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Harrison's
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Harrison’s , the latest venture of Sam Harrison (co-owner of Sam’s Brasserie in Chiswick), opened in October 2007. Like the west London original, this is a lovely laid-back venue. It has eased snugly into a corner site in the funky part of Balham and makes much of its neighbourhood credentials. Brunch is a particular pleasure – on a hot summer’s morning the windows are thrown wide; a jazzy soundtrack accompanies the buzz of happy, white-aproned staff in the central kitchen area; and a mixed Balham clientele slouches on the big, brown banquette. The design is beautifully simple: wood, flowers, metal kitchen, lots of muted light. For brunch, try the house salad of tomatoes, avocado, caramelised onion, lettuce and salty crayfish tails; or an utterly succulent cheeseburger with own-made spicy chutney and frites. The tuna niçoise contains just-boiled eggs, a bouncy bed of leaves, and a slab of barely seared tuna. We envied the stack of buttermilk pancakes on the next table. In the evenings or at lunchtime, the culinary approach is just as simple – cumberland sausages, pan-fried mullet, and so on. There’s a separate menu (and face painting) for the kids, jazz on Sunday evenings, and a private bar. In all, just what any neighbourhood needs.
Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009
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Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.
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Details
- 15-19 Bedford Hill, Balham, SW12 9EX
- Area: Balham
- Tel: 020 8675 6900
- www.harrisonsbalham.co.uk
- Book online
- Category: Modern European
- Times: Lunch served noon-3pm; dinner served 6-10.30pm Mon-Fri. Meals served 9am-4pm, 6-10.30pm Sat, Sun
- Price: Main courses £9.50-£17.50. Set lunch £11.50 2 courses, £15 3 courses. Set dinner £14 2 courses, £17 3 courses
- Credit cards: AmEx, MC, V
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Went to Harrison's first time yesterday. The place itself is pleasant enough but nothing special, doesn't really have a character. Service was all right. We went for the set dinner menu. The soup was nice, hot, velvety but came in a rather small bowl. Second wasbraised lamb neck with root vegetables and mash. I found that the meal itself wasn't hot enough, the lamb was gorgeously tender but tiny. 1/2 slice of carrot and 1/2 slice of parsnip accompanied the meal. Creme brulee had an unusual fruity twist which was rather nice.
Overall, the food in Harrison's is good but the portions are very small even for a lady and a result of this we found that the bill was pricey. Drinks are very expensive!
Wow, the staff of Harrison's made my day on Sunday! Although the place was busy and some loud and uncontrolled (thanks to inconsiderate parents) children were around the staff accomodated our needs - with a smile! Thank you guys. We had so many laid-back Sunday lunches here - this place is what Balham needs. Recommend it to everybody.
I've always loved harrison's and they did not let me down this weekend. I went with friends for lunch at the weekend to celebrate a birthday, and they could not have dealt with us better. Our numbers changed 3 times and we were 1 hour late by the time we were all there and ready to finally order. Their great selection of kids toys and colouring kit helped keep the kids quiet (relatively) while us grownups had a fab lunch with lovely food and attentive service. I luv their roast! See you again soon guys. Perhaps without all the kids next time!
I've tried so hard to like this place. I would love for it to live up to the reviews, I would love to be able to tell my friends about this amazing local restaurant at the end of my road. I would love to be able to come here for dinner and a glass of wine to make it all better after a crap day at work.
But the only thing this place can do consistently is disappoint.
On the race occasions when the service drags itself off the floor, the food is dire.
When the food doesn't need to be sent back, the service is beyond slow.
But last weekend was the final straw. A group of friends, so with children, came for lunch.
The adults were having starters, the children weren't. We made the simpliest of requests - was it possible for the children's meals to arrive with our starters?
No, this was seemingly impossible - all main courses have to be served together. And as punishment for asking, we were made to wait an hour for our starters.
I will be disappointed no more. I'm staying away from now on.
Great decor!
Since posting my last review, I have been contacted by Sam Harrison, the owner of this restaurant, who has made every effort to rectify the bad experience we had. If his swift and professional response is anything to go by, the teething problems will soon be ironed out.