Food: The Abbeville
It was very, very cold last Wednesday. Freezing in fact. The trains weren’t working properly and when one finally arrived I was squeezed into a corner by a ridiculously chatty lady who I imagine isn’t shy about asking for seconds at dinner time. Or any time in fact.
Anyway – a combination of these factors ensured I wasn’t in the best of moods hanging around at Clapham Junction waiting for my dinner date (The Boy) to meet me. Spending 20 minutes trying to hail a cab in the freezy London streets did absolutely nothing to cheer me up either.
I think it was safe to say I was a little grumpy.
Anyway – thanks to all my stressiness I was starving by the time we pulled up to The Abbeville, where we had been invited to try out their latest menu. I’d warmed up a little in the cab and was ready for a hearty British meal – which is what The Abbevilles website promised – And first impressions were good. Very good in fact.
OK, so The Abbeville is a little bit out of the way (around £7 in a taxi from Clapham Junction), but don’t hold that against it. From the second you walk in the front door, you know you made the right choice getting in that cab.
Walk through the (smallish) bar at the front to the dining room at the rear and you are welcomed by smiling staff, log fires, candle light and rustic wooden tables. Fresh Flowers and subtle Christmas decorations make the space feel homely. It’s the type of place that makes you feel comfortable straight away, a warm mixture of traditional and modern – and I liked it.
Luckily for hungry little me, the menu suited the venue perfectly. An excellent selection of British favourites, made with seasonal ingredients and a few modern twists. It wasn’t easy to decide what to have but I settled on the Chicken Liver Parfait to start, while the boy opted for a Stilton and Pine Nut Salad. Both were gorgeous – and the fresh bread that came along with mine was an absolute winner.
The main courses were equally good. The Boy chose the Fish Pie, while I (unusually) chose Chicken with Dauphinoise Potatoes, which were rich, garlicky and delicious – but so filling they managed to defeat me. Just.
The meals were hearty and we decided to skip pudding. Well, we nearly decided to skip pudding. In the end, after staring at the chalkboard for a good ten minutes, we shared a warm apple crumble with vanilla ice cream – a real treat. In truth we probably could have made our way through the dessert menu as pretty much everything tempted us…but our bellies were well and truly full and we were very, very happy.
Now, this is unlike me and I feel uneasy saying it, but I genuinely could not fault a thing about the experience. The service was friendly and quick, without being over-bearing. The food was good gastro-pub quality and well presented without being fussy. We were served drinking water without being asked and freshly baked bread and olives when we were seated. The cutlery and glassware were sparkling, the toilets clean, the atmosphere welcoming and warm. When I asked The (not-easily impressed) Boy if he had anything he could complain about, he pondered the question for a moment and then gave me an emphatic no (at which point I nearly fell off my chair).
I’m not exaggerating. Perhaps we went on a particularly good night. Maybe we made the right food choices, I don’t know. All I can say is that if you’re South of the River at any time soon, you should definitely head to The Abbeville. I had a lovely night surrounded by real fires, smiles, delicious food and good conversation…and I know I’ll be going back – soon.
(PS – you can get a free drink with your meal too – just click on the icon in the bottom right corner of the homepage to find out how)
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