TĀ TĀ Eatery founders Ana Gonçalves and Zijun Meng made waves with the original TÓU
The concept debuted at Arcade back in 2019, kickstarting London’s katsu sando craze but TÓU left the building when Arcade changed hands. Now it’s back, with a limited-time residency upstairs at The Globe Tavern on the edge of Borough Market.
It’s a short, sharp menu, summed up neatly by a bright red poster on the wall that tells you everything you need to know: PET NATS / SANDOS / SUNDAES. These guys are all about doing a few things well and man have they nailed it here.
The menu is short enough to get everything, so we started off with the house-made daikon and carrot pickles, and the Iberico pork and potato spiced croquettes, which are served with just a dollop of mustard – a bargain at £3 each. Dishes are presented in a minimal style but look absolutely picture-perfect.
For now, there is just the Iberico katsu when it comes to sandos, but there is a vegetarian option coming soon we’re told. The OG is a beauty though: a rich, fatty slab of Iberico pork neck with cabbage, onion, raspberry sauce, and XO shallot sauce sandwiched between thick slices of toasted brioche. There is the option to make it spicy too, with the addition of a drop of chilli oil which does give a nice kick. There are also some excellent fries, sprinkled with chilli powder, Sichuan pepper, and just a dab of MSG. They were so good, and we could even imagine popping in just for some fries and a pet nat at the end of the night.
Talking of pet nat, the duo has teamed up with Stefano Cazzato to offer a large selection of pet nats by the glass and bottle (around 17 in total), which makes for a very nice pairing with the food.
Don’t miss the single dessert either: the superb coffee and biscuits sundae, made from coffee ice cream, Biscoff, mascarpone custard, and cocoa.
1st Floor, Globe Tavern, 8 Bedale Street, London SE1 9AL
@tou_london