Saturdays in London are when Borough market comes alive. Dozens of stalls open up selling a range of products. A fish stall sells not only a wide range of seafood, but also hot bowls of fish soup. Several stalls have long lineups of people waiting to buy burgers and wraps. Another area has smaller stalls set up selling cheeses and hams from Spain, Italy and France. There are people everywhere and they spill out into all of the cafes, restaurants and bars around the vicinity of the market, including Tapas Brindisa.
Tapas Brindisa is a busy restaurant that sells a wide range of classic Spanish Tapas and wines. The food smells delicious and today the tables are packed full. We aren’t there to eat this time though. We went to try the hot chocolate and weren’t disappointed.
We ordered one at the bar. Despite there being tables available we were told that we couldn’t sit because they were reserved for people ordering lunch. That wasn’t a problem except that there actually were tables of people only drinking. So that made the experience a little less enjoyable. But from the bar you can see the whole restaurant, the staff pouring glasses of Spanish wines behind the bar. You can even see straight into the kitchen and watch the chefs putting the finishing touches on the tapas dishes.
The hot chocolate here is worth standing up at the bar for and waiting 10 minutes to be served. It is smooth and velvety, a thick but not at all sweet drink. The hot chocolate, like everything else sold here is imported from Spain. This is Enric Rovira hot chocolate from Barcelona.
Verdict: This is the perfect hot chocolate for a cold and wet day (of which there are many in London). This hot chocolate, combined with the atmosphere here will instantly warm you up. Tapas Brindisa, 18-20 Southwark St, London, UK
