Claire's reviews
Review of Battersea Arts Centre
29 Sep 07, 16:31
Not up its own arts 
I love, love, love this place.
It's exactly what you want your local Arts Centre to be - encouraging new ideas, prepared to take a gamble with offbeat things and keen to involve the local community.
There was recent hoo-hah over funding but I think that's all been resolved now and all to the good.Their 'scratch' evenings where producers get the chance to try out unfinished works on a real live audience and get feedback are legendary. I saw Jerry Springer The Opera here before it got all polished and hit the West End and most recently, they've hooked up with theatre company, Punchdrunk for the Mask of the Red Death interactive experience which is just amazing.
Whatever is going on down here it's almost always worth a look.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of The Falcon
29 Sep 07, 16:25
Decent boozer 
They seem to have ditched the TVs here - maybe in a bid to smarten the place up. It used to be a decent place to watch sport, but now it's just an honest to goodness boozer.
I've never sampled the fare, but the extensive sausage menu in itself is worth reading.
Given its proximity to Clapham Junction station, it could very easily have become one of those grot, close to station pubs but seems to have escaped by a whisker, although you'll still find the odd 'character' in there.
On the whole though, not a bad place to while away some time while you're waiting for a train.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Banana Leaf Canteen
29 Sep 07, 16:22
Thai me up 
If you've been to the likes of The Pepper Tree in Clapham Common, you'll recognise the set up here. It's Wagamama without the corporate aspect.
Communal canteen style seating in unprepossessing surroundings but swift service delivering tasty, predominantly Thai-style food. Prices are very competitive and for under £9 you can get a main course with rice, a salad, fishcakes and prawn crackers.
Big noodle soups are great, cheap and filling winter warmers and there are enough noodle, rice, spice, meat and veg combos to keep everyone happy.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of The Lavender
29 Sep 07, 16:17
Not quite in a purple patch
A good place for a pre-show snack or drink if you're heading across the road to the Battersea Arts Centre.
The Lavender is one of those bar meets pub meets restaurant type places. Great olives, either as accompaniment to drinks or a pre-dinner snack.
Food was good - sort of a modern European menu with things like calves liver, risotto, baked camembert etc.
Service let the place down when we were there most recently. Despite the fact that it was early evening and not too busy, it seemed slow to the point of laziness.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of The Goat
29 Sep 07, 16:13
This goat's no donkey
An infinite improvement on its previous incarnation, and one of those places that's really benefited from the smoking ban.
It's a modern pub serving a good range of booze to young Claphamites in sleekish surroundings. Food is served throughout, but if you want to eat away from the seething masses, the dining room upstairs is mezzanine style so you get a table to yourself but can still soak up the pub atmosphere.
Grub is gastropub style and a cut above your usual. Cote de Boeuf for two weighs in at around £30 including a generous portion of mash and veggies, and it would easily have served three; there's roast pork belly, haddock risotto, slow cooked lamb - you get the picture.
It's strange there aren't more places like this in the area, but maybe that's why it gets so busy at weekends - get down early or expect to battle for space.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of Marzano
06 Aug 07, 23:41
Non e bene 
This is the sort of Italian that makes me want strangle the owners with their own spaghetti. It's not even worthy of being called an Italian - it's on a par with the likes of Spaghetti House but has pretentions to being Strada.
It's the Northcote Road equivalent of an Angus Steakhouse on Leicester Square, luring in people who don't know any better only to serve them inauthentic, poorly executed crap masquerading as Italian food.
Expect rubbery mozzarella (and that's before it's been cooked), over salted and over cooked pasta and other renditions of Italian food that would reduce anyone, Italian or not, to tears.
You'd be better off buying a lasagne from M&S down the road and zapping it in the microwave.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of La Pampa Grill
06 Aug 07, 23:36
Steak it out
I'm sorry Fiona B had a bad meal here. A lot of people had recommended it to me and I wondered if it could live up to expectation, but I really liked it.
Went with a group of friends on a Sunday evening, place was quiet but still had atmosphere, mostly brought about by helpful staff who didn't seem to object to our noise levels and even encouraged us by bringing the birthday boy a shot of traditional Argentine filth.
There are no frills here when it comes to the decor - you kind of get the feeling you could be sitting at a long scrubbed table on a ranch somewhere in South America (well, you do if you have a slightly overactive imagination).
I'm picky about my steak and was impressed with both the cooking and the tenderness of what I'd ordered. Great chips, decent veg and a fruity red to wash it all down with.
No complaints here. Price seems fair for what it is and where it is. It's cheaper than the Gaucho Grills but less pretentious too. Vegetarians will hate it. And starve.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.