a good restaurant that concentrates on quality over quantity. Lawrence says he changes the dishes regularly, depending on what ingredients he can source daily from local markets. And it is not just the food that Simplicity painstaking researches for customers’ - the wine list features some unusual and rare bottles. Lawrence has even set up a shop so locals can pop in and take a bottle home of an evening. We tried about four or maybe five – Lawrence plans to hold wine tasting evenings – and the Spanish red Pueblo Viejo Rioja Crianza was my favourite, it had a slight berry and vanilla taste to it. This tipple, (priced £8 a bottle to take away), I was told was aged in oak for a minimum of 24 months to ensure its quality.

Simplicity is open in the evenings from 6.30pm to 10.30pm during the week. On Saturday and Sunday it has already become popular for breakfast and brunch opening from 10am to 10.30pm. Locals need no longer trek down to Shad Thames for a good meal at restaurants near the river.

THE DAMAGE 
Homemade cream of vegetable soup with garlic sippets   £4
Roast rump of Welsh lamb with bubble and squeak  £14.50                
Ice cream tulip, fresh fruit and raspberry coulis   £4

TOTAL  £22.50     

FOOD (1-5)  5
AMBIENCE (1-5)  4
PRICE VALUE (1-5)  4.5
DISABLED ACCESS  NO
DISABLED TOILET  NO
PRE-BOOKING  NO

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