Rarebit : it’s all eclectic
Rarebit is a brand new all-day restaurant, bar, and grocery store in the burgeoning area of Elephant and Castle, London. They offer a modern take on British cuisine with a focus on local sourcing, partnering up with Climpson & Sons for coffee, Flor for bread and pastries, Natoora for fresh produce, Neal’s Yard Dairy for cheeses, and London Smoke & Cure for charcuterie.
Our wine choice
The eclectic food is mirrored in the wine selection where there is something for everyone. From low intervention Slovenian orange wine to traditional Spanish deep reds, you can order any wine on the list for you to drink at home or to have on the premises with a £15 corkage. We went for a glass of the Matic Postopoma, an orange wine from Slovenia, and a glass of Grüner Veltliner from the Austrian vineyard of Eschenhof Holzer.
Our wine selection
The signature dish
When you visit this place, we strongly recommend getting the rarebit. Available either as a full or half portion, it is quite generous. This Welsh specialty consists of a hot cheese-based sauce served over slices of toasted bread. We ended up sharing half a portion and were left satisfied with the quantity. The owner and co-founder, Mark, is Welsh. He shared with us that this is a meal he learned how to prepare as a kid with his grandmother, and it was delicious.
Rarebit, a must try
A fresh start
We followed up with Brightwell Ash goat’s cheese salad with beetroot and charred orange and the deep-fried soft shell crab, that comes with jalapeño, garlic, coriander, and parsley sauce. The salad was a well-exectued balance of flavors and seemed perfect in this summer heat. On the other hand, we felt like the crab dish turned out to be a bit underwhelming. The crab itself was tasty but we expected a bit more punch from the dish in general. Punch was definitely not lacking in our next dish, which was our firm favourite.
Our starters
The star of the show
The mussels in a coconut curry with sourdough, available in two different portion sizes were the highlight for us. The mussels, cultured in the UK tasted fabulous and the coconut curry had the right balance between heat and creaminess. However, we did make a small mistake as the orange wine was quite tannic, so a poor choice with a spicy dish. But the Grüner Veltliner paired beautifully.
Our firm favourite
A strong finish
To wrap things up, we ordered the Neal’s Yard Dairy Cheese Board along with the Baked figs with Greek yogurt, honey, and walnut. The cheeses were fabulous, with a nicely varied selection. The butter was exquisite. And the desert was light, fresh, and with a great balance between acidity and sweetness. We ordered a glass of Spanish Monastrell not knowing what kind of cheese would be on the board and it was exactly what you would expect from such a wine. Medium-bodied and fruit-forward.
Cheese board and desert
Why you should go
We strongly believe that Rarebit can rise to become a sought-after destination for locals and foodies alike. If you are looking for a place to have great food and want to be able to engage in conversation this is the place for you. It is spacious, with a nice exterior area which is on a quiet side street. Additionally, we assume it will be even quieter when the construction works in the next buildings are finished. We appreciate that there is sufficient spacing between the tables inside and that you’d never feel cramped. It’s an all-day establishment great for business meetings, family lunches, or hanging out with friends.
https://www.rarebitfood.co.uk/
Mark and Will, the co-founders