Food and Drink

Balham Bowls Club

To many the name of this bar will not be inspiring. Lawn bowls conjures up images of aged folk in fastidious whites playing a painfully slow game In fact the olde-world nature of the sport, its participants and the clubhouse was a source of inspiration for the Hetta Johnson (see rise October 2007), whose job it was to update the venue into a dedicated bar. In a time of neutral coloured bars, Johnson’s decision to accentuate the venue’s heritage by keeping the abundant wood panelling, score boards, leather sofas and general memorabilia has made this a refreshingly original bar. By keeping the fixtures the owners have also kept the informality of the venue and so you find yourself talking to the table next to yours and passing the time of day with the amiable bar staff. The kitchen has fortunately retained none of the old fittings, instead benefiting from an extensive revamp which, along with the chef, has resulted in an original, locally-sourced tapas menu combining fish, meat and vegetarian light bites – particularly worthy of a mention are the sumptuous crispy duck pancakes.