Mendoza Square London

Mendoza Square London

I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve been to Clapham, despite living in this fair city for nearly eight years. But my friends keep moving there so now four out of five of those visits have seriously been in the last few months. My friends Natasa and Ollie are down there so occasionally, when I see something that piques my interest south of the river, I drop them a note and see if they’re game.

Mendoza Square is an Latin American restaurant that couldn’t be any closer to Clapham North tube if it tried. It is seriously right across the crosswalk from the tube exit, making it a handy rendezvous point  for those times where you need a spot to, well, rendezvous.

We dropped in on a chilly and damp Monday night, a slow night for a lot of restaurants, so we had our choice of seats. Natasa and I helped ourselves to a glass of wine but Ollie demurred, claiming Atkinsitis. (I really should get back onto Atkins, shouldn’t I?)

Mendoza is a new restaurant so the fittings are pleasingly modern and in excellent condition. I really like the decor…it looked like someone had truly given it some thought. Also cute? The Mendoza Square menu. It’s styled as a little newspaper entitled “Breaking News in Clapham North.” Some might find this gimmicky but I thought it was great. (I also used to make fake newspapers like this as a child all the time. DORK.)

Starters of mixed empanadas and fat rings of calamari were party pleasers, the calamari particularly so. We also ordered some nachos, and while the guacamole was great, the chips and cheese congealed quickly, making it all a little less enjoyable.

I enjoyed my Pescado Rodrigo (pan-fried sea bass), which came highly recommended by our server. She was right and we declared my dish the pick of the night. It was a supremely generous portion, however, and I struggled to finish it. Ollie did not let Atkins stop him from ordering the burger, although he somehow managed to ignore the bun. Dessert was a sticky salted caramel cheesecake which Natasa enjoyed but wasn’t for me. (I’m not much one for dessert, unless it’s ice cream or lemon tart or the occasional macaron or slice of carrot cake.) Service throughout was attentive and friendly.

All in all, we had an enjoyable evening at Mendoza Square. Natasa and Ollie, as the locals, said in particular that they would be happy to return. So if you find yourself at Clapham North tube and you are in need of casual sustenance, just pop across the street to Mendoza Square.

I dined as a guest of Mendoza Square. My invitation included two starters, two mains, two desserts and two drinks. There were three of us so we still ordered for three and left a tip on the full amount. 

The post Mendoza Square, Clapham first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

The lovely bread

The sinks in the ladies!!!

Cod cheek

Pork belly

Chicken skin

My friends Natasa and Olly invited me out to lunch over the weekend. This means they paid, which they shouldn’t have. It was too nice of them. Very nice of them. I know Natasa from my old job. Amongst other things, we’ve hit Prague, Budapest and Moscow together, revolutionizing investing all the way. We make a good team. Her husband, Olly, is a man with many lives. (Next time you see a dangling participle, send it his way.) Maybe I can convince Olly to edit my autobiography.

I make the long journey down to Clapham to have lunch with them. Oddly, I have an entire tube car to myself. If you’ve been reading the press lately, you know that London’s population is at an all-time high. So this is kind of amazing. Also, frightening.

Ah, Clapham. I haven’t been this far south on purpose in a long time. 2008? 2009? I am not kidding. (But before you get all offended, new visitors should know that I was absent from this fair city for a few years and am only recently returned. So don’t be hatin’.)

I get to The Manor and because I am a few minutes early, I ask to use the loo and am shown the way. The loo is crazy. Someone is having a laugh. After all the peacefulness and beauty and light and air and softness upstairs, I am no less than shocked and appalled downstairs. I cannot forget these loos for the rest of my meal. We talk about them throughout. “Have you been to the loo yet? You should go to the loo. So you’ve been to the loo! What did you think of the loo?”

And while the small plates of chicken skin at The Manor are pretty damn fantastic and I actually ate the better part of not one but two kale salads — so good were they — I cannot forget the loos. I really can’t. (Cue a discussion of the American “can’t” vs the British “can’t.” Can’t for me rhymes with ant or pant. Can’t for the British rhymes with want or font. Remember I have been blessed with the vowels of a New Yorker though so this could all be in my head.)

After polishing off a respectable number of starters between the three of us, I opt the The Manor’s pork belly and try to concentrate. It’s very good.

But I still can’t forget the loos.

I have some sort of lovely-doubly chocolate ganache-y thing for dessert — pudding, right Olly? — and I can’t forget the loos.

I try to blind myself with alcohol and order a sweet wine with my dessert and…I can’t forget the loos.

Let me make this clear. What I can’t get over, what I can’t stop thinking about, is that they really don’t have the money for a nice paint job and some soft lighting. A lot can be forgiven with soft lighting. Are candles legal in loos? Candles. How about candles? OK, maybe the tile work isn’t the greatest — they are flowered tiles from the 70s or 80s. But a little high-pressure water hose, a lick of paint and some nice art on the walls and maybe some fresh flowers and you’d be done. I promise.  I know they’ve tried to tie it all together with the graffiti behind the bar but…meh.

Now, 27 hours after my meal at The Manor, what I remember more than the wonderfully nice food is, unfortunately, the loos.

The Verdict: Go. And hope that they’ve done something with the loos by the time you get there.

P.S. Yo, I’ve got a bit of a backlog from the holidays. More to come, soon I hope.

The post The Manor, Clapham first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.