Belgo, Clapham - Restaurant Review

Cuisine: Belgian

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  44 - 48 Clapham High Road, Clapham.  SW4 7UR.

Closest station(s): Clapham North, Clapham Common, Clapham High Street Rail.

Telephone:  0207 720 1118

Website: http://www.belgo-restaurants.co.uk

It had been a while since I had visited a branch of this Belgian chain restaurant – having previously tried the ever busy Belgo Centraal in Covent Garden. The Clapham branch can be found at the northern end of Clapham High Road, easily recognisable with its quite shockingly dull grey frontage with a smattering of beer garden tables at the front.

Going in I was surprised to see just how busy it was, it was packed. Having been seated it was then an age before our drinks order was taken and then another near lifetime before the drinks actually arrived. Alongside the moules & frites in which the place specialises, the rest of the menu is rather eclectic and tries to please all with a selection of rotisserie, steak, duck, fish & chips and seabass.

Not being in the mood for moules I went for something that I rarely eat in restaurants - chicken. The dish that came to the table was truly spectacular; I was close to calling a doctor at one point during the meal as it was so dry I was struggling to breath let alone swallow. I can’t remember the last time I had a less pleasant dish. Seeking to reintroduce at least a little moisture into my mouth I tried my dining partner’s moules, though better than the chicken, for somewhere where they are the speciality they were poor. They lacked any real flavour and were instantly forgettable. With mains from £10 - £18 it is not an expensive restaurant; however even for that money a lot more could be expected.

I was surprised at how poor I found the meal at Belgo Clapham – the service was poor and the food was pretty awful; making the fact that it was so busy rather depressing. There are much better meals out there for the same price with better staff, better décor and infinitely better food. If you ever want to know what sandblasting your mouth would feel like then all you need to do is try their chicken.

The Avalon - Restaurant Review

Cuisine: Modern European

Cost: 

Rating: 

Where?:  16, Balham Hill, London. SW12 9EB

Closest station(s): Clapham South, Clapham Common, Clapham Junction, Balham.    

Telephone:  0208 675 8613

Website: www.theavalonlondon.com  

Being a delightful summer’s day and wanting to sit outside the Avalon seemed a good choice as somewhere to go for sustenance and a drop of wine. Falling into the category of gastropub the Avalon sits between Clapham South and Balham with a large terrace at the front and a huge garden at the back. Whilst the atmosphere is pleasant enough there is something a little flat about the whole place, the inside is forgettable and the outside rather like someone went on a shopping trip to a garden centre and bought all the chunky wooden furniture they could find without a thought as to how it would look when they got home.

I thoroughly enjoyed my starter of crab with wasabi aioli, cucumber and fried basil (£6.95)– not a complicated dish but one that was well suited to the good weather and packing sufficient flavour. It was therefore rather a shame that the mains were such a let-down. There was nothing specifically wrong with my dish of linguine with rock shrimps, garlic and lemon; apart from the lack any real flavour. Eating the dish was very much like eating a bowl of pasta that one might knock up at home in a couple of minutes with a dollop of jarred pesto smeared on top – on this occasion it simply had a scattering of prawns. My dining partner’s stuffed courgette with lentils and mozzarella was again uninspiring and bland (and a little too healthy for my tastes). I don’t believe that the ingredients necessarily lend themselves to great feats of flavour, however if the chef hadn’t thought of a way to give the dish some taste then it has to be questioned whether it should be on the menu. At £11 - £21 for mains, though not expensive, a lot more could have been expected.

At £14 the house wine was perfectly acceptable and the bloody Mary with which I started was also well made. The Avalon is not a bad pub, I would happily return to sit in at the front to have a cheapish bottle of wine in the sun and perhaps share a couple of the cheaper starters to fight off any pangs of hunger. I will not however be returning to for a meal, as with too many places it has attempted to jump on the gastropub band wagon without, to my mind, considering what it means or putting sufficient effort into the food.  

Trinity - Restaurant Review

Cuisine: French

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  4 The Polygon, Clapham Old Town, London. SW4 0JG.

Closest station(s): Clapham Common, Clapham South.   

Telephone:  0207 622 1199

Website: http://www.trinityrestaurant.co.uk

I can’t quite put my finger on it, however there is something that I just don’t like about Trinity. Knowing the restaurants in South West London quite well, it stuns me that so few people ever seem to speak about it, despite after Chez Bruce it being one of the more upmarket restaurants in the area.

I don’t really understand what Trinity is trying to achieve, it has a look which reminds me of a Swedish log cabin (I haven’t actually been to Sweden, so perhaps that is no resemblance at all) and is tucked away in Clapham Old Town in a little street that gets relatively little footfall. Having entered we were greeted warmly and shown to our table in this clean, smart and minimalist dining room. One of the first things that struck me was the large number of staff – surely far more than a small restaurant needs. At no point during my meal could I say that I relaxed, the quantity of staff meant that there is an almost endless procession of people coming to the table each with some form of rather pointless role.

The pig’s trotter on sourdough to start was excellent, the crackling with which it comes was crunched through with glee. The mains however did not live up to this, my pigeon was pleasant however not particularly exciting and a little tough. The squid and risotto nero with which my dining partner followed again was so-so, however far too large and lacking delicacy or subtlety. The wine list allows you to find bottles from the £25 mark.

Trinity is certainly not terrible and it does an awful lot right, it just failed to prove a particularly enjoyable meal. I certainly found the service overly rigid and formal. I imagine that it would be a good destination for a business lunch and the chef’s table that overlooks the kitchen might also add that little something extra to improve the experience.  

There is often a three course lunch menu for around £25 which allows a taste of Trinity at a slightly more reasonable price, though for the same money you could go to Chez Bruce which to my mind provides better food and an infinitely more relaxed environment. 

El Rincon Latino - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  Tapas

Cost: 

Rating: 

Where?:  148, Clapham manor Street, Clapham Common, London. SW4 6BX.

Closest station(s):  Clapham Common, Clapham High Street Rail, Clapham North.

Telephone: 0207 622 0599

Website: www.rinconlatino.co.uk   

I’m not quite sure why but the front of El Rincon Latino made me think of an S&M club – having never been to an S&M club I don’t know what they look like, however if I had to hazard a guess I would guess a brooding black frontage with spikey metal railings might be about right.  

Despite knowing Clapham well I had never come across El Rincon previously and as soon as I stepped inside I thought that I was going to enjoy my evening. The place was heaving; when I asked for a table I was informed that we would have to wait at the bar until one became free but that it shouldn’t be more than 15 minutes.

The bar was already packed with people eating, though we managed to find a small gap where we could wait with a glass or two of bubbles to while away the waiting time. Looking through the restaurant it is much bigger than one would first image upon entry and there were lots of large groups. The atmosphere had a real buzz to it, without it being deafening or oppressive.  

Having been seated we started tucking into the perfectly acceptable house Rioja (£15.95) and awaited our mammoth selection of dishes. To my surprise rather just this being a buzzy restaurant with average food; this turned out to be a buzzy restaurant with good food – there was not a dud in our selection. The highlights were the calamares, Higado encebollado (calves liver) and the garlic prawns. Not usually being one for eating greenery in Tapas restaurants I was expecting to leave much of the Ensalada Rincon to my dining partner; it was however excellent – an odd mixture of salad leaves, asparagus, cheese and olives that accompanied the fish and meat dishes very well and made me feel slightly better about an otherwise unhealthy meal.  

El Rincon Latino is a great restaurant for the price, it isn’t out of this world food; however at around £6 a plate (surprisingly large portions) it was well worth it. It would be a great place to go with a large group or just when you feel like going somewhere with a decent whack of atmosphere. 

Mien Tay, Battersea - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  Vietnamese

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Rating: 

Where?:  180, Lavender Hill, Battersea, SW11 5TQ.   

Closest station(s): Clapham Junction, Queenstown Road.  

Telephone: 0207 350 0721

Website: www.mientay.co.uk  

There is something about bring your own (BYO) restaurants that I love, it is such a pleasant surprise to come across them as I know that I can enjoy a decent bottle of wine or two with a meal and not have to pay the earth – the great shame is that the majority of BYO restaurants are, frankly, crap. I was therefore intrigued when I heard about Mien Tay, a Vietnamese BYO restaurant with great plaudits from those I trust when it comes to food.

The outside of the restaurant is not very appealing to say the least. The colour scheme includes a decidedly unpleasant green and I don’t think they have done themselves any favours by sticking up newspaper cuttings of reviews they have received. Inside it is pretty bare; white table clothes adorn closely packed tables with little of interest on the walls.

You will generally find Mien Tay packed. When seeking to go for the first time I was surprised to be informed that they were fully booked for the first two attempts. The food in Mien Tay is largely very good. The spring rolls were exceptional and the sesame prawn toast were delicious, without a hint of grease. The clay pot prawn curry with which I followed was also excellent and came as a very generous portion. On the occasions I have been the only culinary disappointments were a decidedly average Singapore noodles.

The menu is long and interesting, including slightly less mainstream dishes including quail, eel and frogs legs – I look forward to returning to sample more dishes. The service can be hit and miss; it always seems rather rude and dishes often don’t come out together. Mien Tay is often set upon by large groups – this has meant on a couple of occasions that it gets very loud in there; fine sometimes but if not in the mood it can ruin a meal.

Overall I would highly recommend Mien Tay – the food is top drawer and you can take whatever you want to wash it down with. I would certainly recommend for when anyone wants a relaxed but reliable meal. Don’t go there however if you are a stickler for good service.  

Entrée Restaurant & Bar - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  Modern European

Cost:

Rating:

Where?:  2, Battersea Rise, London. SW11 1ED.

Closest station(s): Clapham Junction, Clapham South, Clapham North.      

Telephone: 0207 223 5147

Website: www.entreebattersea.co.uk      

At the top of Battersea Rise moments from the Western end of Clapham Common there has been a rash of restaurants popping up; one of these is Entrée.  The dark exterior gives way to a dark wooden interior; despite the dark polished wood the dining space has a surprisingly warm feel to it.

Ther welcome was warm and we were taken to a table on in the raised dining area, this is opposed to the cocktail bar downstairs which certainly looked well worth a visit on another occasion. The dishes are a selection of European classics however often with an interesting touch such as free-range Old Spot pork belly, vegetables á la Grecque, green papaya & grapefruit salsa. At around £7 for starters and £18 for mains the prices are pretty reasonable. All of the dishes that we tried were well executed, of great quality and satisfying. Though good nothing could be said to have been stunning.

The décor, service and food combined to make this an extremely enjoyable dining experience. For a mid-week dinner with friends this would be a good choice of restaurant. Deals are also often on offer, including £20 for two courses for Sunday lunch.