Black Radish

Black Radish is the absolute encapsulation of a cosy neighbourhood bistro, the kind of place you crave to have on your doorstep for those nights you want to take friends for a special supper at your favourite little secret. The kind of place that on the one hand you want to tell everyone about because it’s so darn delicious, but on the other you want to keep to yourself lest you relinquish your ease of getting a table. Tricky.

In the heart of Wimbledon Village, Black Radish draws inspiration from the bistros of Paris, serving inventive, modern cooking in a cosy, elegant, candle-lit dining room, full of soothing grey tones with a little pink bar tucked away at the back. Visiting on a drizzly Thursday evening, we were the first through the door post-work, but the dining room soon filled up; whether they were returning locals or those like me who braved the District line to try something new I’m not sure, but the fact it was nearly full on a weeknight can only be a good sign.

The menu is minimal, but by no means basic. Midweek one can enjoy a choice of three starters, three mains and three desserts. A five course set menu, with two of the starters, two mains and a pud, is available for £49, or for delicious dose at a fraction of the price you can enjoy a midweek supper deal of a selected main dish and glass of wine for a very reasonable £15, though be forewarned there’s only a 45 minute ordering window.

I started with a spring roll like croustilant of crushed delicia squash, with 36 month aged parmesan and burnt onion, a perfectly proportioned crisp pastry housing a delicately sweet dose of squash. For the main I passed on the rather splendid sounding loin of Yorkshire hogget in favour of a pan roast fillet of pollock with salsify braised in red wine, monks beard and a crisp slice of pork belly. Rarely is flakiness a desired accolade, but when it comes to a fillet of fish you want it to be falling apart at the slightest touch of your fork. Mission accomplished. My only gripe with it in fact. The pudding menu is equally as impressive and we plumped for a frozen rhubarb and custard, with tangy forced rhubarb, a crisp shard of meringue and soothing ice cream in both flavours, swimming in a rhubarb sea of juice.

Though I’ve given up midweek drinking for Lent, the wine list was nothing short of impressive with over 80 bottles, including a £335 1989 Bordeux should it tickle your fancy and my companion very much enjoyed a glass or two of a spectacularly named ‘The Great White’ from Stellenbosch.

It’s a shame this little gold nugget of a restaurant isn’t closer to my doorstep, still if you’re South West enough for Wimbledon to be but a hop, skip and a jump away you might want to book a table at Black Radish before it gets impossible to.