Fri 9 - Abbeville Kitchen

First, the less successful part of the day, being a bacon sandwich from Pardoe & Wood.  The bacon was cold and too thinly sliced; it'd been picked out of large saucepan which I'm guessing had been (unsuccessfully) used to keep it warm.  There was a bit of a wait to get it too, caused by some sort of employee meltdown in the open kitchen bit at the back, which resulted in bad feeling between two colleagues and for some inexplicable reason, my sandwich being remade with less bacon in!  This was at about 10am, with only one other customer to serve.  I'd hate to see what it's like during the morning rush.

V & I headed our for an early dinner at the Abbeville Kitchen, Clapham.  This was our first visit to the recently opened and well reviewed restaurant.  The menu consists of a series of British and European influenced dishes that are designed for sharing.  We started with clams and chorizo, a tried and tested combination that was very well executed.  The cooking liquor was gratefully mopped up with the best french bread I can remember eating.

The next dish was the highlight for me - advertised as leek vinaigrette, it was actually their own non-traditional, pimped-up interpretation.  Three small, tender leeks, topped with a creamy sauce, slices of boiled egg, and fried breadcrumbs.  The herb laden sauce made the dish - I could detect dill, tarragon and parsley.  It was very moreish, the plate wiped clean with more of the delicious crusty bread.

Third, was lamb heart with potatoes and wild garlic leaves.  The individual items were all cooked properly, the lamb heart was a little pink and the potatoes soft but but not mushy.  It was brought together with a couple of spring onions and thin cooking juices flavoured by (unadvertised) mint, which overshadowed the (advertised) wild garlic leaves.  Whilst I enjoyed this course, I'd ordered it because I'm keen on garlic leaves, so was a tad disappointed that I couldn't taste them.

We moved on from the three starter sized courses to a more substantial, and expensive, plate of "Pied Mutton", served with polenta.  Pied de Mouton is a type of mushroom, named so because it's appearance resembles a mutton's foot, not because it is one as suggested by the misspelling on the menu.  This was my least favourite dish.  The mushrooms were fine, but I wasn't keen on the large portion of polenta.  I'd only eaten finely ground polenta before, and didn't get on with this more rustic version, which was reminiscent of porridge.

Our final course was a Barnsley chop served with a green sauce, purple sprouting broccoli, and liver.  I was pretty full by now but the succulent lamb, though not pink enough for my taste, demanded to be finished - except for the liver, which I simply don't have any fondness for, no matter how many times I try it.

We were too full for desert.  A pity, because the tart tatin type creation sitting on the counter in front of the open kitchen looked pretty delectable.  We enjoyed our visit here, which was enhanced by excellent service.  The waiter was friendly, and had good knowledge of the menu and wine list, both of which he was happy to talk us through.  We'll definitely be returning.  It's worth mentioning that I've had my eye on the menu for a while and it changes just about every day according to what's in season, and (I guess) what's available from their suppliers.  Exactly the sort of thing you want from a local neighborhood restaurant.