Club 4. Bankside-Borough

The Tate Modern

Nagare

Pyro

The Rake

NagaRE

Venture behind the Tate Modern (If as like me you think of the river side as the ‘front’), and tucked into the ground floor of an Architectural Futurist fever dream you will find Nagare. Nagare takes its name from the Japanese for flowing water, and apparently, a Bruce Lee quote. Inside you will find a Japanese patisserie serving American roasted coffee, you will sit on shaker style chairs and all, as I say in a building which feels like it could have been air dropped in from Dubai. it all feels a little odd but in a strange way the fine line between clinical and homely is somehow walked which leads to a fairly unique environment. It’s not entirely my cup of tea (coffee) and i’m not sure it’s the kind of place I would personally want to sit for a while with a good book however I can definitely say that if I am visiting the Tate or anywhere on Southbank again this will be my drop in coffee spot, why? because of the coffee… oh my the coffee.

The Coffee

So first up they offer a range of espresso based drinks and then sitting alongside this they have a 4 offering pour over menu, I opted for one of the Ethiopian offerings from Ilse - a roaster from Conneticut in the US. This, I believe is our first non-uk roaster and I can absolutely say that they produce a beautiful set of beans. I can also admit to a certain amount of anxiety relating to the miles travelled by the beans in order to reach my cup. Given our geographical location, the same can almost be said for any cup of coffee however, these had been grown in Ethiopia before taking a trip to the ‘good ol’ U.S. before touching down in Blighty. That’s a pretty long trip in anyone’s book. This being said, The fine people at Ilse don’t necessarily know where their coffee is going to be drunk and fair play to them and their craft as this coffee was delicious.

The Ethiopia - as a pour over - they say - Watermelon, Nectarine, Jasmine.

This was almost like tea, very light in colour and flavour, a lovely fruity taste and a wonderful lasting acidity. This really was an excellent cup of coffee, incredibly refreshing.

About Nagare

Nagare means flowing like a river in Japanese.

The name is inspired by a famous line by Bruce Lee - "Be water, my friend...Be formless, shapeless, like water."; the line directs to a state of mind and body which is flexible, adaptive, and open-minded. This is the inspiration and the motto of the coffee shop, to strive for excellence, yet to keep our mind open to new tastes, forms, and ideas. We design our space and products in line with this philosophy - neutral and minimal; a place like a calmly flowing stream, where people can rest, reflect, and recharge.

When researching this adventure - I wasn’t sure what the above meant either, but trust me just go, get a coffee and enjoy it, oh and one thing I can’t comment on with any sensory experience other than visual, are the patisserie offerings but; these looked mind-blowing!

pYRO

From Nagare, circumnavigate Borough Market, and just off Soutwark st and Southwark Bridge road you will find an incredibly welcoming slice of the Mediterranean - Pyro. This new (summer ‘25) opening from Yiannis Mexis previously of Elystand Street, The Ledbury and Petrus is an ambitious new project looking to bring Greek open fire cooking to the heavily laden table of Borough. If our Lunch in Pyro was anything to go by he is definitely onto something.

The Food

Starter: Potato pita and Smoked Aubergine with roasted roasted Garlic

Thick fluffy clouds of pitta bread, charred enough to make them just like the Armadillo… Crunchy on the outside, soft in the middle are the perfect base for the delicious smokey, sweet aubergine. A beautiful Granola looking bowl which houses the smoked aubergine with crunchy roasted garlic accompanied by tart acidic pomegranate, a wonderful start.

Main(s):

Courgette flower, basil, pine nuts and avgolomono

Barbecued Octopus, spiced red wine and yellow split pea

Squab pigeon, beetroot, pistachio, cherries and tarragon.

Grilled long peppers and smoked almond romesco

The Courgette flower: crispy and stuffed with a rich (goats?) cheese which added an earth flavour, the sweet and light avgolomono sauce acting as a light foil to the richness of the cheese. Delicious ribbons of courgette added a lovely light freshness to the dish.

The barbecued Octopus: For me, the stand out dish of the day, beautiful charred octopus sitting on bed of comforting yellow split peas. The spicy red wine sauce bringing a richness to the dish and a lovely acidic bite from the pickles. Amazing.

Squab pigeon: a wonderfully cooked bird full of gamey earthy flavour beautifully supported by the acidic cherries and tarragon sauce. A light summer offering of what can be a richer more wintery bird.

Grilled Long peppers: a great additional side, the pepers have a lovely fire kissed outside which marries wonderfully with their sweet flesh, the almond romesco sauce adds a nice little flavour punch to the dish.

All in all this is cooking from a chef who understands and appreciates what fire and smoke can add to a dish without ever allowing these flavours to overly dominate the others on the plate.

tHE rAKE

In my mind, if not actually; the OG of London craft beer bars. This now 18 year old establishment was one of the first places I was drawn to as a craft beer drinker when I first moved to London many moons ago. With an always impressive cask and keg list this small bar is a lovely haven from the crowds of people eating their way through Borough Market.

And so, onto that beer…

The Beer

Verdant x Woodshedding: This House - 4.8% Pale Ale on Cask

So lovely to see the team at Woodshedding collaborating with one of the UK Bigboys for this one. I got to know of Woodshedding when I was working at a local regenerative Farm near their Westcombe site and have been a big fan of their beer and ethos ever since.

I would straight away say this beer is very Woodshedding, not very Verdant. It drops crystal clear and has a grassy lemony sweetness of flavour and a deep bitter finish, a lovely pint for a hot summers day made only better by having been served on cask. Im sure you will have tried beers from Verdant previously and so they likely need no introduction. If you haven’t tried anything from Woodshedding yet, keep an eye out for them and give them a try.

The coffee

PYRO

Smoked Aubergine with Almonds and Pomegranate

The Beer

The Rake