Trinity Restaurant

British Restaurant in Clapham
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9 / 10 from 3 reviews
Address
4 The Polygon
Clapham
London
SW4 0JG
Map
Telephone
020 7622 1199
Cuisine
British
Region
Clapham
Nearest Station
Clapham Common
0.18 miles
Opening Summary
Lunch: Tuesday - Saturday 12:30-14:30 & Sunday 12:00-16:00
Dinner: Monday - Saturday from 18:30
Restaurant Facilities

Disabled Facilities

Children Welcome

Credit Cards Accepted

Booking Advisable

Clapham has changed dramatically in the last couple of decades, with young professionals moving here in droves attracted by cheap rents. Now there are many bars and restaurants to cater to the surge in population, but it is necessary to sort the wheat from the chaff.

Trinity is the best restaurant in the area. Adam Byatt opened it in 2006 to huge critical acclaim; his previous credentials include setting up Thyme, also in Clapham, and before that working under Phil Howard at the Square. Cuisine is British and as hearty as food at this level can be.

Trinity Restaurant Picture Gallery

Trinity Restaurant Picture
Trinity Restaurant Picture
Trinity Restaurant Picture
Trinity Restaurant Picture
Trinity Restaurant Picture
Trinity Restaurant Picture

All In London Review

a restaurant with bags of potential

Review Image
A blustery miserable rain-soaked Wednesday evening was brightened up by Clapham's Trinity, a restaurant with bags of potential, and a well priced 6 course tasting menu. The small dining room was full, yet there was no feeling of being cramped once seated. The same sadly cannot be said of the sofas where our table of four struggled to fit whilst waiting. However, once the food arrived it was hard to begrudge the maitre'd squeezing in as many diners as possible to sample what the clearly talented kitchen had to offer.

Canapés of organic radishes with a smoked cod's roe dip were simultaneously rustic yet refined. The flawless red orbs seemed polished to a dazzling shine and gave a satisfying peppery crunch that worked in harmony with the salty richness of the roe. Even the radish leaves appeared manicured and were indeed good enough to eat. Warm bread arrived soon after the radishes along with a smear of churned butter spread on a pebble, seemingly the must have table decoration this year. The bread was piping hot, nicely flavoured, although perhaps a touch oily. The kitchen also sent out a bowel of burrata, a homemade mozzarella stuffed with trimmings and cream. This tasted great, and the maitre'd assured us that it was very "trendy" in London at the moment. What was not trendy was our table's messy attempts to cut it up with the teaspoons provided...

The first course screamed Spring, and again blended the quirky with the classic. A bowl containing nothing but a tiny brightly coloured streak of ingredients and a delicate wild garlic flower, was soon submerged beneath a vivid green wild garlic and new potato Vichyssoise poured from a dairy crest milk bottle. The soup was refreshingly cold, while light and clean on the palette and the garlic did not overpower. Another bottle was left by our waiter/milkman if seconds were desired. The flavours deserved another helping, although that perhaps was not the wisest of decisions with five more courses left to come.

Sadly the charred mackerel course had sold out - devastating news to a mackerel lover - however a replacement of tuna was offered. Another option was to go off-piste and trial Trinity's signature trotter on toast. The crackling had the desired snap, and the fried quail's egg was suitably runny. The plate provided a pleasing bit of food, however, the dish lacked something. Pig was there, but perhaps not as to the fore as a big trotter fan was expecting. It must be said this was a very minor gripe. The tuna was the superior choice. The thin slice was expertly seared and beautifully rare. There was a distinct oriental flavour to the dish, and the bed of a single charred pak choi leaf was both clever in presentation and flavour, finally an avocado mousse brought everything together nicely.

The next bowl to arrive on the table seemed to contain a small rock pool. An enormous perfectly caramelised scallop sat next to some sea vegetables, a solitary mussel and clam, and a blob of mussel emulsion. All the flavours blended superbly and the pile of edible "sand" added a great texture to the dish.

The main course was a piece of beef that was the consistency of butter, a great piece of technical cooking. However, the supporting cast couldn't match up to the meat. Unfortunately the carrots were a bit closer to raw than al dente, the red wine sauce was very strong and the green smear across the plate had little flavour.

Curiously the palette cleanser was one of the stars of the menu. The frozen natural yogurt was clean on the tongue and the purée added the much needed sharpness. Finally the honeycomb gave the crunch and a sprinkling of bee pollen was an interesting first for the entire table.

The finale was a chocolate delice with coconut sorbet. This was smooth and incredibly rich, however, the sorbet did cut through the dark chocolate. This was a good end to the tasting menu, but not a world beater.

It is clear to see why Trinity are on the rise, and the tenacious kitchen sent out some great food. The chef also adapted well to an improvised vegetarian menu, with the gnocchi the star of the show. The quirky touches such as the milk bottle were good to see. Building on this identity would only improve what was a top notch restaurant and a brilliant way to escape the miserable early May weather.

Reviewed by James Whiting
Published on May 22, 2012


In The News

 picture
We catch up with Adam Byatt of the fabulous Trinity Restaurant

The man is nearing culinary royalty status as Trinity and his related ventures continue their ascendancy

Best For

London's best restaurants with art picture

London's best restaurants with art

Pretty walls and pretty plates

Award-winning South London restaurant Trinity have opened their upstairs floor as a second dining room, and to complete the decor they've commissioned artist Kristjana S Williams to create a huge floor to ceiling piece. Inspired by food, hexagonal glass windows have been placed in front of images of meringues and eggs, in intricate designs emulating the fine dining tradition of garnishing plates with sauces.

User Reviews

Belinda
from Hersham

Jun 23, 2014

I loved Trinity! Great service, amazing food and good location just near to Clapham Common. The radishes were crunchy as you like and so well-paired with the accompanying sauce; the bread was probably the best I've had.. I will DEFINITELY be coming back!!
Sooz

Apr 26, 2012

Top-notch food and service in comfortable and relaxed surroundings. I really enjoyed our meal out here and was impressed by the menu which brought some tasty and interesting quirks to the table e.g. fresh radish (leaves and all) with cod roe mousse as an amuse bouche - delicious!
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