This week I agreed to catch up with my friend at the newly opened Bistro Union around the corner from her flat in Abbeville Rd. From the creators of Trinity in Clapham old town, the bistro purports to be a more relaxed local place to grab a bite to eat. The decor and atmosphere is certainly so - with unprententious furniture and a laid-back back feel to it. Like a few other places that have opened up recently, the bistro has a bar where you can sit and enjoy a few drinks and fresh traditional nibbles, like sausage rolls, scotch eggs and pork scratchings and apparently you even help yourself to your own cutlery from the drawers in front of you.
Being around the little tables was comfortable enough to be conducive to sitting around chatting, even if somewhat a little too squished together. The waiting staff were really lovely and friendly though, going a long way to making up for the food and sometimes lack of flavour. Drinks also helped to ease the pain of this a little - I was impressed with the array of interesing and old-fashioned cocktails on the menu with a beautiful gin cucumber and ginger ale number taking the heat off the long wait til our food arrived. The house wine is also to be commended - none of that cheap-drink-only-to-get-drunk stuff. Unfortunately the bread wasn't up to much being a little stale and the butter neither.
We were just on the cusp of ordering a couple of those little snacks when our dishes arrived but we were shocked when the toad-in-the-hole plonked down was completely charred on top. We were unanimous that we wouldn't dare even serve this to our friends at home, let alone in a restaurant (at £11). The second waiter concurred (as I think the table next to our elbows did too I suspect) and whisked this away to be replaced with another and took it off our bill. Sadly the next one served wasn't really up to much either. The plaice was tasty but the flavour paled by the fact I kept on getting mouthfuls of bones. The greens and chips were nice accompaniments, although the addition of lots of garlic in the greens wasn't as good a pairing with the toad-in-the-hole
per the waiter's recommendation. With simply written menus, you don't find out these things until they are too late. Raspberry ripple ice cream was a nice ending, quaintly served in a little jar with a screw top.
After discussing the food and our impressions we heard next-door complaining about theirs to the waiter - the distinct lack of meat in the cottage pie for one. As we finished our pudding, this table by our elbows asked how our food was. She had been planning to bring her friends here for her birthday but was put off by the portions and at those prices. (around £15 for a main plus 12.5% service) They were promised that these were just teething problems, but how can you be so sure? Surely this should be over after their 'dry-run' period?
Well I think the moral of the story is don't try these places too soon - but not too long after they've opened either (the good staff by then have flown the nest). I'd go back for drinks and snacks but not hurry back for the mains too soon.
www.bistrounion.co.uk
www.trisori.com
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