If you’ve got a hankering for a Japanese katsu sando, you’re going to need to cross The Globe…
…Tavern’s ground floor, and then head upstairs.
Because above this smart pub in London Bridge, the team behind the lauded TĀTĀ Eatery have revived TÓU: their specialist pop-up dedicated to breaded pork cutlet sarnies. You can just picture the menu now…
…because this picture is the menu. They literally do one main dish. But with Ana Gonçalves and Zijun Meng at the helm – and a killer selection of sparkling natural wines to wash it down – you can bet they do it extremely well.
It helps, of course, that TÓU’s in such a lovely setting. Previously home to Adejoké Bakare’s Chishuru pop-up, the pub’s first floor is a light-flooded space overlooking Borough Market. It’s a part of London that’s been going from strength to strength in the restaurant stakes recently, with recent hits like Kolae and Camille joining long-standing classics like Elliot’s and Padella. Yet in all this good company, TÓU still marks itself out as a casually brilliant little spot for lunch or a dinnertime catch-up with a friend – and even if you order everything on the menu, it’ll set you back £35 (which is easy enough to spend on a main these days).
The sandos themselves totally justify the hype: perfectly cuboid towers of carby deliciousness, with breaded slabs of slow-cooked Ibérico pork neck stacked alongside shredded cabbage & onion, and bookended by toasted brioche slicked with XO shallot sauce. This is a third date spot at the earliest, because these sandwiches are enormous, and you will get sauce all over your face.
There’s a trio of sides – chilli-dusted fries, pickles, and spiced potato & pork croquettes – and just one dessert; the monstrously decadent love child of tiramisu and an ice cream sundae. Served inverted in a silver bowl, you’ll lift off the glass and the whole thing will collapse into a big, soupy puddle of home-made coffee ice cream, Biscoff and mascarpone custard. And that’s literally it. No substitutions, no overwhelming choice, no veggie option (alas). But like we said, when everything on the menu’s this good, there’s something to be said for finding your lane, and sticking to it.
For the drinks side of the equation they’ve partnered up with Stefano Cazzato, who’s already racked up some of London’s best natural wine bars on his CV, including Bar Crispin and Bar Levan. Here the main focus is Pet Nat – he’s curated a list of 17 bottles from Greece, Portugal, Italy, France and Austria, which move from white through to red.
And of course, this all being above a pub, there’s an even bigger selection awaiting you for a nightcap downstairs…
NOTE: TÓU is upstairs at The Globe Tavern for the foreseeable future. They’re open for lunch and dinner Thurs-Sat, plus lunch on Sundays. It’s walk-in only. You can find out more here.
TÓU | Upstairs at The Globe Tavern, 8 Bedale Street, Borough, SE1 9AL
Making a night of it? Drop by one of these excellent bars in London Bridge