Harrison's

Balham always seemed like a wild card. Club, bar and restaurant impresario Nick Jones made his name with private members' club Soho House, the Electric Brasserie in Notting Hill, the branch of Soho House in Manhattan, Babington House in Somerset… then Balham Kitchen & Bar, opened in 2003. Four years wasn't a bad run for a neighbourhood brasserie in one of London's less fashionable districts, but eventually Jones had to concede that his empire (estimated value of £70 million) needed a spring clean, and BKB had to go. This year, he opened members' club Shoreditch House in east London, and I expect not having to worry about BKB any more gave him some much-needed breathing space. Back in Balham, things go on much as before. BKB has now been taken over by Sam Harrison, a much smaller fish in the world of corporate finance, but a quite distinguished and respected restaurateur. His first restaurant, Sam's Brasserie & Bar in Chiswick, was the winner of the Time Out Eating & Drinking Award for Best Local Restaurant in 2006. BKB and SBR were so similar in approach and neighbourhood that the acquisition of BKB was a logical move. Walking in to Harrison's, it's not immediately obvious that anything has changed. The BKB zinc bar is still there; the same snug bar at the back; the same floor tiling and layout. New chairs, a lick of paint and a definite spruce-up, but it's hardly a radical makeover. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The menu's evolved a bit since BKB, though. Not in approach, because it's still a collection of brasserie dishes with a wide appeal, but inspiration from across the Atlantic and elsewhere has been woven in. Maryland crab cakes were packed with fresh crabmeat and served with a chilli-spiked aioli; a good starter, though the portion size wouldn't appease someone with a ravenous appetite. The slices of morcilla in another starter were also meagre, though this Spanish black sausage was succulent enough, and the accompanying cooked apple and watercress worked a treat with it. Seafood's a strength of the menu, as you'd hope when Rick Stein is one of Sam Harrison's financial backers. (Rick Stein's own-label Aussie wines also appear on the wine list, incidentally.) Oysters, prawns, fish pie, and that usual suspect, grilled sea bass, all appear. We tried the tuna burger, which was a good example, served quite rare in a firm bun with a miso-flavoured mayonnaise. Steaks are another staple, but the 'braised lamb shank shepherd's pie' sounded more intriguing. Packed with prime meat and richly flavoured, this was a world away from most pub pies. The puddings are comfort food. Key lime pie is a sliver of the classic dish from Florida that is in no danger of supersizing your thighs. Sherry trifle is reassuringly like grandma used to make; there's plum crumble or ice cream and cookies too. Harrison's is the epitome of an easy-going, smart neighbourhood place where you can take your kids, your parents, or a hot date without too much pressure or expectation. It serves a brunch menu, and you can just pop in for a coffee in the mornings. It's not populated by the capital's media movers and shakers, Brit Artists, or international financiers - and for that, Balham can be grateful.

http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/11757.html