Our Dan heads downtown to the Old Town. No 32 Old Town, in Clapham, to be exact – where he is greeted by hundreds of Londoners making the very most of what is left of the English Summer. Meanwhile, there is food, and beer…
Rating:
Cuisine:
Modern European
Appeals to:
Clapham sun worshippers with a bar/pub penchant and a hankering for rooftop dining/drinking (perhaps you’ve just finished a stint on Clapham Common?). People who want something akin to a pub experience, but a little more upmarket and expensive. The kind of people who enjoy noisy dates / date nights and the company of strangers. Anyone who ever wanted to eat a chocolate tart with Rice Krispies in it :3
In a word:
Trendy
Old Town, New Bar-Restaurant
Situated in leafy Clapham, 32 Old Town is a more bar than restaurant, located within a mere stones’ throw of the tube station and common. The small restaurant area is lovely, an open plan kitchen allows diners to see the chefs cooking away, the sizzling and rising flames combined with the chatter of customers making for an intimate (but not quiet) dining experience – an experience quite at odds with the more energetic feel of the rest of the place.
Upstairs, there’s more seating, relaxing sofas and an open roof terrace – should you fancy relaxing with background music and a cocktail. Judging by the night I show up (a Thursday) No 32’s doing pretty well, packed from early evening. Pricewise, it can be a little more dear than some of the competition, providing everything you’d expect from an independent in London.
The Food and Drink
Starters:
Smoked salmon dill and lemon pate, with rye crisps
Simple yet flavoursome, the smoked salmon pate is blended to perfection; offering a subtle taste that is not too overpowering and with a few drops of lemon juice that really gets the palate working. Texture is everything here, as the pate is offset with the rye crisps. Admittedly the crunchiness takes some getting used to, especially if you are used to soft rye bread; but it works as a light opener.
Mains:
Coconut poached chicken salad, with avocado, watercress and yuzu dressing
It was a tough job choosing a main tonight; my indecisiveness only heightened by a nice selection of steaks, fish and in house burgers. Plus I’m not a particularly fussy eater so those are my staples when going out. I settle for the poached coconut chicken salad, a modestly presented dish with sliced jalapeno peppers decorating the watercress; the ideal, light meal for a warm evening.
The chicken is tender, cooked to perfection with a hint of coconut that meshes nicely with the fire provided by the thinly sliced peppers.
The avocado (often underrated and never appreciated) is the perfect addition (I’m a big fan, okay?). The creamy texture works well in bringing out the coconut in the chicken; bouncing off the contrasting flavours in the dish. Healthy too; a balanced ‘clean’ meal for those trying to keep their macronutrients in check – as I am at the moment.
Desserts:
Bitter chocolate tart with chocolate mousse and rice krispies
Well, all that talk of healthy eating goes out of the window when it comes to the dessert. Let’s call this a ‘treat’, and a great one at that.
Presented with a slice of chocolate tart split in two, with crumbled rice krispies delicately poised on top of chocolate mousse. It felt like a real throwback dessert, in particular the combination of chocolate mousse and rice krispies; childhood favourites!
It’s meant to be bitter, but is anything but; satisfying the sweet tooth’s urges with a great combination of textures (because I love textures…). We ate this between the two of us but I feel like we should have ordered one each. Well damn.
The Verdict
I found Old Town to be everything I expect in a restaurant from an aesthetic point of view; yes, it’s modern but they’ve done well to maintain some of the original features of the venue. The demographic is mixed, leaning towards the 25-40 age bracket. With the chatter and music on top of that, I found it a bit noisy and hard to make good conversation; but I’d put that down to it being a Thursday night and a glorious summer evening.
Don’t let that put you off. The menu is varied enough to cater to the needs of most. Through in the open plan kitchen, the rooftop terrace, cocktails (if that’s your sort of thing) and you have a restaurant/bar with ambiance hard to match.
Highly recommended!
The Details
020 3535 0910
32 The Pavement, London SW4 0JE