Simplicity

An average brunch that didn’t really stand out. Best suited if you are local and more towards an evening meal but I wouldn’t travel to it especially. The brunch itself did use good quality ingredients but the service was very slow considering how small and quiet it was. (Visit — 19/​10/​2014 Brunch)

The vegetarian breakfast here is lovely — the hash brown in particular seemed to me to be home made. The bread is thick and fluffy and comes with marmalade which I thought was a nice individual touch. The full english also got good feedback and they have a nice selection of tea but I was a bit disappointed they didn’t have soya milk for the coffee. The view out to the gardens on a sunny day topped it off and I’ll definitely be back to this hidden gem.

Amazing a hidden gem

I took my mum here for Mothers Day along with my dad and brother where there was a specific menu to choose from. The choice was great everything sounded appealing.
On the table there were two small dishes with black pepper and salt which is fair enough in your own home but in a communal place, the idea of strangers fingers having dipped in and out of these bowls is not very hygienic! Then we noticed there were small bits of food AND a small white tablet in the salt bowl!!?
We pointed this out to one of the waiters who said something along the lines of yes, this is just some food (reiterating my point about sharing finger bowls like this in a restaurant!) and then when we brought his attention to the tablet in the salt, he replied, ah this must have been from last night (!!?) there was a crazy lady sat at your table and she must have dropped one in regardless of whether this was true it was totally unprofessional and disconcerting to have been told this! We were then brought a fresh salt bowl to the table (not that we’d use it for hygiene reasons!). I was really surprised the waiter wasn’t apologetic!
The overall service was fairly good, our waiter wasn’t entirely sure of the menu as we had to repeat or point to most dishes that we asked for. He explained this was due to the new menu for Mothers Day and not yet being familiar with the food items.
The food itself was ok, but I ordered the gnocchi dish the mushrooms in this dish were fantastic a selection of wild mushrooms all cooked perfectly however the gnocchi underneath was substandard. It was essentially herby mashed potato fried into little parcels. This was not gnocchi and was a real disappointment. The flavours were all great but I can not believe this dish was served as ‘gnocchi’, the texture was totally wrong, stodgy and not the silky doughy potato parcels you expect from a gnocchi dish.
All in all our visit was a disappointment my father said the bathrooms were dirty and the overall feel of the place wasn’t quite right.
I am still hopeful that if I were to come back in a couple of months with a different menu available then the restaurant may prove me wrong. I will need some time before then though! I won’t be coming back any time soon. Such a shame.

You really have to know this place is there — it’s a bit hidden away. That is really the last of its charms. The food was mediocre and at £153 for 3 people with only a quarter of that on wine, you would expect much more. The steak is fatty, the pork belly is chewy, the cheese tastes like it was whatever they could find on offer Tesco and the crumble was cremated. For a place that says it prides itself on good, local ingredients this did not live up to my expectations. Finally, the service was just odd. The server kept dropping things, she was flustered with only 3 tables in the place and she couldn’t explain what any of the dishes were like. If you’re in the area it’s not a bad place for a meal since there is not much else but I would not go out of my way to go again.

Whilst I was charmed by the hand written chalk boards scattered around boasting of a restaurant as featured on TV little else was charming.
The décor was pleasant enough …
The waiting staff were pleasingly uninterested in my custom and the food had that is this straight from the freezer or has the chef mastered replicating frozen food quality that reminds me of why I rarely brave eating outside of zone 1 and north of the river.
Reasons to eat here … None …

This is really a gem in Rotherhithe, food quality is amazing

Having walked past Simplicity a hundred times, I was thrilled to finally sample the goods one Sunday lunchtime with a few friends. On a Sunday you can get brunch or lunch. A full English comes in at a reasonable £8 while lunches are £15−18. The service was warm and attentive, but unfortunately it took 40 minutes for our food to arrive, even though there was only one other party in. The food was all excellent quality, although the full English wasn’t quite the belt-​busting extravaganza I needed by this time. After the meal, the chef came out to apologise, and explaining that it was because he was having to explain to some new Nepali sous-​chef, and he hoped we understood. He was very nice about it, but I thought it was shabby. Just a lousy excuse really.

Food and staff ultra good. I really do like thier plates and it helps getting good service.

I’ve been to Simplicity three times now and it has become my favourite restaurant in London! Hidden away near bermondsey it offers a creative and imaginative menu

A very nice neighbourhood restaurant, serving distinctly better food than what you’d expect at such a location. The menu unfortunately was really short — apparently, the owner-​chef was on his own, all the other cooks being on vacation /​sick /​being sacked.
Salmon starter was pretty, steak was decent, and my companion’s duck looked lovely. Prices are not on the cheap — we paid around £45 per head, incl. bottle of red and 3 courses each.
So if you’re in the area, or know someone who lives around there, it’s a nice spot to go.

This is a lovely restaurant that prepares locally produced fresh food in a stylish yet unpretentious manner. Chef Lawrence really cares about his food. I live in California and I stop by every time I’m in London. It’s just a few yards from the Mayflower pub which is great to go have a beer and look at the view of Tower Bridge from the rear deck but when you get hungry skip the pub food and give yourself a treat.

This place lay empty for years before it became Simplicity. As such, it was brave decision for the current owners to open up in what is an odd little venue. It’s stuck in the middle of Rotherhithe estate, hardly the first place you’d look for quality food!
Despite it’s slightly odd location, I can confidently say that Simplicity serves the best food you’ll find in Rotherhithe. It’s on the pricey side, which probably won’t sit well with those that live in the immediate vicinity, but eating here is money well spent. I enjoyed a 3-​course meal here with friends recently, and from start to finish the food was superb, with helpful, attentive service.
Why haven’t I given it 5 stars? The place was a little quieter than I’d like on the Thursday evening that I went (only 15% full).

A bizarre looking place set into a block of flats in Rotherhithe this is a surprising find because of the quality of food served. Locally sourced meat and vegetables are on the menu, well chosen wines, a simple choice of dishes but a nice intimate atmosphere. Even better, they’re open for really filling breakfasts at the weekends.