Tel: +44 (0)20 8675 6900
Address: 15-19 Bedford Hill, Balham, SW12 9EX
Cuisine Type: Modern British
Balham
Sam Harrison, of Sam’s Brasserie fame, has done it again by teaming up with Rick Stein and Rebecca Mascarenhas to produce a funky restaurant/bar in the heart of Balham, and it’s causing a bit of a stir. It’s the stand-out establishment on the street, looking cool and moody and making you want to come in and figure out what it’s all about.
You first encounter a busy bar, decorated simply in beige and pea green, with professional looking bar tenders. The lighting is low but the huge display of flowers, in a gorgeous vase, really brightens up the place. There are big comfy, black leather high chairs and spacious tables. This section is very sociable and people come here to drink and chill out over a few carefully crafted and delicious cocktails.
However there’s a spacious, informal dining area at the back and side of the bar (as well as a private basement bar for parties) and just like Sam’s Brasserie, the atmosphere is relaxed and without pretension. The staff are there to help you decide what you may like to eat and readily recommend excellent dishes, and they do this with such a great attitude it makes you trust their opinion completely.
Head Chef Dan Edwards, formerly of Launceston Place, has devised a simple menu packed with tasty dishes. Starters (around £7.50) include raw salmon, ginger and soy, salt cod croquettes and aioli and the most tender and lightly spicy ribs you will have ever tasted. The ribs are marinated overnight and then slow cooked for three hours, producing a soft meat overflowing with flavour. It is quite a phenomenal culinary experience. However, the risotto of asparagus, peas and parmesan is not on par with the quality of the other dishes. It’s cooked very well, but has an overwhelming taste of cheese so the distinctive asparagus and pea flavour is lost. Also, unfortunately, it is not presented particularly well which is a bit of a shame.
Main courses start at £10.50 for a seared salmon burger, red onion and parsley salad. When you think of a salmon burger, your mind may conjure up thoughts of potato like fishcakes, with not that much fish contained therein; however, this is not the case with Harrison’s fishcakes. The salmon is cooked in a medium/rare manner and is light and moist resulting in an extremely tasty burger. This is definitely worth a try as you’ll be pleasantly surprised. The free range chicken breast, spinach and lemon with a green olive jus (£13) is served on the bone and the contrasting flavours of the sweet jus, meaty gravy and wilted flavoursome spinach go together so well that as soon as you know it, your plate is spotless.
Fortunately desserts are as good as everything else. With Summer fruit salad, mango sorbet and raspberry coulis (£5), homemade chocolate truffles (£3.50) and the pièce de resistance, lemon and vanilla cheesecake, which is really light and fluffy with a dense chocolate biscuit base. It is incredibly more-ish and you’ll just want another piece once you’ve finished your last bite.
The drinks on offer are another plus point for Harrison’s with a wide variety to choose from. With beer at £3.50 a pint of Beck’s Vier and Guinness and Staropramen for £3.75, it’s a touch on the expensive side. If fun cocktails are more your thing, you can choose from a Sloe Gin Fizz, a traditional Bramble, Mojito and Pisco Sour all for £7. The wine list, however, is something to be seen. There are over 50 hand selected wines from around the globe and to the highest quality. A popular choice is Rick Stein’s Shiraz (£5.75 a 175ml glass, £16.50 a 500ml carafe, £24.50 a bottle) which is a deep and spicy red, suitable for cold, frosty nights as it is very warming.
The quality and service at Harrison’s are outstanding and the place is regularly full of people wanting to sample the new creations on the menu – they are just that spectacular. It’s a place to wander in unannounced and a table will just be sitting there ready for the taking. So if you are in the depths of the South, pop into Balham, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
