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.

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.