Weekly Review: Lupins

An accidental discovery reveals a lovely spot near London Bridge.

Quick hit: Simple cooking. Fresh ingredients. A pleasant spot. Perfect London destination in the Bankside sea of sameness.

Details: Booking essential. Bankside / Southwark Bridge. £££.
Restaurant website. More on Instagram.
Find it on Google Maps. 66 Union St, SE1 1TD.

Sometimes, you discover a really good restaurant by accident.

Not long ago, I was heading somewhere new, and took a slightly unusual route. Walking down Union Street, behind Flat Iron Square near Borough Market, I passed a place that looked interesting. An intriguing menu in the window. An interesting wine list. A fun-looking vibe. Lupins. Noted.

Later, I discovered that Lupins had opened in 2017 and attracted positive reviews from Marina O’Loughlin, then at the Guardian, and from Giles Coren, then, as ever, at the Times.

Chef Natasha Cook, who co-founded the restaurant with Lucy Peddler, has handed over the day-to-day duties to Chef Ben Miller, but Lupins remains a place that Marina and Giles would enjoy. A neighbourhood spot with lovely food and an inviting vibe.

The upstairs dining room overlooks a particularly wide area of Union Street. On a nice day, there was plenty of sun through the window.

Cheddar fritters. Warm, doughy, and cheesy — as, increasingly, am I.

We opened with a plate of Cheddar fritters. Warm, doughy, and pleasantly cheesy. Next for me was the Lupins take on the summer’s favourite salad: Mozzarella with melon, cucumber, and basil. Fresh ingredients, kept simple. No embellishment required. For my main, I chose lamb served with peas. Kept rare, it was tender and tasty. My friend’s clams were similarly well-prepared, perfectly cooked, well sauced, and excellent.

Mozzarella, melon and cucumber.

Lupins is a five minute walk from London Bridge and a similar distance from Southwark station. It’s also just over Southwark Bridge from the City. As such, it’s slightly off the beaten track, but closer and more accessible than you might think. Bankside is full of mediocre, chain places — Marco Pierre White, anyone? — and Lupins is a powerful antidote.

Simple cooking. Fresh ingredients. A pleasant spot. The kind of place that deserves to be a destination, but is too often overlooked.

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