What's the draw
Pop Brixton, the community project housed in shipping containers, has well and truly established itself as an incubator for some seriously good street-food traders and restaurants. On its first floor is Donostia Social Club, which overlooks the rest of the buzzy, indoor-outdoor space. The food is Basque, a style of eating that needs little introduction these days, but that's irresistibly delicious nonetheless – especially when it's done as well as it is here
What to drink
Fittingly, all the wine here is Spanish – including a good selection of cava. We opted for a 2014 tempranillo and merlot blend from the Montevannos bodega in the Ribera del Duero denominación in the north of the country, a lovely juicy red with a slightly spicy finish. Oh, and there's sherry to go with dessert.
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What to eat
We're rather fond of small plates here, because it gives us an excuse to try loads of different dishes without going overboard. Or only just slightly overboard. The highly Instagrammable duck breast with apricot and blueberry compotes was an absolute showstopper, and not just because of its looks; marinated octopus with coeur de boeuf tomatoes and citrus salsa was a zingy treat; and the lamb chops – recommended to us by the chef – were unmissable. As for veggies, artichoke hearts with cider blue cheese sauce and truffle honey proved to be packed with flavour and irresistibly moreish. We wrapped up things up with a light but creamy chocolate mousse made with Brixton Brewery IPA. Yuuuuum.
Small plates from £3.50; wines from £4.65 by the glass. Pop Brixton, 49 Brixton Station Road, SW9 8PQ; donostiasocialclub.co.uk
