The first thing that you notice about London House is how neatly it fits into its local surrounds. The grand picture online doesn’t relay the very bustling active village feel that there is around Battersea Square, which is just a stones throw from the West End and The City.
It immediately gives a welcoming and comfortable feeling as you take in the hive of activity sitting out on the small porch area or walk in to through the double fronted folding doors.
Although we went in summer you could imagine being equally as comforted in the depths of winter, as the cosy nature of the interior lends itself to a more intimate warming feel.
The menu is direct, big enough and to the point, designed for quick selection and yet somehow Ramsay lookalike and head chef George Lyon, has packed it with mouth-watering dishes that go well beyond the simple.
London House Head Chef, George Lyon
And so to drinks. Here there is excellent innovation with 6 white wines, 2 rose and 6 red wines not just served by the glass but by the 500 ml carafe. Behind the scenes is a piece of technology – Verre du Vin, which preserves wines from becoming oxidised. In times gone past air getting to wine has been one of the issues of offering wines by the glass. If the venue doesn’t have great wine sales, then you could be drinking a bottle that has been opened for a week or more. As a result it doesn’t taste great. Not ideal for that occasion that you are paying pretty penny for, especially not these days when everyone, perhaps barring the super rich, is looking for value for money.
The great thing is that you are not restricted to a choice of 6 wines at the volume end of the price scale. You can trade up to an excellent Marlborough Sauvignon from Kumeu River or alternatively, as our choice, the excellent Ch du Nozay Sancerre for just £30 the carafe. This is an excellent wine of its type, crisp, subtly gooseberry Sauvignon from the Central Vineyards of France, where the Sancerre vineyards and region has been making these wines for many years.
It was an excellent accompaniment to Denis’ choice of Wye Valley Asparagus, with kale pesto and duck egg, as much as it partnered the tasty chicken thigh with yellow bean salad and artichoke. Chicken thigh is the most succulent and tasty parts of the chicken and this yellow bean salad gave texture, whilst the artichoke resonated through the palate – delicious.
We were treated with a mise bouche (well it was a little more than a mouthful) of a cep pasta. Who can resist sumptuous home made (or close too, it is simply not possible to create the texture taking the dried route) pasta, filled with rich unctuous ceps. Heaven.
For mains Denis took the onglet fillet, one of the most underrated beef cuts – its coarse grain is more flavour filled than the traditional fillet, whilst my selection of the roast duck was still tender with crispy skin and fresh chargrilled gem lettuce and pea puree is an excellent summer dish. The cheeky accompaniment of the beef fat chips and spring greens were all washed down with the superb Cabernet Franc made by Bruwer Raats. This wine from South Africa is made in small quantities and truly delicious chocolate box ripe Cabernet Franc, which has a lighter slight raspberry tone, quite different characteristics to its more well known blackcurranty Cabernet Sauvignon brother.
If I’d had room for the dessert, then I probably would have chosen the raspberry and pistachio parfait. However I made up for lack of dessert by sneaking some of Denis’ British cheese selection.
It is often small touches that make a difference and London House is refined in that way. Carafes, a creative, but not fussy menu, ‘kids eat free’ which belie the village feel, with good quality delivered as expected. All round the food and service do great justice to the comfortable inviting surroundings. A contemporary menu styled for its local busy surrounds, yet touched with some style and that extra touch of something extra that sets excellent places apart.
Alistair Morrell
Hospitality & Catering News, Wine Content Executive
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