BITE user comments - im_johnny_cash
Comments by im_johnny_cash
I've never had a problem with having a conversation in here and I certainly don't feel the need to shout. Yes, it's quite loud, but that's because there are plenty of people here usually. I like the atmosphere. Maybe that's because I'm concentrating on the company of the people I'm with and not desperately trying to spot chinks in others' armour. The service is always good at the bar and upstairs at the restaurant. The food is excellent in the restaurant, and the cocktail bar upstairs seems pretty good too, the two times I've used it. I've developed quite a rapport with the fish now - they will invariably lend a friendly and welcoming ear when I've had a bad day.
Haven't tried the new cinema in there yet, but will do soon. Good idea, given the lack of a 'real' cinema in Balham. Have been approached by dodgy DVD sellers quite a lot in here, which I wish didn't happen. Can't really blame the place for that, though.
22 Mar 2006 14:49
Used to be a grotty pub that was always empty apart from a Fri and Sat when the comedy was on. Of a weekday evening you'd often find only the smallest handful of people in here.
Now it's completely different, but it's still completely rubbish. The service is appalling, the clientele are even worse, the comedy is now �14 (fourteen quid for a night of mediocre comedy?? In Balham???) and when I go there (which is very rarely now) I leave feeling disappointed all over again, and seriously ripped off. I really ought to stop going then. I think I will.
I'm not sure the 'Evening Standard Pub of the Year (2002?)' means an awful lot. If I remember correctly, the pub had barely had its makeover from sticky-carpeted-old-p*sshead haunt to 'modern superpub' before winning that. Despite its undoubtedly impressive array of events/functions/activities, I seriously doubt whether anyone could have called it the 'best pub in London' with a straight face. What has happened to it since then has further reinforced my point of view.
Cr*p.
22 Mar 2006 13:37
Great vibe in here. Looks a bit tatty, but I seem to find it impossible to leave until very late, even when I've gone in for just a quick drink. The wine list, music, and service all conspire to make me feel more comfortable than I expect to, given that it's got a look more of a cafe than bar (all tables laid out for eating).
22 Mar 2006 13:15
Pretty good place, this, I reckon. Food below average but the bar is good - ambience and service generally great. A bit of a worrying tendency to look and sound like it's in Clapham on a Saturday night, but I suppose that's an unfortunate by-product of Balham's popularity. Maybe they'll realise they're in Balham and modify their behaviour accordingly when it dawns on them that it's a DISadvantage to be a w*nker if you want to fit in down here.
I'm a fan of 'south of the station' and this place regularly keeps me from going under that bridge to the everso slightly pass� north side.
22 Mar 2006 13:12
Reiterate Frankie76's comments. The barman greeted me by asking my name, then remembering it all night, and remembering it it the next time I went in a week later! Nice one.
Good cocktails. Fine service. Very good atmosphere. The music was a little loud for my liking, but then I am getting on a bit. A welcome addition to Balham.
22 Mar 2006 12:10
The Balham Kitchen and Bar, Balham
I've been using this place since it opened - it used to be my local, but now I've moved to the other side of Balham I don't go so much. One thing I can say about it is that it seems to go through phases of being utter rubbish - unimaginative menus, poorly prepared food, surly, superior and downright rude waiting staff, the slightly 'dodgy' element it attracts (mostly mates of the staff, it seems to me) - interspersed with times when it's top notch. I've had some fantastic meals here which compare with anything I've had at Chez Bruce, and the atmosphere can be brilliant on the right night.
It seems to me that the Soho House bigwigs come across the River once in a while and crack the whip, and standards improve for a while. This is followed by a steady drop-off until the same happens again. I might be wrong, but that's just my point of view, and it matches the patterns I've seen since its opening.
I'd say it's well worth a night out there on the whole, but it can be a bit of a lottery, especially when it's on a downward curve.
22 Mar 2006 11:57
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The Duke of Devonshire, Balham
Still a very good pub, despite the oversized-shade-wearing clientele. The bar staff seem to be a bit more on the ball than they were a few years ago and it's good for sitting at the bar having a quiet pint or a weekend night out. I used to love the way the back room was normally set up like a nursery with kids' toys and stuff, then on a weekend evening it would be transformed into a really dodgy disco whose raison d'etre was to ensure as few people went home alone as possible. However, a big plus now is the 'no kids' rule. The garden and back room used to be full of them in the summer before the refurb a year or 2 ago.
23 Mar 2006 09:36