Review: Flor, London Bridge

I can see why there’s a lot of love for Flor going around. There’s lots of smoky flame-grilled flavours, plenty of on-trend seasonal ingredients, a stylish and beautiful bar/dining room, and even though it’s a small plate place you don’t have to queue because they take bookings like civilised people. What’s not to like? Well… maybe the price. A light supper for two doesn’t usually flip over the £100 mark unless we’re drinking veeeeery seeeeriously – and we weren’t. Just two glasses each. Promise.

But look, there really is a lot to enjoy here. The delicate mushroom tart had a good dose of that smoky flame-kissed flavour, some fine chunks of sturdy wild mushrooms and a lip-smacking mushroom cream (to finish up with the jolly good sourdough). Next up was a big, plump, white burrata just ooooozing on the plate. I could tell it wanted me to eat it. And it came with chunks of fat, juicy peach that had been blackened to the flavour of caramel candy, and a good sprinkling of sweetly aniseedy fennel pollen. Just joy on a plate.

By contrast, toast topped with salted anchovies and a layer of fine lardo was simply filth on a plate. Mad powerful flavour. Who doesn’t love a faceful of anchovy? With lardo?

Then again, who doesn’t want a gently grilled fillet of smoked eel, topped by flame-seared red cabbage and a spoonful of cooking liquor? I love smoked eel so damn much that whenever I’m offered it on a menu I can’t help the paranoid suspicion that the kitchen is somehow trying to bribe me. And this a whole flippin’ fillet! Reader, we ate it.

And that was it for savoury. Four small plates. We had puds too. Mine was of creamy stracciatella cheese with sticky-sweet fragola grapes and a crunchy wafer. It was nice. Maureen’s was the renowned brown butter cakes. How they manage to turn an entire pack of butter into two tiny cakes the size of champagne corks I will never know, but that is the general effect and it is rather magnificent. If a bit scary.

So, Flor. Loved everything I ate. In which case, perhaps it’s a bit mean to fret over £32 each for a light supper before drinks? It’s a stylish place, they look after you well, the wine list is good. I’d definitely go back. I’d take friends there.