The former Balham Bar & Grill, modestly revamped, and now owned by Sam Harrison of Sam’s Brasserie (W4) fame; it remains a friendly and stylish spot, but the food is still rather an incidental attraction.
Nick Jones is one of the most successful club-proprietors of our day, and his Soho Houses – recently acquired by Scotts-proprietor Richard Caring – have become default media glitterati boltholes in both London and New York. He’s no slouch as a restaurateur either, and has brought a trendy vibe to establishments such as Cecconi’s in Mayfair. Even he, though, was defeated by Balham. Well, no, that’s not really true. Having been part of the early-wave operators that made Balham the bijou destination it is today, he decided last year that the sarf London suburb establishment no longer really fitted with his NyLon portfolio. The solution was to job the place on to Sam Harrison. The latter is, of course, the Sam of eponymous Chiswick brasserie fame, and he’s now put the other half of his name over the door in Balham.
Given the fact that Harrison’s is, spiritually speaking, the son of two trendy(ish) local destinations where the food is rather a secondary attraction, the new establishment is exactly what you would expect. A Saturday brunchtime visit found quite a buzzy place (not attracting a particularly beautiful crowd, it would have to be said) with pleasant (but sometimes slow) service and food which was very much a supporting attraction. Burger and chips seemed to be the local dish of choice – ours was in no way remarkable, and the other dishes were broadly in keeping.
Children are well looked after, but don’t dominate, making this a real all-the-family destination. We still left, though, regretting that the food was not that little bit better.
