Eat & Drink
Originally published on Thursday, 15th January 2009
The Avalon
This new foodie boozer at the wrong end of Balham Hill kinda has to be good to make up for its less than inspiring location - there was even an abusive, screaming nutter at the bus stop outside the night we went which was almost a step too far, we decided, and must have been put there by one of the local competition in an aim to sabotage the place.
Luckily The Avalon feels very much a safe and stylish haven to retreat into, the bar being spacious and welcoming in a way we've come to expect from gastropubs, and the dining room one of the nicest I've stepped into in a long time. Dominated by two enormous chandeliers that look a bit like gilded oversize lobster pots but are in fact welded together from parts of a ship, the room manages to be both grand and cosy, thanks partly to the lighting which, hallelujah, they've got right (why do others find it so hard?), as well as a sweeping banquette and an antiquey-looking mirrored wall at one end.
At £13.50 the roast Wagyu beef with all the trimmings (a special that they're sticking with for now) is sure to prove a hit, and also worth trying are the wood pigeon starter and the coriander and hazlenut roast pears for pudding,
And you can get your picture taken with the screaming nutter on the way out.
Hours: Mon-Thurs 11am-12am / Fri-Sat 11am-1am / Sun 12-10.30pm
Place: 16 Balham Hill, SW12 9EB
Cost: £35
Web: theavalonlondon.com
Book: 020 8675 8613
