Lobos SE1: is this the best pork in south London?

A quirky new garito serving outstanding Iberican cuts has opened on Borough High Street

Iberican pork selection at Lobos. Photo: SE
A spectacular plate to share: Iberican pork selection at Lobos. Photo: SE

Borough and Bermondsey are particularly fecund spots for tapas. And there’s something so authentic about the venues, whether it’s Tozino under the arches at Maltby Street, Jose on Bermondsey Street, often with standing room only, Bedales, all stark brick and barrels, or – the daddy of them all, Brindisa.

Which is how this new garito – or Spanish neighbourhood joint to you – got off the ground. Meaning ‘wolves’ in Spanish, it purports to be a carnivores’ paradise, focusing on the prime cuts of the Iberico pig. And it’s the first project from chef Roberto Castro, Ruben Maza and Joel Placeres, friends who met working at – you guessed it -Brindisa. They invited us down the other evening to check it out.

The narrow main dining room. Photo: PR
The narrow main dining room. Photo: PR

It’s a quirky space. You enter discreetly from Borough High Street into an L-shaped corner over two floors, with dark-lit tables, a counter, and leather booths upstairs.

We sit right in front of the handful of chefs in action in the open plan kitchen. The decor is salvaged in look, with its silver tin tiles, off-white cladding, cabinets and hangings. The vibe? “Reminiscent of a wolf’s lair with reclaimed wood and corrugated metal.” At least that’s what it says in the blurb.

Head Chef Roberto Castro’s menu focuses on prime cuts of meat, with large cuts for sharing, such as the slow roasted leg of Castillan milk-fed lamb or the chuleton (sirloin on the bone).

Overlooking Borough Market (just). Photo: PR
Overlooking Borough Market (just). Photo: PR

We start with a handful of small tapas, and a decent, fresh Verdejo (priced at a reasonable £19). Octopus vinaigrette, light and fragrant with herbs, is a pleasant foil for the highly garlicky pan con tomate. Cazon en adobo (deep-fried marinated dogfish) has a good kick of spice, but otherwise not especially memorable. A green salad, however, mixes seasonal ingredients like asparagus and courgette with the sweet fruit of almonds, pistachio and tangy preserved lemons.

Quirky: the welcome greeting at the entrance. Photo: SE
A little baffling: the welcome greeting at the entrance. Photo: SE

Yet Lobos really is simply about the meat. I’m a huge fan of Iberico pork and we’re encouraged by affable front-of-house Joel to order a selection of cuts (£26.50 to share between two). It’s simply a mesmerizing board of colours and textures (see main pic): secreto is the ‘hidden’ cut between the shoulder and the loin, fatty with a deep flavour, especially with the potent kick of the chimichurri-style sauce heaped on big crisp-like potato discs.

Presa, the shoulder cut (some call it the “wagyu” of pork), should be served rare or medium rare like fillet steak. The best I’ve ever eaten was in Soho’s Ember Yard, but here it’s nearly as good: sliced and cooked beautifully, seasoned correctly, it exudes a moreish, pillowy quality.

But it’s the fillet that wows us most, with its deep chargrilled flavour, a kick of paprika and rosy centre. It’s piled up on trinxat, the Catalonian dish made with potatoes, cabbage and pork meat, which resembles bubble and squeak. As we clear the plate, we decide never to suffer again another sticky pork belly in a gastropub.

Joel is from Uruguay and proudly explains that there are just a couple of items that he has persuaded his partners to add to the menu: one is a cheesecake, the other a big juicy Family Reserve Tannat, often considered the national grape of his country. Accompanied by some perfectly room-temperature manchego and quince, it’s a suitably velvety, rich way to end a show-stopper of a meal.

Manchego. Photo: SE
Manchego. Photo: SE

A caveat? Other than banning Oasis, whose greatest hits are stuck on repeat on our visit, we wonder if the lupine concept is even needed. Do staff t-shirts – all bearing predatory words like Devour, or Alpha, or Instinct – extend the wolf theme a little too far? And do rather odd slogans like “You are the result of your own attitude” plastered across the interior actually add anything? Most baffling of all is the motto at the entrance: “The wolf is always evil if you only listen to Red Riding Hood.” Eh?

Whatever. With pork this fine, and a location this atmospheric – the regular rumble of trains only adding to its character – the boys can wrap it up in whatever concept they like.

Appetizers from £2.50, tapas £4-9.50, and mains £7.50-£26.50. Find Lobos at 14 Borough High Street SE1

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