Restaurants

Renouncing contrived Mediterranean fusion food, Fat Delicatessen serves great tapas and a sprinkling of Italian dishes. The menu is about simple cooking – stews, pasta, cheese, ham and puddings – that’s ideal for a lunchtime snack or an evening of sharing among mates. From the street, the place resembles a shop, which it is. Don’t be put off. Inside, the simple decor and white shelves holding bottles of oil, boxes and packets, create the air of an apothecary’s, but service is friendly and the clientele of mothers, gossiping Sloanes, and young professionals makes for a low-key, convivial vibe. An excellent £14 bottle of Tinta de Toro, olives and pan catalan, were the perfect antidote to a rainy night in Balham. Slivers of nutty jamón serrano put most parma in the shade. Meatballs in tomato sauce and patatas bravas were great comfort food before the fabada (an Asturian stew of beans, belly pork, black pudding and chorizo) and galician chicken really warmed our cockles. With most dishes costing £4-£8, Fat Deli will be more ruinous to your waistline than your wallet.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009