Tom Ilic - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  Modern European

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  123, Queenstown Road, Battersea, London. SW8 3RH

Closest station(s): Battersea Park, Queenstown Road.

Telephone:  0207 622 0555

Website: www.tomilic.co.uk

Bizarrely placed bespoke tailor – tick. Random upmarket shoe shop – tick. Odd carpet and rug shop – tick. Plain looking restaurant offering a selection of modern European food by a Serbian chef – tick.  A short stretch of Queenstown Road in Battersea South West London contains all of the above; the highlight without a doubt being Tom Ilic – what is on offer is however far from a box ticking exercise.

Most of the, limited, negative press for this restaurant relates to the décor. Whilst it cannot be said to be stunning, equally it is not horrific. A decision was taken to go without table clothes to keep a light airy feel and to keep laundry prices to a minimum. The cost cutting also continues into the menu with cheaper cuts of meat often used such as: pig cheeks, osso bucco and rabbit.  That is not to say that the chef does not do something magical with them.

The staff were attentive and polite; the wine list offers a reasonable selection - with house wine coming in at under £20. The food is excellent throughout; the first time I ate here I believed I must have misread the lunch deal as it was far too good for the price. It is a shame that it doesn’t get a little busier sometime as it can feel a little spacious and cold when there aren’t many other diners there.

The presentation is wonderful and the flavours, such as of the stuffed rabbit saddle wrapped in Serrano ham with Savoy cabbage, wild mushrooms & roast langoustine, are beautifully matched. These are excellently constructed plates of food.

The prices,as with many places are slowly on the rise, with starters at £10 and mains at £17. Even at those prices it is good value. The greatest value is however in the set menus, currently £17 for 2 courses (it used to be a staggering £12.50) for both lunch & dinner.   For this money you get food that is as good as many one Michelin-starred restaurants. 

Varanasi chefs - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  Indian

Cost:  

Rating:

Where?:  142, Battersea high Street, London. SW11 3JR.

Closest station(s): Clapham Junction.  

Telephone: 020 7228 3145

Website: www.varanasichefs.co.uk

Varanasi Chefs is tucked away on Battersea High Street, a rather shabby road that I had not eaten on previously. The décor is pretty standard for a run of the mill Indian restaurant, perfectly comfortable and welcoming however little more. The menu immediately caught my attention with a selection of dishes that don’t prescribe to the standard ‘samosa, bhaji, sheikh kebab, chicken tikka’ formula that you find on so many high street Indian restaurant menus. Here instead you have papri chaat, aloo tikki chaat and the wonderfully named lamb mo mo. So, the menu may be a little out of the ordinary however at Varanasi Chefs prices (pretty much all starters under £5) I wasn’t expecting them to be anything special.

The starters that arrived at the table were stunning, real effort has been made to make the starters a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. These starters have the look of those you would find in an upmarket Indian restaurant; this is certainly more Benares or Cinnamon Kitchen than your bog standard high street Indian restaurant. The starters were without exception excellent.

The mains that followed were also very good, however they could not quite live up to the theatre or excellence of the starters. The sides, roti and naan were all particularly good – the Daal was one of the finest I have had.

I hold great affection for Varanasi Chefs, the staff are extremely friendly and attentive and the house wine comes in around £13. The last time I went I just had starters, which turned out to be a great meal. In addition, the restaurant often has offers in place that make the already reasonably priced food an absolute steal. 

Nancy Lam’s Enak Enak - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  Indonesian

Cost: 

Rating: 

Where?:  56, Lavender Hill, London. SW11 5RQ.

Closest station(s):  Queenstown Road, Battersea Park, Clapham Junction,  

Telephone: 0207 924 3148

Website: www.nancylam.com

I can’t say that I have seen Nancy Lam on television for a long time, I am not sure this is a bad thing as I remember having to turn the volume down every time she came on as her presentation style generally involved screaming at high pitch. I certainly felt sorry for dogs sitting near televisions when she appeared.  

Following its 2004 refurbishment Enak Enak (yummy yummy in Indonesian) reopened much larger and allegedly more modern. Having walked in I can’t imagine what it looked like pre-2004 as it looks decidedly dated now.

The food took quite a while to arrive and the service was generally poor, I don’t mind waiting if I have a drink to help me through the time however it took an age for wine and water to be brought to the table. The portions were not massive, however with hindsight I think they are pleasantly sized – having finished the meal I left satisfied however not horrendously full as I often seem to find when eating in a high street Chinese restaurant.

The food throughout was good but little more, the meat certainly tasted fresher than it often does when eating dishes such as satay or an Oriental curry; however the whole thing just seemed a little dull. The presentation is straight from the 1990s and lacked anything to make it memorable.

 It certainly isn’t somewhere to avoid at all costs, however it all just seems to be to stuck in a time warp – luckily the prices a relatively low at £8 for starters and £10 for mains. I have heard from many others that it has lost a magic that it used to have back in the 1990s. 

The Fox & Hounds - Restaurant Review

 

Cuisine:  Gastropub

Cost: 

Rating: 

Where?:  66, Latchmere Road, Battersea, London. SW11 2JU.  

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

Telephone: 0207 924 5483

Website: www.foxandhoundspub.co.uk

Finding myself on the incredibly dull street that is Latchmere Road I decided to give the Fox & Hounds a go, a traditional looking English pub that I heard served food. Inside it is all wood with an appealing layout of non-uniform tables.

The antipasti platter with which we started was a rather bizarre assortment of bites and considerably larger than would be wanted for two people as a starter. Everything was reasonable though not amazing, the highlight being the fried polenta. Luckily the mains really hit the mark, in a pub like this I hope to be able to order something like sausage and mash, which I could, and did. The Italian sausage, mash and red onion marmalade was great; a filling serving (there really had been no need for the starter) including good quality meaty sausages and a thick red onion gravy. At £6 for starters and £12 for mains it was reasonably priced for the quality and house wine was under £15.

The staff are friendly and there is a healthy mix of clientele; it remains primarily a pub so there is a decent atmosphere but also plenty of people choosing to dine.  

If ever on Latchmere Road then the Fox & Hounds is a relaible place to stop for a pint, a glass of wine or a plate of food – it certainly lacks some of the pretention that you find in many of the pubs closer to Battersea Park.  

Mien Tay, Battersea - Restaurant Review

Cuisine:  Vietnamese

Cost: 

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.  

La Movida - Restaurant Review

Cuisine: Spanish / Tapas

Cost:

Rating:

Where?:  300,  Battersea Park Rd, Battersea. SW11 3BU.

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

Telephone:  0207 924 2595

Website: N/A

Certainly one of my finds of the year. Having been past this unassuming restaurant on many occasions it certainly isn’t a restaurant that will be drawing people in off the street. This family run restaurant cannot be said to be pretty and the fact that it is rarely busy does little to suggest that it would be worth a go. How wrong I was.

Finding myself in the area with a penchant for tapas I decided to give it a stab, nothing ventured nothing gained. From start to finish there was little to fault from this friendly and relaxed venue. The liver was possibly the finest I have had and the squid was cooked to perfection. The prices are extremely reasonable; most dishes for around £5; in addition to which there has been a 50% off deal running three nights a week for the past few months.

The wine list cannot be said to amaze however it provides a perfectly good selection of wines with which to wash down the great food, again at extremely modest prices. My greatest worry is that the lack of business will see it go under as it really is a gem of a restaurant. When looking for great tapas which won’t leave too great a dent in your wallet then La Movida would be difficult to top. It would also be a great place for large groups.