Brunswick House: where food lights up the mood

Brunswick House is a Georgian mansion turned architectural salvage yard-slash-restaurant-slash-party venue-slash-bar-slash-cafe. As a South Londoner, I’ve seen and passed this building for a decade now, but I’ve not been in until this year.

Outside is any landscape architect’s heaven. You can find - and purchase - all sorts of yard decor here, from statues to benches to water fixtures.

But inside the restaurant awaits a whole flight of fancy.

You walk into the bar area, and you are greeted by a whole lotta light.

Lamps of all sorts, shapes, sizes and eras adorn the ceiling which makes up a beautifully quirky room.

I mean, who wouldn’t want a giant shiny disco ball in their living room?

Chefs Jackson Boxer and Andrew Clarke run the kitchen. The restaurant serves modern British food with a menu that changes daily, reflecting seasons.

Here’s a few things I’ve tried so far.

The first dish I tried at Brunswick House was a rather inventive plate of chargrilled calçots. I was seriously wowed by the flavours. The calçots had a strong pungent flavour tamed by a creamy comte fonduta and a citrusy gremolata. I loved this dish and would definitely have it again if it ever reappears on the menu.

I didn’t particularly enjoy the gurnard with monks beard, chevril and fennel. There wasn’t anything wrong with it in particular and the fish was actually cooked well. I just am not a fan of fennel which I found overpowering.

I had a really good dish of braised ox cheeks served with marrow, spinach puree and watercress. The beef was celebrated in its richness and the cook on it was melt-in-your-mouth good.

Another stunning beef dish came in form of a seared bavette. Cooked beautifully, the beef juices just burst in my mouth. A puree of ceps and a handful of pine nuts rounded the dish perfectly and I was essentially mind blown.

Their take on the classic beef tartare was rather inventive. They used the bavette cut and added mussells to the mix. The beef was of stunning quality but I would’ve hoped for a bit more acidity and spice. There’s a smokiness to it that I liked, though.

I’m not too keen on savoury mousses, but Brunswick House’s chicken liver offering knocked my socks off. Served with what I can describe as a homemade Dr Karg’s cracker, I’d happily lick the whole plate off again.

This salad of beetroot and watermelon is the perfect pick-me-upper. It’s essentially a vitamin smoothie on a plate with ragstone, sorrel and mint. It’s sweet yet savoury, and absolutely vibrant.

A creamy burratina garnished with coco beans, lavash and chilli powder makes one of my favourites dishes in Brunswick House. I just loved the texture of the cheese and how flavoursome it had been in subtlety.

I’m not a big fan of cured fish nor dill but Brunswick House’s cured trout with buttermilk and dill was a pleasant surprise.

Speaking of cured fish, here’s another dish which pleasantly surprised me. Cured mackerel with white aubergine and green olive tapenade. I’m surprised at how much I loved this plate.

The hake dish with lentils was a surprise. The lentils had a decent bite and a hint of lemon. It’s earthy and vibrant but the fish was still the star of the show.

Oh and please try those roasted potatoes. They’re not crispy-on-the-outside-fluffy-on-the-inside good, but they’re flavoursome good.

I’ve not really had a lot of dessert here.

There was this rich chocolate pud which had big bold hints of cumin and cinnamon. As much as I think cumin smells of BO, I love it in food… just not with choccy.

There was also this really yummy poached fruit dessert with some nectarine slices and a buttery sponge and coconut sorbet. It was an interesting dish of all sorts and was a texture party.

Verdict

Overall, I like Brunswick House and think the dishes they serve reflect the place itself. It’s quirky, it’s inventive, it’s imaginary, it’s brilliant! It’s a good spot to visit in South London, especially when you’re thinking of going with a group. Service is atypical to gastropubs except there’s a quirky warmth here. I’d say go and let them illuminate your meal!

Brunswick House
30 Wandsworth Rd, London SW8
Ave spend pp: £30

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