Bermondsey in south-east London is a long way from the foodie trail of popular London eateries such as River Cafe or Marco Pierre White's Criterion but a growing number of people are making the trek to Arancia, a restaurant owned by Irish chef, Catherine O'Sullivan and business partner, Angelo Rossi. Opening a restaurant in this predominantly working-class area was "madness," says Catherine, who is from Ennis, Co Clare. "It was a completely unsound business idea, but when we saw the building, it had such a homely warm feel to it." With a tiny bank loan, Catherine and her partner transformed a greasy spoon on a busy main road into a welcoming ramshackle restaurant, full of character with brick walls, calico curtains and junk-shop kitchen chairs and tables. Posh, it isn't.
"When we started, we had a lot of truck drivers and we did the usual truckers' breakfast. Gradually we changed and did Friday and Saturday nights. After we were booked up three or four weeks in advance, we decided to open Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner." Although the style is basically Italian, Catherine cooks whatever she feels like - influenced by her mood, the weather and whatever her staff suggests. The menu changes weekly: "If it's cold, I do lots of spicy, stewy things. I even do an Irish stew but give it an Italian name. In the spring, I use whatever's coming into season, asparagus, broad beans, peas." Her only constraint is the budget; at £7.50 for a three-course set menu, Catherine cannot cook as much seafood as she would like.
After training as a chef in Galway (and representing Ireland in 1986 in Catermind, a Mastermind for cooks), Catherine moved to London. There she became head chef at the popular but now defunct Arts Theatre cafe, while finishing a degree in Irish Studies. "I never saw myself as running a restaurant, because I couldn't handle bad reviews. It would have crushed me," says the 33-year-old chef - who has never had any bad reviews. "In June 1997, we received our first Time Out review, and we were packed after that," she says. Arancia has received rave write-ups in the Guardian and the Independent and last year won the prestigious Time Out award for best small restaurant. Arancia (orange in Italian) is accurately compared to River Cafe, but the food is only one-tenth of the price and the customers are a much more mixed bunch - from local families who would not normally venture into a restaurant and struggling artists with studios in the area, to young people who have made the pilgrimage from other parts of London - and, as word of mouth grows, increasing numbers of Irish and Italian tourists. The atmosphere is cosy and relaxed - it is easy to understand why about 60 per cent of the customers are regulars. On my visit, the boisterous Spanish waiter fixes the wobbly table leg with some cardboard and tells Catherine the supplier has sent strawberries. "I have a great supplier," she says. "He sends me whatever looks good on the day. Like the broccolini, which is baby broccoli and asparagus. With the strawberries, I think I'll make ice cream."
Every menu includes a soup and four starters. One first course which features regularly (at the urging of the staff) is Orrecchietti con Broccolini. Consisting of handmade pasta mixed with beautiful purple sprouting broccolini, and a subtle blend of chilli, anchovy and garlic, it is rich without being heavy. A more ample starter with Middle Eastern overtones is Melanzane Ripieni, strips of roasted aubergine stuffed with a perfect blend of roast peppers, pine nuts, sultanas and mascarpone, topped with parmesan and breadcrumbs. Many of the dishes seem straightforward enough to cook at home, but Arancia's appeal is in the unusual combinations of good quality ingredients and the chef's skill in the execution of even the simplest dishes. A choice of five main course dishes include Stufato di Polpo and Cozze, a stew of squid, mussels, potatoes and tomatoes for only £8.60; Risotto di Zucca, a pumpkin risotto with mascarpone and parmesan for £8.50; and, rather less Italian, Lamb Shanks served with Creamy Mashed Potatoes (£8.80). The wine list is small but varied and reasonably priced.
A dessert which received a "must try" accolade in Time Out is the Chocolate Semifreddo, a cross between ice cream and cake, but other desserts sound just as good: Fried Pecorino with Honey Dressing; Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone and Orange Flower Syrup; and Vin Santo with Homemade Biscotti - all at £3.50 or under. As the restaurant becomes more wellknown, what about moving to a trendier location? "I could never leave Arancia," says Catherine. "It's my baby." For Irish visitors to London, Bermondsey might seem like a long way to go for lunch or dinner - but this "baby" is well worth the trip.
Arancia: 52 Southwark Park Road, London SE16, tel 0044 171 3941751