Del Aziz (Bermondsey)

Popped in here a few weeks ago when we were staying at the hotel opposite. We arrived late Saturday on a balmy afternoon so having skipped lunch we thought a well timmed mid afternoon snack would see us through to dinner at our friends. The outside section was extremely busy we lots of people enjoying drinking in the sun. We got a table inside and ordered a couple of Mojito's and meje platter. We actually fancied some other bits on the menu but I noticed there was a deal on the mezze. It turns out that didn't apply on the weekend which was a bit misleading.

Our drinks were well made, lots of fresh mint with accent on being refreshing rather than loading up on booze. I was less convinced by the mezze which was underwelming and came with some poor bread. The Merguez mini sausages should have been denounced as an affront to mediterranean cooking . Houmus was OK, there was some aubergine stuff I didn't care for and an OK tabouleh salad. As I said underwelming!

It had obviously been busy all day like the one in Fulham so it looked a bit untidy inside. The staff though efficient looked a bit spent. I also wasn't very happy how they responded to my query about the mezze non offer. The interior is nicely laid out and that and the menu promises an deep culinary and cultural experience but the food didn't really deliver. I really wish we had tried some of the other nearby places. Not somewhere I wish to return.
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david ginsberg - View all reviews by this user
4 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Thursday, June 30, 2011

I’ve been to this twice. Once for tea and once for brunch.

Out for a walk, we were lured by the display of Alice in Wonderland cakes: tall loaf cakes and meringues the size of a child’s head. And bizarre it was.

Staff had little interest in making contact. (We were the only customers). Vegetarian pizza slice arrived with a piece of meat on the edge - as helpfully pointed out by the waitress, who awaited further instructions, as if the possibility existed that I might eat it. When it returned meatless, it was more like slice of toast with dried-in tomato sauce, a sneeze of cheese. £5.

Bread and butter pudding, on the other hand, was dense and delicious, but was the size of a main course lasagne and 5 times richer. We ate 15% of it between us and it took me 4 days to get through the rest at home. This was £5. Everything is £5. Why not something for £1.50 that can be eaten by one person in a single afternoon?

2 teas, 2 cakes and the pizza slice = £20. We didn't feel robbed, so much as bewildered. The caff is lined with the kind of opportunistic artisan groceries like a box of pasta that has been hand-rubbed with bronze things for £25. Across the road, council estates stretch eastwards from here for miles.

You’d think I wouldn’t be back, but I’m out in the neighbourhood the next day with another group of friends, talking about this odd place. They want to see it. We get to the door and are into the gravitational field of the enormous cakes. Maybe brunch will be better.

Perfectly poached eggs in a florentine were smothered in some kind of yellow polymer that is liquid at room temperature. The staff were even less interested in customers than the day before. Why have I spent so much time writing this? This place doesn’t care. This area deserves better.
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2 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 3
Saturday, March 12, 2011

I've been there tonight with a friend and had a terrible experience. I ordered some baked vegetables and the quality of food was appalling: the beans and the aubergines were not even cooked properly and tasted awful!

My friend ordered a chicken tagine and this was slightly better, but still both of us left the place with no desire to go back.

We complained about the food and the manager was very nice. At the end we were not charged for the vegetables - also because I could not have possibly eaten them.

We live locally and were really looking forward to enjoy this new place, but to be honest the experience was so bad that I would really discourage going there!
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disappointed customer
3 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 3
Monday, August 17, 2009

Myself and my girlfriend ate here the other night and really enjoyed it. While I wouldn't say the food is extraordinary the staff here are fantastic and really do their best to make the evening enjoyable. The new development on Bermondsey Square has a great ambience to it and I'd be more than happy to go back again.
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Stephen
8 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Monday, August 10, 2009