Review: Launch of The Table’s new evening menu
Review: Launch of The Table’s new evening menu
Lauded brunch restaurant sets its sights on the Mediterranean…
By Tara Robinson
Nestled on the edge of Clapham Common – that liminal line where Clapham meets Battersea – sits the new second site of award-winning brunch restaurant The Table. Famous for their delicious brunch menu of artisan burgers and specials of smoked ham hock and chorizo hash, The Table are setting their sights even further along the horizon. This ambition takes us to the launch of their new evening menu, in which Mediterranean small plates dining meets delightful cocktails.
Ambition is a funny thing. It doesn’t always pay off. But for The Table’s latest culinary venture, it’s safe to say it categorically did. Starting off with deliciously-pink rum and raspberry cocktails, we launched right into a nibbles plate of Padron Peppers with paprika crumb and almond white sauce, sourdough toast topped with Baron Bigod brie and truffle honey and another round of sourdough with hummus, sweet and sour grilled aubergine and Dukkah.
The star of the plate was undoubtedly the brie-topped toast – the sweetness of the truffle honey combined with the earthy taste of brie made for a divine blend. The hummus was light and creamy, mixing fabulously with well-cooked aubergine. The Padron Peppers were admittedly outshone by their companion nibbles – nice enough, but not as palatably inspiring. We still finished off the plate, so take from that what you will!
The next course of small plates sailed in straight from the Mediterranean sea – grilled prawns cooked in garlic and chilli oil, so succulent they could practically melt in your mouth. A plate of lamb kofta was complemented by a criminally-good tahini yoghurt with rose harissa. If The Table knows how to do one thing, its pair richly-flavoured ingredients with dips that complement them like a match made in heaven. The final small plate of burrata with heritage tomato and sun-dried tomato pesto sealed the deal: The Table has no problem delivering when it comes to serving out-of-this world light plates dining.
The next course consisted of larger sharing plates paired with sides. Our sharing plate arrived in the form of an herb-crusted salmon with purple-sprouting broccoli and lemon-and-butter sauce. This was served with a mixed side of parmesan and truffle oil fries and griddled sweet potato rounds with chimichurri. The salmon was lovely but did seem to strike one as more of a personal main dish than a sharing plate. The final course of a vegan chocolate brownie with dairy-free ice cream was rich and sweet, but hard to finish by this point, considering how full up we were!
Ultimately, it seems The Table is right to set their sights beyond the brunch menu that has allowed them to make a name for themselves. This experimental new menu shines the brightest in the small plates arena, where it’s clear they’ve perfected their craft. Perhaps it’s worth venturing to the end of the Common, and allowing them to transport you on a culinary journey across the Mediterranean, to those sunnier, tastier pastures.
BOOK HERE: thetablecafe.com
