After first meeting in the kitchen at St John, Terry Blake and Yohini Nadakumar opened Sparrow in Lewisham. The place has been going since 2017 but as we’re not often down SE13 way so we’ve only just got round to checking it out. As the restaurant is on a main road, it’s not the most wonderful view from the window, but luckily there’as a lot to admire inside. The interior is light and airy, with industrial light fixtures, wooden furniture and emerald tiles wrapping around the open kitchen giving it a relaxed but charming feel.
Luckily the food also looks fab. The small plates menu is a mix of British, European and Asian dishes, reflective of the pair’s time in the kitchens of Bao, Pollen Street Social and Merchant’s Tavern. At first glance, some of the plates don’t appear to go together, like burrata with grilled romana peppers and beef cheek massaman curry with scorched rice, however the kitchen does an excellent job of spacing them properly so you don’t get too many things in front of you at once.
It also helps that everything tastes fantastic – the burrata was super creamy and sat in a puddle of oil and vincotta, which we happily mopped up with bread, and the massaman curry was perfectly spiced and packed with tender meat. We also loved the fried chicken tulip with satay sauce, which was one of the specials on our visit. Pay attention to this board as there are some gems on there, as well as the apero of the day; we had a gin, citrus and walnut concoction that slipped down a right treat on a hot evening. And save room for a pud (although it’s hard not to go hard on the main menu) as the lemon posset topped with strawberry ice cream was one of the best we’ve ever had.
[easy-image-collage id=113261]Lewisham locals have a real gem on their hands with Sparrow and we’d defo swing by again next time we’re down south.
2 Rennell Street, London, SE13 7HD
sparrowlondon.co.uk