Bar Douro - London Bridge - Review

Nestled away in the railway arches on London bridges, flat iron square is “Bar Douro” a little gem of Portugal on the south bank of London.

Bar Douro is a modest and simple little Bar restaurant with small tables and a counter bar inside. The Restaurant is decorated with simple furniture, and beautiful white and blue Azulejo tiles. The restaurant offers a counter bar seating, allowing you to watch the action by the chef as they prepare your dishes. As well as a private dining table upstairs amongst the racked wine bottles,

ensuring they have the facilities to cater for slightly larger groups. Although the seating is rather snug, there is a great deal of natural light in the restaurant thanks to the floor to ceiling windows, making the small restaurant feel light and airy. The seating is complimented by the small out-front courtyard style seating with parasols; A charming little hideaway, set back from the main road.

Bar Douro is owned by Max, who grew up in Portugal where his family business “Churchills” is based. The family have a long history (over two centuries) within the Portuguese wine and port scene before seeing an opportunity for him to introduce London to Portuguese food and drink – and we are so grateful he did! Bar Douro boasts 2 restaurants, with the London bridge restaurant opening in November 2016, and the Second Bar Douro City in January 2020.

Having never heard of this quaint little restaurant before, I was intrigued as to what it would offer. Initially on entering we are greeted by the helpful team, before being seated at the bar on a naturally lit quaint restaurant - I do love a bar counter seat, as it allows you to watch all the action of cocktail mixing and cheffing.

The menu provided was modest with 4 options in each section of snacks, garden/ vegetables, sea food and land (meat), cheese and dessert. Their wines and spirits list a little bit more expansive, although that is to be expected when their slogan is “Passionate about Portugal, Serious about wine” #bardourowine. It is also worth mentioning that they also have their own wine shop FESTA (www.wearefesta.co.uk) specialising in none other than the delights Portugal’s wine scene has to offer.

Whilst perusing the menu we opted for a pre drink of Churchills white port and tonic – a well-balanced aperitif using churhills white port, perfect for the lazy summer days, and a slightly drier alternative to an Aperol spritz.

We were made aware of their wine offerings along with their recommended monthly wine, both recommendations could be found on the black board above the bar. We opted for the recommendation of Titan “Deamon”, Tavora-Varosa 2019 vintage a white wine made from the old vines. (£60 per bottle but a purchase price in the region of £18.00) The wine was a fresh and crisp clean wine, with floral and

apple aromas. A nicely balanced wine with a slightly creamy mouth feel, matched with a good depth of flavour. The wine itself is a straw yellow, and contained sediments so I believe it may be unfiltered. Nevertheless, a great wine to compliment light dishes such as chicken, and fish.

Having selected 6 dishes for the menu we sat back at the counter and idled away the time, with chatter and observations of the chef busying himself with the constant stream of check orders. It was a nice, relaxed atmosphere, and despite the number of people there, and the lack of soft furnishings the restaurant wasn’t too noisy nor did it appear over crowded.

The dishes arrived one by one, as and when they were ready which allowed you to savour each small plate one at a time, rather than mixing and matching a number of dishes onto a plate. For some this may not be a preference, but it certainly enabled us to appreciate each dish, and provided us a slower eating experience, rather than the often serve, eat and run culture.

The dishes arrived well presented and within a reasonable time frame. With the following dish arriving promptly after the previous was finished.

First to arrive was the croquets de alheria – a smoked sausage croquette, a light croquette with a mild smoked sausage piece, Topped with a mayonnaise. These were delicious with a crisp exterior. A great little mouthful to get the taste buds in action.

Next was delicious charred cabbage with soubise (a creamy onion sauce) – strangely enough this was one of my favouite dishes a mixture of the smokiness and bitterness from the char worked well with the smooth creaminess of the sauce. Sprinkled with some crispy fried onions to add the texture.

Followed then by Gambas a la guilho prawns in a garlic sauce, these were chuncky prawns served with the heads and tails. The sauce was a light bisque and certainly required a side of bread to mop up.

Next up was the bife de cebolada and tutano – an onglette steak with bone marrow. Onglet steak if a lesser known and under used steak option full of flavour and therefore we were pleased to see this steak holding a place on the menu. However we found this slightly disappointing as a more expensive plate on the menu, it was under seasoned other than a token sprinkle on the top.

This was then followed by the dish of the day, a clam, pork and potato dish dressed in a light tomato sauce, which was both well-seasoned and delicious, another favourite.

We finished the meal off with a delicious selection of cheese, oat biscuits and home made jam, And for the sweeter tooth a Pastel De Nata – a custard Portuguese tart with a cinnamon ice cream – which naturally your cant visit Portugal, or a Portuguese restaurant without sampling their Pastel De Nata, and it was delicious, creamy light, not overly sweet and served with a delicious cinnamon ice cream which complimented the custard well.

There was no pressure from the staff to press along with our meal, it was very much at our leisure; Which can sometimes be a rare experience in smaller establishments when the need to turn tables is a priority. The waiting staff were welcoming, polite and attentive with a small, welcomed chatter on service of the dishes.

All in all, for a £60 bottle of wine, 2 aperitifs, 6 dishes, 2 desserts and 2 post dinner drinks consisting of a port and a rum the bill came to £205.31 which included a £22.81 12.5% service charge – which is discretionary. You could certainly eat here for less, by selecting a cheaper wine, and omitting the pre and post dinner drinks. With plate prices ranging from £7 - £17 which serves 2 people you could enjoy a relaxed and delicious lunch at a reasonable price.

Would I visit again?

It is a charming cosy little tapas and small plate restaurant, with a nice friendly vibe and attentive front of house staff. Prefect for whiling away the hours with some delicious food and a white port cocktails in hand. With an ample menu, and a good range of wine on offer I would certainly visit again. I would certainly recommend Bar Douro – London Bridge to anyone looking for a relaxed and social lunch; But be sure to book as spaces are limited.

Much love

Thank you for reading, opinions and views are my own. I am not paid to promote any business or product unless specifically stated.