We’ve been checking out a few of the new DIY meal kits that London restaurants are offering and we’ve been pretty impressed so far. Some have been easy but some have been a bit too fiddly for the end result, which might have left you feeling like you could have done a better job starting from scratch yourself. Well now there is a new delivery hero in town – José Pizarro. His new tapas at home menu is by far the best restaurant delivery we’ve had; so good in fact that we’re giving it a proper LOTI Eats restaurant review. For other DIY kits, check out our guide to the best we’ve found so far.
José has landed on a method that gives you amazing dishes for minimal effort. Some things require no cooking at all – Iberico ham, olives and the like – but even the more advanced dishes are a breeze. All the cooked dishes have been vacuum packed, meaning to finish them at home you mostly just have to pop the bags into simmering water for a few minutes and then cut it open. But just to make sure you get everything right, José has done a video to every single dish, showing you how to assemble the final bits. Each food packet has a label and a QR code – scan this on your phone and you’ll be taken directly to the video for that dish. He’s thought of everything!
We recommend getting enough for a long leisurely dinner (what else have you got to do), beginning with Iberico Bellota ham, olives, boquerones, pan con tomate, the chorizo, and a glass of Jose’s own-label Cava. The chorizo in particular was incredible – butter-soft and coated in a sticky wine sauce.
Then we had the octopus with parsnip puree, carabinero prawns, and a mini Spanish tortilla for a little midway course. Both fish dishes were cooked in hot water in the bag for a few minutes and the tortilla was heated up in the oven. EASY. Then, for the main event, we had a suckling lamb leg cooked in rosemary. Again it was 10 mins in water in the bag, and then just another 10 mins in a hot oven to crisp up the skin – an amazing result for basically no effort. The lamb easily feeds two and in fact we had quite a bit left over, which we turned into lamb katsu curry the next night (but that’s a story for another day).
Ordering from José Pizarro is done on his website via Slerp, and if you’re not in the delivery radius you can always go and pickup from his restaurant on Bermondsey Street. Even if you have to cycle a few miles to get there, it is so worth it. This delivery was the closest we’ve felt to eating in a restaurant since lockdown began – fantastic grub and with all the hard work already done. We can’t recommend this enough. Here’s hoping he keeps it as a permanent feature, even after restaurants re-open, as it would be perfect for impressing people at a dinner party too.
194 Bermondsey St, London SE1 3TJ
josepizarro.com