Last week we attended the late Friday nights at the London Zoo. It sounded like a great idea; cheap zoo entry, rum, animals at dusk…. what more could you want. The animals were great, if you could see them through the thousands of people and the drinks were ok too, once you had forked out £4 for a small bottle of beer.
Anyways Zoo aside, we were left wandering around Camden on a Friday night and very hungry. Not being I Phone users we didn’t have the web at our fingertips to do any research, so it was back to the basics, walk around and find something which looked good!
Enter Jamon Jamon on Parkway in Camden. Surrounded by lots of busy eateries and pubs it stands out on the street because it is always busy and exudes a fun energy. I had also heard great things and Tapas sounded perfect for a quick fix to our hunger issues.
The restaurant is long and thin with a warm feel it is packed tables – where the maître d’ will squeeze you in even if it looks impossible. We ordered some Jamon Croquettas, Baked Prawns, Stuffed Peppers, Pulpo Gallego (Octopus with Paprika Potatoes) and Pork with crispy Potatoes and a Roquefort Sauce.
We were looking for a quick eat and we got just that. Before I had finished my Mahou and started on the house Rioja our food arrived! I am always a little concerned when hot food arrives within five minutes of ordering, usually correctly so.
Since I had heard such good things I was in a positive state of mind and didn’t think much about the frozen bread rolls and overcooked prawns. The Pork with the cheese sauce and potatoes was the star and pretty much made up for the average quality of the rest of the food. The thinly sliced Pork was super tender with a char grill smoky flavor complimented perfectly by the creamy sauce and crispy potatoes.
It’s funny how a positive mind state can make what could have otherwise been a disappointment, entertaining. The Octopus was also really overdone and rubbery with half cooked potatoes covered in cheap Paprika. The Peppers were ok, but it’s pretty hard to mess up Peppers. I didn’t like the Croquettas, they tasted like they had been de-frosted and re-heated – my girlfriend seemed to enjoy them though!
Our whole meal was over before we could even get through half a bottle – we sat sipping that waiting for the bill which took a while, as the restaurant was super busy by this time. At £50 for a few drinks and 5 dishes it’s not too pricey but for the quality probably on the steep side.
If you are looking for super authentic tapas in London then Jamon Jamon isn’t your place. If you are looking for a table in a busy, energetic restaurant with OK priced, half decent dishes that will arrive quickly then it might be worth a visit!
2/5 stars
Posted by Mise En Place Hospitality Recruitment
Just another WordPress site