It is not often that I head SOTR -(South of the River) to Clapham/Battersea, however, I had been promised ‘one of the best lunches in London.’ How could I refuse?
Soif, is somewhere that had not been on my radar, on arrival I realised it is from the same owners as the critically acclaimed restaurants; Terroirs, Brawn and Green Man & French Horn. From a quick glance at the menu I learnt that Soif was french and fine French at that. A simple menu that included all the French classics; moules frites, bavette accompanied with chips and cafe de Paris butter as well as grilled fish like only the French know how. I was strongly advised to go for the lunchtime chef’s special deal, the special changes daily and comes with a glass of wine of your choice and is followed by a coffee for the very reasonable price of £10. The special for us was fried sardines with tomatoes on grilled sourdough. A dish that had the potential to be very standard – nice but just nice! Not, however in the case of Soif. This very simple dish of effectively bread, fish and tomatoes simply blew me away. The sardines were meaty and delicious, covered in perfectly ripe, juicy tomatoes and topped with the most delicious, flavoursome dressing. Which I am guessing was made with the most simple of ingredients; olive oil, lemon and garlic. This dish proves that simple really can be best, especially when the raw ingredients are of high quality and uber fresh! The prefect addition to this dish was a glass of light white wine. Apres, I substituted the coffee for a fresh mint tea.
Honestly a truly perfect light lunch for a crazy light price, but still premium quality french food. I really wasn’t expecting to find such a gem, it just shows, venturing slightly further than you usually would can pay off. If Soif is on your doorstep you are too lucky! Perfect for a working lunch or laid back catch up with friends. J’adore.