Bistro Union - Clapham
Abbeville road runs parallel to the East side of Clapham common and is home to an abundance of cafes, bistros and restaurants, hidden away from busy Clapham high street. This area is apparently known as “Abbeville village” (a name that I’m sure was coined by estate agents rather than locals) but with its upmarket butchers and bakers, I can see why it has stuck. And it is here we find Bistro Union; self-proclaimed “quintessentially British bistro”, I thought this would be the perfect place to get a good breakfast.
We didn’t get off to the best of starts unfortunately. It was about midday when we arrived and the restaurant was about a quarter full, however, after a bit of umming and erring we were offered a seat at the bar. A bit odd really as whilst I’m sure some of the tables were reserved for lunch, others remained empty for the whole time we were there. The bar wasn’t so bad though, as we found the first of the restaurant's little ‘quirky’ features; a small drawer under each place at the bar, with cutlery and napkin inside. Another nice little touch and in keeping with the idea of a ‘local’ restaurant is the 25 little drawers above the bar, where you can store your bottle of your favourite tipple, so you can have some whenever you pop in (much more useful if you are coming for dinner rather than breakfast).
We didn’t get off to the best of starts unfortunately. It was about midday when we arrived and the restaurant was about a quarter full, however, after a bit of umming and erring we were offered a seat at the bar. A bit odd really as whilst I’m sure some of the tables were reserved for lunch, others remained empty for the whole time we were there. The bar wasn’t so bad though, as we found the first of the restaurant's little ‘quirky’ features; a small drawer under each place at the bar, with cutlery and napkin inside. Another nice little touch and in keeping with the idea of a ‘local’ restaurant is the 25 little drawers above the bar, where you can store your bottle of your favourite tipple, so you can have some whenever you pop in (much more useful if you are coming for dinner rather than breakfast).
Brunch is served until 3pm on a Saturday and 4pm on a Sunday; The fry up is £10, but I decided to go for the juicy brunch pack which is a fry up, a coffee and a fresh orange juice for £12 (you could go one step further and have the boozy brunch, which swaps out the OJ for a bloody Mary, £15).
The coffee and Orange juice were both great, the latter served in a half pint dimple glass (very British) with a slice of blood orange. So far so good.
Then arrived the main event; in an incredibly hot frying pan were two chipolata sausages wrapped in bacon, a fried egg, black pudding, tomato and mushrooms. And on the side beans and toast. The presentation was certainly different but it made it bit tricky to eat, one because you are very aware of not touching the sides and being scolded and two because it kept the food extremely hot to the point that the tomato and black pudding were too hot to enjoy. Once you puncture the golden yolk of the egg, it continues to cook which is a real shame. There were some good things though, outside of the frying pan the homemade baked beans were great and the fresh bread toast was good too.
The verdict
A fry up that ended up being style over substance, but still an interesting place if you want something a bit quirky.
Brunch is served until 3pm on a Saturday and 4pm on a Sunday; The fry up is £10, but I decided to go for the juicy brunch pack which is a fry up, a coffee and a fresh orange juice for £12 (you could go one step further and have the boozy brunch, which swaps out the OJ for a bloody Mary, £15).
The coffee and Orange juice were both great, the latter served in a half pint dimple glass (very British) with a slice of blood orange. So far so good.
Then arrived the main event; in an incredibly hot frying pan were two chipolata sausages wrapped in bacon, a fried egg, black pudding, tomato and mushrooms. And on the side beans and toast. The presentation was certainly different but it made it bit tricky to eat, one because you are very aware of not touching the sides and being scolded and two because it kept the food extremely hot to the point that the tomato and black pudding were too hot to enjoy. Once you puncture the golden yolk of the egg, it continues to cook which is a real shame. There were some good things though, outside of the frying pan the homemade baked beans were great and the fresh bread toast was good too.
The verdict
A fry up that ended up being style over substance, but still an interesting place if you want something a bit quirky.
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