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Le Gothique is housed in the beautiful Royal Victoria Patriotic building in a location which has had a rich and varied history from its original beginnings as a girl’s orphanage and later being taken over by MI5 during World War 2 who kept Rudolph Hess there for two nights upon his arrival in England. Though a French restaurant is a much tamer use for the building,  it’s certainly retained its atmosphere and charm. So now that it’s summer, Le Gothique is great venue to head to for a relaxed drink in its tranquil surroundings.  (Words: Lucy Palmer) 

For more info, visit: www.legothique.co.uk

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We started with delicious, seasonal cocktails of Rubarb and ginger prosecco cocktail, a harmonious balance of spice and tang and our helpful waiter advised on his favourites. We sampled the coronation chicken, rare beef salad and pea and mint arancini. The starters are reasonably priced at between £5-£7, and their size makes them almost suitable as a main. The rare beef salad is fresh and echoes the start of spring with its shaved raw asparagus. But it misses a kick of flavour to lift it further. The retro serving of Coronation Chicken was huge, large pieces of chicken in delicious homemade curry spiced mayonnaise; we devoured it whole-heartedly. The arancini wouldn’t fool an Italian but the mini size was fun for sharing.

Our mains were a Pork belly with BBQ sauce and macaroni cheese with wild garlic and Jerusalem artichokes. Both again are large dishes and slightly overwhelming. The pork belly is well-cooked, and the fat crunchy and rich. It is drenched in BBQ sauce, which isn’t for all tastes, but comes with sweet potato fries and homemade slaw. The mains range from £13.50 – £23.50, which sounds steep but the size won’t leave you feeling short-changed. The wild garlic, which is always a pleasure to spy on a menu, lifted the macaroni cheese to the next level.
My only gripe with the experience was the slow service. The restaurant was surprisingly busy for a weekday and this seems to have taken the staff by surprise too. I was left wondering if they had enough manpower to support the obvious demand from the hungry locals. We finished on a plate of chocolate desserts, which was a great sharing option. And, considering the size of the portions, that’s all you will be able to squeeze in! The menu is eclectic and includes French, Mediterranean, Modern British and a bit of New York eatery. The dishes change by season, which should keep their regulars interested too. There is also a large seating area out front, which will no doubt be a hit when that summer does finally arrive. (Words: Laura Thornley)

For more info, visit: www.therookeryclapham.co.uk

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Located not far from the trendy Northcote Road in Clapham Junction, the BAC is definitely a cool place to be. I went to see the multi-talented spoken-word poet, rapper-cum-playwright Kate Tempest a few months ago, and against  futuristic background music, the tattooed wordsmith was funny, witty, and entertaining, linking the theme of mythology to young peoples’ struggle in society.

What’s also great about the BAC is the atmosphere  (you can bring your drinks from the bar into the show) and meet the actors themselves, so for raw theatre that’s good on the pocket, the  BAC Freshly Scratched Christmas show takes place on December 22-23 2011.  (Words: Zaneta Denny) 

 For more info visit www.bac.org.uk. 

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