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Please note, Ben's Canteen has now closed. Time Out Food editors, MARCH 2020.
The former Willie Gunn wine bar site in Earlsfield has been taken over by the nice chaps behind Ben’s Canteen in Battersea, making this the second branch. The two adjoining rooms have been given a bright and jolly makeover, with lots of bright white surfaces and Keiller’s marmalade jars on the tables to make it feel a little homely. The menu covers the usual breakfast, sandwich and burger dishes that you might expect of a smart caff, though with a few more unusual dishes such as a variation on the North African shakshuka (baked eggs topped with a tomato and pepper stew, plus spinach in this case). The dishes are done well, from the pert potato chips to the invitingly soft sweet potato chips.
On our visit, our coffees were served tepid, the result of an inexperienced coffee barista. We sent them back, but the replacements were only marginally warmer; more training on the espresso machine was required. Be warned too that the location and prices means that this caff attracts more than its share of pram-pushing mothers of the blond, affluent, and overly confident variety. On our midweek lunch visit we could barely hear ourselves think over the resulting racket, and it wasn’t just the toddlers who were in full voice. Maybe it's better to visit in the evenings.