R J.
Yelp
You know how when you go home to visit your parents on a whim, wake up the next morning, don't want to dress in the same clothes as the day before, search in your empty old wardrobe for an abandoned yet vaguely clean top and find instead a dress you forgot you owned which you usually wear to weddings? Made of knee-length cream linen with embroidered fans and a blue silk ribbon empire line? And then decide that this is an appropriate choice of attire to join your friends for a teeth-chatteringly cold outdoor meal of hearty Bavarian fare later that same day?
Yeah, that happened.
So the sort of frock more usually suited to country house weddings and university graduations is not necessarily appropriate for Stein's. Luckily it was pretty chilly when we were there, so nobody saw my fashion faux pas, covered as I was in multiple layers. This is because all of the seating is outside; it's basically a vaguely upmarket canteen, or more permanent street-food kitchen, with wooden benches, outdoor heaters and huge sturdy umbrellas immediately in front, right on the riverbank. It's a lovely location actually. Even on the day we were there - overcast and unseasonably brisk - it was a pleasant experience, and we hung around far longer than intended, not least considering how fast the food arrives. And fast it was; almost immediate, in fact, hence the canteen reference since I can only imagine that it sits stewing in its own juices in large vats until somebody orders it. Not that this is necessarily bad; German food seems suited to this approach, and my meal was delicious.
All dishes are basically variations on a theme: sausages. Potato. Saerkraut. Beer. You get the picture. Although bearing that in mind, it still took us a good 20 minutes to choose our orders, and I amended my potato choice at the counter. Why? Because I bloody could, that's why. Don't judge me and my silky dress.
This place is not glamorous. It's comfort food, without the roaring fire and trash TV. It's a paradox, really - winter grub in a summer setting - but it works. Bear in mind that you can't order alcohol without food, but who's complaining? There's a suprisingly limited choice of beer, but it's all German, and available in half-pint, pint and Real Man (or litre). I get the impression that come the heady months of July (if we ever see the sun again), it'll be teeming with south London life, and deservedly so.