Angels & Gypsies, 29-33 Camberwell Church Street, London

By now it's all we can do not to drool over the table, which quickly disappears under a spread of dishes (if anything, the excellent service is too fast).

Highlights that follow include king gambas in a piquillo pepper vinaigrette (£8.50), the largest prawns any of us has seen, and a mass of chopped octopus in paprika (pulpo a feira, £7.50), which is tender in a way tentacles so rarely...

Angels and Gypsies wouldn't look out of place in Seville

A Camberwell foodie chum says the arrival of Angels And Gypsies caused about as much excitement as if Rick Stein had opened a small bistro in Grove Lane. It’s fair to say, unless your tastes veer towards the takeaway, Camberwell isn’t up there as a culinary destination. This long-awaited tapas restaurant in the funky Church Street Hotel is a looker too: brick walls, Spanish tiles...

Cheered by the Angels & Gypsies

The funky Church Street Hotel opened here, in this grubby, hectic highway, back in May 2007.

It's owned by a pair of Spanish/Greek brothers and it has a lot of atmosphere, colourful and eclectic, Mexican-themed, aiming to appeal to arty guests who might actually like staying in such an untouristy area, perhaps even priding themselves on being in real rough London.

Although the hotel…...