The new restaurant provides heart-warming food in cosy surroundings.
Until now, I had only ever thought of Earlsfield as the stop before Wimbledon on my commute, but a recent trip to newly-opened Ben’s Canteen has put it firmly on my radar.
The café/restaurant opened last month following the success of its first branch in Battersea. On a grey and very wet Tuesday, the restaurant provided the warm and cosy shelter we were looking for and lifted our spirits on what had been a pretty miserable day.
Like its premises in Battersea, the restaurant is furnished with a rustic and quirky style – exposed brick wallpaper, old-school condiment jars and mismatched tables and chairs. While quiet when we first arrived, the place soon filled up and it became apparent that the new venue has already cemented a good reputation.
We were served by an extremely friendly waiter who was on hand to provide advice about which cocktails to opt for and help us decide on our meal choices when we were too indecisive. I decided to throw my health kick out of the window and go for the Mexi burger with sweet potato fries. The burger, which came in a brioche bun, was perfectly cooked, but it was the chips that really made the meal stand out. Sweet potato being my favourite food, I was always going to be easily pleased, but the fluffiness of the potato contrasting with the crispy skins made them the best I had tasted for a long time.
My friend opted for the restaurant’s classic BC burger, a double beef burger with homemade burger sauce and cheese. Being a ‘growing boy’, he chose to have two sides – chips with cheese and a portion of coleslaw. As a northerner I was happy to steal some of his cheesy chips and while they weren’t as good as the sweet variety, they were still a tasty companion to the meal.
Aside from the food, the cocktails alone are worth visiting for, especially if you can make it on a Tuesday evening when its 2 for 1. The menu is vast and has something to suit most tastes. We both had a ‘summer cup’, which was as refreshing as I had hoped although I would have liked more fresh fruit rather than just a few pieces of orange.
The restaurant is open seven days a week and is popular for its indulgent brunches, served between 9am-5pm, something I’ll certainly be recommending for our next work meeting.
Visit their website for more information.
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