The Metropolis

Spend your weekend at Maltby Street and Spa Terminus

@sssukiii | Wednesday 6 June, 2012 12:45

Turn off Tower Bridge road onto Maltby Street, on a Saturday or Sunday morning, between 9am and 2pm and you’ll encounter a medium-sized throng of locals, foodies and their children enjoying the gastronomic delights of Maltby Street and Spa Terminus.

Hailed as the laid-back and less crowded alternative to Borough Market – although it is emphatically presented as a collection of rented trading spaces – the area has become home to a selection of independent food and drink retailers over the last few years.

The arches which house these businesses can be accessed from surrounding streets, funneling people to explore an otherwise unassuming and modest Southwark neighbourhood.

Highlights include:

1. custard doughnuts from St Johns Bakery on Druid Street;
2. pale Indian ales from Kernels Brewery on Rope Walk;
3. toasted cheese sourdough bread sandwiches from Kappacasein, off Spa road;
4. bresaola from the Ham and Cheese Company on Rope Walk;
5. peach and tarragon ice cream from La Grotta Ices, outside Monmouth Coffee on Maltby Street;
6. Smoked sausages, from Topolski Polish Foods, Druid Street.

Whilst most of the arches are closed to the public during the week, Gergovie Wines, at 40 Maltby Street is now open on two evenings of the week, when it is transformed into a bar, serving artisan wines from Italy, France and Slovenia with plates of food.

The edible supplies on offer have also attracted the curious to the tardis-like and probably haunted, Tower Bridge Antiques warehouse, an essential destination for people seeking character furnishings, spanning the last two centuries.

For those ready for more browsing, the adjacent warehouse space is also home to a regular bric-a-brac and curios stall and a Dutch bicycle vendor.

Maltby Street and Spa Terminus

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Photo by Robert Brook

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