Latest reviews for Restaurants in Balham, London, United Kingdom

Gazette Brasserie - Dreadful by Nizzle

Nizzle — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:42:04 +0000

Review by Nizzle

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 8772 1232

Saturday night 29th November, my birthday. Booked by phone earlier, waited 20 mins for table. We had been earlier in the year it was shambolic but food was good. This night it was chaotic to say the least. Asked for onion soup, they had run out. Had vegetable soup (saving self for Cote de Boeuf.) This turned up in a saucepan, albeit le creuset, a layer of green tasteless sludge, tepid. Was rubbish. Funky serving ideas can only be got away with if the food is any good. An hour later still waiting for main course. Suggested that it be hurried up, waiter told us the kitchen was too small. We had nearly drunk 2 bottles of wine when beef turned up at around 11, having arrived at 9pm. Waiter sliced it, we then waited 10 minutes for plates, the daupinoise never came we had a dish of chips instead. The beef was adequate but not as good and not as much as it had been on previous visit, before the basement extension. The waiters were nice enough, but dim. We were offered desert before we'd had the main. The idea of large television showing film of nice bits of France is a very good idea to fill in the time, we would have left otherwise. There was no management in evidence that seemed to care. An expensive mistake. We won't be back.

Saturday night 29th November, my birthday. Booked by phone earlier, waited 20 mins for table. We had been earlier in the year it was shambolic but food was good. This night it was chaotic to say the least. Asked for onion soup, they had run out. Had vegetable soup (saving self for Cote de Boeuf.) This turned up in a saucepan, albeit le creuset, a layer of green tasteless sludge, tepid. Was rubbish. Funky serving ideas can only be got away with if the food is any good. An hour later still waiting for main course. Suggested that it be hurried up, waiter told us the kitchen was too small. We had nearly drunk 2 bottles of wine when beef turned up at around 11, having arrived at 9pm. Waiter sliced it, we then waited 10 minutes for plates, the daupinoise never came we had a dish of chips instead. The beef was adequate but not as good and not as much as it had been on previous visit, before the basement extension. The waiters were nice enough, but dim. We were offered desert before we'd had the main. The idea of large television showing film of nice bits of France is a very good idea to fill in the time, we would have left otherwise. There was no management in evidence that seemed to care. An expensive mistake. We won't be back.

Ly Ly Canteen - excellent place! by shirleygirl

shirleygirl — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:53:35 +0000

Review by shirleygirl

Rating: 5.00

Website: http://lybar.co.uk/

Tags: lively, good value, oriental

I had a really lovely time at Ly ly canteen the other night! A few of us went there for a meal, we made use of the '2 for 1' offer on cocktails, which was top class! I live locally in Balham and I am really happy to see a 'wagamama' style restaurant in the area! The food is really nice, they should have done this in Balham ages ago! Good food, top service, and a very satisfied customer!I had a really lovely time at Ly ly canteen the other night! A few of us went there for a meal, we made use of the '2 for 1' offer on cocktails, which was top class! I live locally in Balham and I am really happy to see a 'wagamama' style restaurant in the area! The food is really nice, they should have done this in Balham ages ago! Good food, top service, and a very satisfied customer!

Hop & Spice - hop and sexy by herb

herb — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:14:29 +0000

Review by herb

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8675 3121

Website: http://www.hopandspice.com/

Tags: good value, lively, romantic

hop and spice was a good place for a business meeting - to impress without being over the top. The bread, delicious butter, olives and almonds were a nice touch as I was starving but the curry and lamb was quite a small portion and the lamb a bit tough unfortunately. The service was top-notch and having just returned from a holiday in France I found it less surprising than my guest that we were chatting in French at one point to the waiter!

hop and spice was a good place for a business meeting - to impress without being over the top. The bread, delicious butter, olives and almonds were a nice touch as I was starving but the curry and lamb was quite a small portion and the lamb a bit tough unfortunately. The service was top-notch and having just returned from a holiday in France I found it less surprising than my guest that we were chatting in French at one point to the waiter!

Piccolino Wandsworth - by herb

herb — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:45:25 +0000

Review by herb

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8767 1713

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

Tags: italian, terrace, bar

great value for money, been here several times and have allways had a good time and good food.great value for money, been here several times and have allways had a good time and good food.

Harrison's - Rick Stein at Harrison's by Browners

Browners — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 11:38:30 +0000

Review by Browners

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 8675 6900

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

Tags: lively, brasserie, good value

It's not every school night you get to meet Rick Stein! We whizzed down to Balham in a nick of time to find Rick sat at a low round table, slightly awkwardly making small talk and signing books. After a brief chat with the publicist about Rick's forthcoming TV series and book called Coast to Coast Victoria and I siddled over for a chat.

Our chat was derailed pretty quickly when both pieces of infomration the publicist had told us turned out to be emphatically wrong! There is no TV series. And the book is about his travels around the world and not just the UK.

Perturbed by the sudden end to our conversation... I grabbed a conversational topic from nowhere and landed up asking Rick Stein whether he had ever cooked a fish meringue!!! As it turned out he was really interested in the idea and I explained that it's like baking fish in salt. Essentially you stuff a whole fish such as a sea bass with fennel, lemon and other goodies... and then pour over 6 or 7 whipped egg whites. Pop it in the oven for enough time to cook it and then serve your gobsmacked guests the most moist fish you'll come across. I first read about it a really cool book called "The Daily Italian" by one of Jamie Oliver's proteges.

So look out for this badger featuring on Rick's menu sometime soon!

We broke off from the book signing and settled in for dinner. Ignoring the special offer that had drawn us in the first place... we loved our raw salmon with soy, ginger and chillie. Although it may have been a bit feisty for some. But the star of the show was the liver and bacon... Having never had liver and bacon before I was twitching with excitement when it arrived and became increasingly anxious as I saw it drying out on the pass. But I needn't have worried because it was blissfully awesome. Soft and moist. Meaty and slightly charred. The mash was brilliant and the pancetta and onion rings didn't let it down either. I feel like a smack addict. I'm now gagging for the next hit.

Having had a few OK experiences at Harrison's we are now big fans - keen to pop in for dinner more often.It's not every school night you get to meet Rick Stein! We whizzed down to Balham in a nick of time to find Rick sat at a low round table, slightly awkwardly making small talk and signing books. After a brief chat with the publicist about Rick's forthcoming TV series and book called Coast to Coast Victoria and I siddled over for a chat.

Our chat was derailed pretty quickly when both pieces of infomration the publicist had told us turned out to be emphatically wrong! There is no TV series. And the book is about his travels around the world and not just the UK.

Perturbed by the sudden end to our conversation... I grabbed a conversational topic from nowhere and landed up asking Rick Stein whether he had ever cooked a fish meringue!!! As it turned out he was really interested in the idea and I explained that it's like baking fish in salt. Essentially you stuff a whole fish such as a sea bass with fennel, lemon and other goodies... and then pour over 6 or 7 whipped egg whites. Pop it in the oven for enough time to cook it and then serve your gobsmacked guests the most moist fish you'll come across. I first read about it a really cool book called "The Daily Italian" by one of Jamie Oliver's proteges.

So look out for this badger featuring on Rick's menu sometime soon!

We broke off from the book signing and settled in for dinner. Ignoring the special offer that had drawn us in the first place... we loved our raw salmon with soy, ginger and chillie. Although it may have been a bit feisty for some. But the star of the show was the liver and bacon... Having never had liver and bacon before I was twitching with excitement when it arrived and became increasingly anxious as I saw it drying out on the pass. But I needn't have worried because it was blissfully awesome. Soft and moist. Meaty and slightly charred. The mash was brilliant and the pancetta and onion rings didn't let it down either. I feel like a smack addict. I'm now gagging for the next hit.

Having had a few OK experiences at Harrison's we are now big fans - keen to pop in for dinner more often.

Cattle Grid - Very glad Balham now has its own steak house by Browners

Browners — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 11:29:30 +0000

Review by Browners

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 02086739099

Website: http://www.cattlegridrestaurant.com/

Tags: steak

Balham is going from strength to strength. Whilst claims that Balham is the new Notting Hill might be a little bit premature... the area is definitely on the rise.

Aside from Gazette and at a push the Devonshire, you will struggle to find a decent steak in Balham. Until now.

It has filled the slightly awkward boots left by Raviolo - which didn't last very long. When you walk out of Balham station you are greeted with the sight of a large statue of a cow which makes you think you are in Milton Keynes... hardly the centre of the bovine universe.

Cattle Grid is essentially a steak version of the Gourmet Burget Kitchen. No table service. Utilitarian look and feel. Short new world wine list packed with bold reds. You get a choice of steaks - rib eye, sirloin or T bone, supplemented by two variations on piggy ribs or a burger. I admire the fact that the menu is so bare. I hate the way that some restaurants offer a billion options - Starbuck's is currently boasting that they have 80,000 different combinations of coffee. Fuck off and just give me a good espresso. Oh hang on... you can't.

... but I think I'd like to see some different cuts on the menu. Maybe a feather steak, or a hanger steak... or possibly a little bit of rump. Maybe, they'll do this once they've established themselves.

We ordered 2 rib eye steaks - medium rare. One arrived perfectly cooked but the other one was grey through the middle. Possibly we should have sent it back. The chips were good and we were delighted with the watercress salad. My bernaise sauce was a bit stingy - but then again I do regard steak eating as an excuse to eat bernaise sauce!

One of us had a very substantial burger which looked good. But strangely we weren't permitted to request how it was cooked. They insist on serving it medium well which is a bit odd. I love a juicy burger... but a meaty, cloying burger is less fun.

Our bottle of Argie Malbec was good value and was a perfect match for the steak... as it always is. And at well under Â£20 it was good value.

But the star of the show was without question the onion rings. Soft, sweet onions hid beneath a crisp, light batter. Stunning... if a little bit naughty.

We couldn't resist baked cheese cake which was served with very vanillery ice cream. Tremendous. We were really impressed.

Cattle Grid isn't the finished article. But it is an improvement on Raviolo... and will we're very pleased to have a steak restaurant in Balham. But the key question is... will we go back? I won't actively avoid it... but I reckon the steak is better at Gazette and Bodeans... plus they offer dishes that Cowie would like to tuck into too. So I have a feeling that I will return at some point... but it won't be a regular occurence. If you are going to concentrate just on serving steak... it has to knock your socks off.Balham is going from strength to strength. Whilst claims that Balham is the new Notting Hill might be a little bit premature... the area is definitely on the rise.

Aside from Gazette and at a push the Devonshire, you will struggle to find a decent steak in Balham. Until now.

It has filled the slightly awkward boots left by Raviolo - which didn't last very long. When you walk out of Balham station you are greeted with the sight of a large statue of a cow which makes you think you are in Milton Keynes... hardly the centre of the bovine universe.

Cattle Grid is essentially a steak version of the Gourmet Burget Kitchen. No table service. Utilitarian look and feel. Short new world wine list packed with bold reds. You get a choice of steaks - rib eye, sirloin or T bone, supplemented by two variations on piggy ribs or a burger. I admire the fact that the menu is so bare. I hate the way that some restaurants offer a billion options - Starbuck's is currently boasting that they have 80,000 different combinations of coffee. Fuck off and just give me a good espresso. Oh hang on... you can't.

... but I think I'd like to see some different cuts on the menu. Maybe a feather steak, or a hanger steak... or possibly a little bit of rump. Maybe, they'll do this once they've established themselves.

We ordered 2 rib eye steaks - medium rare. One arrived perfectly cooked but the other one was grey through the middle. Possibly we should have sent it back. The chips were good and we were delighted with the watercress salad. My bernaise sauce was a bit stingy - but then again I do regard steak eating as an excuse to eat bernaise sauce!

One of us had a very substantial burger which looked good. But strangely we weren't permitted to request how it was cooked. They insist on serving it medium well which is a bit odd. I love a juicy burger... but a meaty, cloying burger is less fun.

Our bottle of Argie Malbec was good value and was a perfect match for the steak... as it always is. And at well under Â£20 it was good value.

But the star of the show was without question the onion rings. Soft, sweet onions hid beneath a crisp, light batter. Stunning... if a little bit naughty.

We couldn't resist baked cheese cake which was served with very vanillery ice cream. Tremendous. We were really impressed.

Cattle Grid isn't the finished article. But it is an improvement on Raviolo... and will we're very pleased to have a steak restaurant in Balham. But the key question is... will we go back? I won't actively avoid it... but I reckon the steak is better at Gazette and Bodeans... plus they offer dishes that Cowie would like to tuck into too. So I have a feeling that I will return at some point... but it won't be a regular occurence. If you are going to concentrate just on serving steak... it has to knock your socks off.

Nanglo - by larakiara

larakiara — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:56:43 +0000

Review by larakiara

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 8673 4160

Tags: indian

Last time I visited this restaurant it took us two hours in total to eat a one course meal with poppadums. They were short of staff and hardly apologized for it. We were seated on a dirty table, which took ten minutes to be cleared. It took 30 minutes to get our drinks and after one hour and 30 minutes we received our main meal, which was bog standard at best. We literally had to ask to be served, rather than the 'waiters' waiting upon us. I know it may have only been a one-off but from this experience we will never visit again.

Last time I visited this restaurant it took us two hours in total to eat a one course meal with poppadums. They were short of staff and hardly apologized for it. We were seated on a dirty table, which took ten minutes to be cleared. It took 30 minutes to get our drinks and after one hour and 30 minutes we received our main meal, which was bog standard at best. We literally had to ask to be served, rather than the 'waiters' waiting upon us. I know it may have only been a one-off but from this experience we will never visit again.

Mini Mundus - Pretty Good by gunners4life

gunners4life — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 21:52:45 +0000

Review by gunners4life

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 8767 5810

Tags: french, good value, lively

I have been here only once but still it had a very good expression on me. I thought that the food was amazing and even though I have to drive a long way to get here I really dont mind if only the petrol prices were lower. This place is definetly value for money anyday. The atmosphere is very nice and cosy and I hope that I do come here again very soon with my friends. Also I dont know why but the dessert stood out the most.

Overall I reccomend that you do come here to a really authenic french cuisine and you wont be dissapointedI have been here only once but still it had a very good expression on me. I thought that the food was amazing and even though I have to drive a long way to get here I really dont mind if only the petrol prices were lower. This place is definetly value for money anyday. The atmosphere is very nice and cosy and I hope that I do come here again very soon with my friends. Also I dont know why but the dessert stood out the most.

Overall I reccomend that you do come here to a really authenic french cuisine and you wont be dissapointed

Sadya - A local curry house to go back to by ilovelucy

ilovelucy — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:33:05 +0000

Review by ilovelucy

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 8673 5393

Tags: indian, smoking, takeaway

Went to Sadya with my dad last night as it is 50% off with the Tastelondon card and only round the corner so we thought we'd give it a go rather than venturing out to the usual suspects in Tooting. Sadya is a small homely restaurant specialising in Southern Indian cuisine so it was a nice change from the bog stanadard jalfrezis and tandooris. The menu was varied and there were lots of dishes which we could have ordered. Dad had the lentil soup and we also ordered a rice pancake with a prawn filling. Both were delicious and had interesting flavours. For the main we had the masala chicken, the grilled king fish plus a side order of okra. Portions were good. Food was fresh and surprisingly not greasy. Everything was made with care and tasted like home cooking. The lady serving was lovely and explained the dishes. It wasn't busy but when we where nearly leaving a large group came in and it took ages getting the bill. Anyway we were very stuffed and for Â£26 with the discount, for 2 large cobras, 2 rice, 2 starters, 2 mains +vegetable and chappathi we were more than happy. Looks like this one will be our local, can't wait to try other dishes.Went to Sadya with my dad last night as it is 50% off with the Tastelondon card and only round the corner so we thought we'd give it a go rather than venturing out to the usual suspects in Tooting. Sadya is a small homely restaurant specialising in Southern Indian cuisine so it was a nice change from the bog stanadard jalfrezis and tandooris. The menu was varied and there were lots of dishes which we could have ordered. Dad had the lentil soup and we also ordered a rice pancake with a prawn filling. Both were delicious and had interesting flavours. For the main we had the masala chicken, the grilled king fish plus a side order of okra. Portions were good. Food was fresh and surprisingly not greasy. Everything was made with care and tasted like home cooking. The lady serving was lovely and explained the dishes. It wasn't busy but when we where nearly leaving a large group came in and it took ages getting the bill. Anyway we were very stuffed and for Â£26 with the discount, for 2 large cobras, 2 rice, 2 starters, 2 mains +vegetable and chappathi we were more than happy. Looks like this one will be our local, can't wait to try other dishes.

The Paddyfield - Yum! by sketchy1

sketchy1 — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:20:11 +0000

Review by sketchy1

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8772 1145

Tags: lively, quick bite, vietnamese

I go far too many times to Paddyfields. The place is small, and finding an open table is sometimes fustrating, but it is worth the wait. The Thai food is amazing - the curry is my bestI go far too many times to Paddyfields. The place is small, and finding an open table is sometimes fustrating, but it is worth the wait. The Thai food is amazing - the curry is my best

The Exhibit - Tres romantic by ilovelucy

ilovelucy — Fri, 09 May 2008 23:00:17 +0000

Review by ilovelucy

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 8772 6556

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

Tags: good value, british, lively

Came here last week and was pleasantly surprised. Have been to the bar on the ground floor quite a few times but never the restaurant which is on the 1st floor overlooking Sainsbury's car park. I always thought it was a bit of a strange location but actually the restaurant with its exposed brick and long wall of windows felt really airy and light. And the view wasn't that bad- felt nice to be so high up. The menu is quite like a brasserie menu, small but caters for all. Gi went for the sea bass which she said was lovely and I went for the feather steak which is served rare. I would probably go for the sirloin next time - as the feather wasn't as tender as i would have liked. Sorbet ice cream was divine though. Service was great and i liked the candles which gave the restaurant a romatic glow. Definitely will come back to try the rest of the menu - especially as i've got 50% off with the tp card!Came here last week and was pleasantly surprised. Have been to the bar on the ground floor quite a few times but never the restaurant which is on the 1st floor overlooking Sainsbury's car park. I always thought it was a bit of a strange location but actually the restaurant with its exposed brick and long wall of windows felt really airy and light. And the view wasn't that bad- felt nice to be so high up. The menu is quite like a brasserie menu, small but caters for all. Gi went for the sea bass which she said was lovely and I went for the feather steak which is served rare. I would probably go for the sirloin next time - as the feather wasn't as tender as i would have liked. Sorbet ice cream was divine though. Service was great and i liked the candles which gave the restaurant a romatic glow. Definitely will come back to try the rest of the menu - especially as i've got 50% off with the tp card!

Lamberts Restaurant - good local food by sarahjanelondon

sarahjanelondon — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:51:10 +0000

Review by sarahjanelondon

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 8675 2233

Website: http://www.lambertsrestaurant.com/

Tags: good food, local, modern

I have never had the bread announced (like the previous reviewer) but I agree that this is a lovely local place. It's not cheap if you order a la carte but the set menus are excellent value and the quality is always good. Given the rubbish that so many places serve, I would rather pay a bit more and come here and know I am going to get good food! The atmosphere is a bit stiff sometimes but I don't really care as I come here for the food and they are happy to have families & kids here for Sunday lunch which is nice to see. I have never had the bread announced (like the previous reviewer) but I agree that this is a lovely local place. It's not cheap if you order a la carte but the set menus are excellent value and the quality is always good. Given the rubbish that so many places serve, I would rather pay a bit more and come here and know I am going to get good food! The atmosphere is a bit stiff sometimes but I don't really care as I come here for the food and they are happy to have families & kids here for Sunday lunch which is nice to see.

Tagine - Fine experience! by AlexWoods

AlexWoods — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:11:43 +0000

Review by AlexWoods

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 8675 7604

Tags: lively, good value, north african

I love this place!
Cosy, friendly, it looks and smells exotic and exciting.
The menu is interesting and varied, even for a vegetarian (not me I hasten to add, but the person I went with!)
Having little experience of Moroccan food, I relied on the advice of our waitress who proved to be knowledgeable, charming and very happy to offer her advice (probably used to morons like me, bless her.)
The meze was an excellent way to start. Gives you a little taste of a lot! In truth I could have eaten that all evening!
I had a lamb tagine with almonds and prunes and my partner a stuffed pepper. Both dishes were fragrant, generous and delicious and well complimented by the (presumably) fresh baked flat breads.
Neither of us could face desert, though had we been a little earlier we would have happily spent a couple of hours outside with shisha and tea before tackling the desert menu (or just more of the meze dishes!)
My one criticism of the place is that the service was a little leisurely. Or maybe "unobservant" is a better way of putting it.
Top tips: nip into Threshers, next door, and pick up a couple of bottles of something red and Spanish on your way; start with as many meze dishes as you reckon you can force down (bearing in mind your main course will feed you well!) I love this place!
Cosy, friendly, it looks and smells exotic and exciting.
The menu is interesting and varied, even for a vegetarian (not me I hasten to add, but the person I went with!)
Having little experience of Moroccan food, I relied on the advice of our waitress who proved to be knowledgeable, charming and very happy to offer her advice (probably used to morons like me, bless her.)
The meze was an excellent way to start. Gives you a little taste of a lot! In truth I could have eaten that all evening!
I had a lamb tagine with almonds and prunes and my partner a stuffed pepper. Both dishes were fragrant, generous and delicious and well complimented by the (presumably) fresh baked flat breads.
Neither of us could face desert, though had we been a little earlier we would have happily spent a couple of hours outside with shisha and tea before tackling the desert menu (or just more of the meze dishes!)
My one criticism of the place is that the service was a little leisurely. Or maybe "unobservant" is a better way of putting it.
Top tips: nip into Threshers, next door, and pick up a couple of bottles of something red and Spanish on your way; start with as many meze dishes as you reckon you can force down (bearing in mind your main course will feed you well!)

Ly Bar - CLOSED - Ly Bar Chinese Restaurant by Browners

Browners — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 22:07:07 +0000

Review by Browners

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 8772 8616

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

Tags: restaurant, chinese, bar

After a hard morning playing hockey on an icy pitch what better way to spend the afternoon than to tuck into Heston Blumenthal's latest book and read about how to cook the perfect Peking duck. Half an hour later and I was gagging for a pancake, some crispy skinned duck, a few shards of spring onion and cucumber and lashings of hoi sin sauce.

The lengths Heston went to were outrageous. Blowing air into a well chosen duck with a drinks straw or bellows and a bizarre range of cooking processes all seemed a bittoo much! So Cowie and I popped out to find a decent Chinese restaurant in Balham. Life's too easy sometimes!

We'd walked past Ly Bar quite a few times and had never had any inclination to pay them a visit. From the outside it looks like a newly painted glizty bar with a seedy underbelly. But inside it's great. A touch of contemporary, oriental style. Laquered screens and a very discrete waterfall made us feel like someone was reading our minds and giving us exactly what we wanted!

Cowie reigned me back from ordering a half peking duck, which was a good thing! Instead the two of us shared a quarter of a quacker with a range of pancakes and lettuce leaves. Having got really excited about haivng the perfect duck with pancakes, I guess I had set myself up for a bit of disappointment! Don't get me wrong we devoured our duck and needed several reloads of hoi sin sauce... but I think we were stretching our imagination too far to think the Ly Bar was going to be up to Heston's exacting stadnards. Heston's main technical problem when cooking crispy duck was that creating duck with crispy skin and keep the felsh moist is about as easy as some of Zeno's paradoxes. If you want crispy skin you get dry flesh. And if you want juicy meat the skin is normally flabby. Ly Bar's duck was a bit tasteless and dry, but a good dollop of sauce sorted that out!

Our main courses were really very good. Cowie's whole steamed sea bass with soy sauce, ginger and spring onion was moist and delicious. The only draw back being the fact that it was given a laparotomy at the table by someone who didn't know what they were doing. We felt very sorry for our waitress who continually apologised and explained that she had only ever done one before! Someone needs to train the staff up a bit. Disecting an expensive fish in front of a paying customer has to be done well. It's these kind of touches that make eating at places like Sheeky's so special.

My BBQ stewed pork belly arrived in a beautiful clay pot and tasted delicious. Slightly spicy, gooey and deeply porky. Just what I like. And then it got even better when I discovered some really slippery mushrooms that seemed like pieces of cartilige! Yummy. And very different what you get at your average local Chinese restaurant.

So, the food was good, if unspectacular. A cut above most Chinese restaurants. But the staff need some training and they need to read Heston's book to get a bit closer to serving the perfect duck!After a hard morning playing hockey on an icy pitch what better way to spend the afternoon than to tuck into Heston Blumenthal's latest book and read about how to cook the perfect Peking duck. Half an hour later and I was gagging for a pancake, some crispy skinned duck, a few shards of spring onion and cucumber and lashings of hoi sin sauce.

The lengths Heston went to were outrageous. Blowing air into a well chosen duck with a drinks straw or bellows and a bizarre range of cooking processes all seemed a bittoo much! So Cowie and I popped out to find a decent Chinese restaurant in Balham. Life's too easy sometimes!

We'd walked past Ly Bar quite a few times and had never had any inclination to pay them a visit. From the outside it looks like a newly painted glizty bar with a seedy underbelly. But inside it's great. A touch of contemporary, oriental style. Laquered screens and a very discrete waterfall made us feel like someone was reading our minds and giving us exactly what we wanted!

Cowie reigned me back from ordering a half peking duck, which was a good thing! Instead the two of us shared a quarter of a quacker with a range of pancakes and lettuce leaves. Having got really excited about haivng the perfect duck with pancakes, I guess I had set myself up for a bit of disappointment! Don't get me wrong we devoured our duck and needed several reloads of hoi sin sauce... but I think we were stretching our imagination too far to think the Ly Bar was going to be up to Heston's exacting stadnards. Heston's main technical problem when cooking crispy duck was that creating duck with crispy skin and keep the felsh moist is about as easy as some of Zeno's paradoxes. If you want crispy skin you get dry flesh. And if you want juicy meat the skin is normally flabby. Ly Bar's duck was a bit tasteless and dry, but a good dollop of sauce sorted that out!

Our main courses were really very good. Cowie's whole steamed sea bass with soy sauce, ginger and spring onion was moist and delicious. The only draw back being the fact that it was given a laparotomy at the table by someone who didn't know what they were doing. We felt very sorry for our waitress who continually apologised and explained that she had only ever done one before! Someone needs to train the staff up a bit. Disecting an expensive fish in front of a paying customer has to be done well. It's these kind of touches that make eating at places like Sheeky's so special.

My BBQ stewed pork belly arrived in a beautiful clay pot and tasted delicious. Slightly spicy, gooey and deeply porky. Just what I like. And then it got even better when I discovered some really slippery mushrooms that seemed like pieces of cartilige! Yummy. And very different what you get at your average local Chinese restaurant.

So, the food was good, if unspectacular. A cut above most Chinese restaurants. But the staff need some training and they need to read Heston's book to get a bit closer to serving the perfect duck!

Raviolo - CLOSED - Raviolo by Browners

Browners — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 13:00:17 +0000

Review by Browners

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 8778 4499

Website: http://raviolo.co.uk

Tags: italian, raviolo, pasta

Having promised to visit Raviolo about a month or so ago we finally got stuck in a few weeks ago.

It was a chilly September evening. A broken oaking slab splashed water up at me as I crossed the road from Balham Station to Raviolo. Undettered by having wet trouser legs and by being unusually early I settled into my pew in the hard edged dining room and ordered a bottle of Pinot Grigio and some olives whilst trying to work out how the menu worked.

Cowie and her sister arrived a bit late for once and immediately started snooping around the restaurant trying to work out what the best things on the menu were. This is one of Cowie's specialities... sussing out what everyone else is having in minute detail and then getting really involved in quizzing the hapless waiter about what goes with what. Their advice is sought and then dismissed! Not that Cowie quite sees it like this!

On this occassion Cowie's inquiries came up trumps. We had a range of pasta shapes with delicious sauces. The pasta was all al dente and served with rich, flavoursome sauces and oil concoctions. Our favourite was the mushroom ravioli which was spot on.

The atmosphere is relaxed and lively. It's not too formal and you are made to feel very welcome... unlike their website which is awful! It's trying very hard but doesn't work. God knows why you are forced to download PDFs of the menu which in turn are corrupted. Not ideal. If it worked properly I'd be able to tell you about all the wonderful sauces and pasta combinations... alas... I've forgotten most of them.

We had a super evening and at 60 quid for dinner for 3 people including wine it was pretty good value too. We'll be back...Having promised to visit Raviolo about a month or so ago we finally got stuck in a few weeks ago.

It was a chilly September evening. A broken oaking slab splashed water up at me as I crossed the road from Balham Station to Raviolo. Undettered by having wet trouser legs and by being unusually early I settled into my pew in the hard edged dining room and ordered a bottle of Pinot Grigio and some olives whilst trying to work out how the menu worked.

Cowie and her sister arrived a bit late for once and immediately started snooping around the restaurant trying to work out what the best things on the menu were. This is one of Cowie's specialities... sussing out what everyone else is having in minute detail and then getting really involved in quizzing the hapless waiter about what goes with what. Their advice is sought and then dismissed! Not that Cowie quite sees it like this!

On this occassion Cowie's inquiries came up trumps. We had a range of pasta shapes with delicious sauces. The pasta was all al dente and served with rich, flavoursome sauces and oil concoctions. Our favourite was the mushroom ravioli which was spot on.

The atmosphere is relaxed and lively. It's not too formal and you are made to feel very welcome... unlike their website which is awful! It's trying very hard but doesn't work. God knows why you are forced to download PDFs of the menu which in turn are corrupted. Not ideal. If it worked properly I'd be able to tell you about all the wonderful sauces and pasta combinations... alas... I've forgotten most of them.

We had a super evening and at 60 quid for dinner for 3 people including wine it was pretty good value too. We'll be back...