Restaurants

By Guy Dimond

A sandwich board in the street advertises the evening’s sports fixtures; the plasma screen TV in the bar holds several goggle-eyed men, lagers in hand, transfixed.

Don’t let first impressions deter you. Walk straight past this spectacle into the rear dining room, which has changed little since the days when it was bar-brasserie Ditto. It’s worth it, because the cooking here is currently the best in Wandsworth Town.

A starter of scallops with slices of black pudding is a classic pairing, flavour-packed when served on a bed of diced bacon and peas.

Crubeens, an Irish dish, is something that can be dreadful if done badly, but here they’re exemplary little pucks of deep-fried, shredded salted pork. The crisp outer concealed the gelatinous bite of the flesh from pig’s trotters inside.

These were served with the perfect accompaniment of a sauce gribiche. This relish resembles an egg mayonnaise but the addition of chopped capers gives it the sharpness to cut through the slightly rubbery texture of the crubeens; a garnish of bitter watercress pulls the dish together masterfully.

It’s clear that the chef knows how to handle meat, yet equal talent was displayed with our vegetarian main course (one of two choices).

The ‘parmesan pancake’ was actually more like a soufflé, delicate in texture but imbued with deep flavours from the aged cheese and sautéed wild mushrooms, topped with some wild rocket.

Another winner was a fillet of hake, served on a very appetising bed of baby artichokes, cherry tomatoes and a herby olive oil dressing.

Where Steam does comes unstuck is by describing itself primarily as a ‘wine bar’. Even though it hosts occasional wine dinners, the selection of wines is nothing special, and the list is badly annotated with pointless headings such as ‘exotic and other’.

Steam’s a brasserie with excellent cooking – and
a sports screen in the bar. If you live locally, you should cherish it.

Time Out London Issue 2041: October 1-7 2009