Harrison’s, Balham

What did you get for your fifth birthday? A bike with stabilisers? An Action Man? A pair of stirrup leggings embellished with tiny Postman Pat heads (thanks mum)?

Well, to celebrate its fifth anniversary, lucky old restaurant and bar Harrison’s in Balham has been treated to a stylish makeover, a revamped menu courtesy of head chef Ian Leckie and a new basement cocktail bar.

The informal eatery co-owned by Rick Stein and Rebecca Mascarenhas has been refurbished to become a relaxed, inviting place to go, resembling a New York diner but much classier and with steampunk light fittings (which work together better than you might think). The new cocktail bar is an awesome, sociable space. All candlelight and exposed brickwork, it’s cosy but with room for more people than you would expect, with bar stools you actually want to sit at; there’s a ‘no standing rule’, so plenty of room to swing your legs.

The cocktail menu is a pretty diverse list, including twists on old favourites as well as new inventions. We were recommended a Honeyed Old Fashioned, consisting of bourbon, honey and bitters. It’s pretty strong, but the honey smooths over the aftertaste that should have shaken you out of your chair. We also tried another staff favourite, Fresh Passion – Vodka and limoncello and best of all a flaming piece of passionfruit floating across the top like a defeated battleship. Whoever came up with these cocktails has a knack for balancing the sweet and the sour.

Something that really strikes you at Harrison’s is the enthusiasm and the friendliness of the staff. As we were seated back on ground level in plush red sofas and made our selections from the menu, the general manager and waiters who served us were clearly really into the food that was on offer. We sampled three incredible starters: Leckie’s signature lamb belly fritters with pumpkin puree and salsa verde, a chilled crab trifle, and a burrata with clementines and almonds. The crab trifle was particularly tasty, and the fruit in the other two gave both an unusual kick.

Leckie has also opted to hone some well-loved dishes, so combined with the more experimental starters you really get the sense that he and Harrison wanted to create an accessible menu which gives diners the chance to eat some excellent food. My guest went for a 10oz sirloin steak for his main. I decided on the Elwy Lamb shoulder shepherd’s pie with honey roasted vegetables, and it slightly blew my mind. This is how all shepherd’s pies everywhere should be made, by law – with amazingly tender lamb and delicious seasoned mash.

It’s a real treat to find a restaurant where they’ve put as much thought into how sociable and welcoming the place should be as well as creating properly tasty, thoughtfully made dishes. Where you feel like you’re eating really well-crafted cuisine but also feel relaxed and not broke after. I strongly advise you take a trip to Balham for this.

Harrison’s
15 – 19 Bedford Hill
Balham
SW12 9EX

Tel: 020 8675 6900