6th February 2007
Balham - Gateway to the Mouth
If you listen to estate agents, Balham is metamorphosising into the Notting Hill of South London, and with delis like Trinity Stores popping up like organic mushrooms, they might have a point. (In a good way.) Tucked down a side street opposite Balham Station, Trinity Stores offers a delicious selection of regional deli foods, wines, oils, cheeses, homemade cakes and so on, working on the principle that someone stumbling off the train home can pick up a restorative picnic supper for about a fiver: quiches, juicy stuffed peppers, multicoloured salads are all tempting. Although a fiver might be pushing it, once you've picked up a sour dough loaf or some Woodalls Cumberland sausage: this is very much a 'you get what you pay for' establishment. If you're very short on time, the kitchen can whip up a whole dinner party's worth of food for you, and with the decent wine selection and flowers, all you need to remember are the guests.
Staff are young, enthusiastic and friendly, which might account for the regulars Trinity Stores attracts for morning coffee (good cappuccinos & lattes for just under two quid; takeaway available). Though there isn't a huge amount of space, the big window makes the light and airy room a pleasant spot to while away quarter of an hour, and the lack of buggy room means the yummy mummies have largely relocated to Starbucks down the road, so the decibel level has dropped accordingly. Customers sit round a large table, piled high with brownies, buns and pastries, reading the paper and watching the traffic - the excellent Chelsea buns and Eccles cakes are Fridays/weekends only, and worth the trip.
This commendable commitment to good food extends to running the regular Sunday Farmers' Market in Hildreth Street, and wine and cheese tasting nights - perfect for Balham's growing ranks of foodies. With the major chains now moving in like plastic sharks - Starbucks, Cafe Nero - it's worth supporting high-quality independents like Trinity Stores. It's like the best 'foodie market town' deli you've ever been in, but in central London. Bliss.
Loading...
View comments (1)
Post to facebook
