On visits to France, you may sometimes come across the rural restaurant and wine bar of your dreams. It serves a carefully selected array of small plates of meat, fish and vegetables, all served and prepared to perfection with a truly original, endlessly delicious and innovative selection of wines. The prices are fair, the locale stunning and the overall experience sublime. Then you return to England and think “no, that could never happen.”
This has been my own experience, so it was with some surprise that I learnt of the existence of Ploussard, a small, quirky establishment that could either be described as a mini-bistro (bijoustro?) or a wine bar that serves food. The greater surprise was that this enterprise was not located in Dalston, or Hackney, or any of the hipper parts of East London, but in dependable old Nappy Valley itself, Clapham, a short stroll from the Northcote Road.
I used to spend a lot of time in Clapham – it seemed almost obligatory for any finance type to serve a few years living there after university, and some of these types were my friends, although we’ve all grown up since then – and it was something of a homecoming to walk through Ploussard’s doors, expectations suitably raised, and hope for something that lived up to these lofty expectations.
Thankfully, I’m not disappointed. The menu may be divided into the ever-fashionable selection of small plates, but these ones are sized fairly and appropriately. Order half a dozen between you, and it’s going to make for a more than ample selection, darting between the carnivorous, pescetarian and vegetarian with flair and wit. Kick off with a couple of slices of house bread and (whipped, naturellement) butter, to say nothing of a pair of oysters that come complete with frozen blackberry & elderflower, and then you’re into it.
The dishes on offer change swiftly and seasonally; a look at the menu a week or so after we visit reveals that several things have already vanished, to be replaced by new treats. I certainly like the look of the saddbleback chop served with coco bean & merendella peach, but it isn’t on offer when we visit. Not that I’m complaining. Of the five dishes we sample, particular highlights include courgette barbecued and topped with spenwood cheese (after this and other delights at Delamina Kitchen, I’m rapidly becoming a courgette aficionado), girolles soaked with egg yolk and comté sauce and diver scallops wittily accompanied by chicken wing. And a particular highlight comes in the form of lamb and goat’s cheese combined; it’s an unusual combination but it ought to be far more widely known and used than it is.
Oh, I nearly forgot to mention the wine. Well, it’s something of a must-have here; I usually find that restaurants are very nearly as enjoyable if you’re able to sample a selection of ingeniously made mocktails, but this is definitely a place to go for either a by-the-bottle blow-out or a carefully selected variety by the glass.
We opted for the latter in the interests of sobriety and decency – plus my friend had to go on a date later that evening and did not want to turn up three sheets to the wind – and a variety of delicious varieties were offered, and enjoyed, the greatest being a white wine from Alsace that had just the right balance of sharpness and sweetness to cut through the various dishes we relished.
You couldn’t leave without sampling the desserts, and in a moment of Bunter-esque largesse, we ordered all three of them; a fine apricot and meadowsweet tart, a surprisingly (and fittingly) bitter chocolate and toasted yeast biscuit and perhaps the highlight, a summer berry and lavender choux bun. Then, replete and happy, we bade fond farewells and quit Clapham, a place I hadn’t planned on returning to. In the excellent form of Ploussard, I have a very good reason to do so.
Ploussard, 97 St Johns Road, London, SW11 1QY. For more information, and for bookings, please visit www.ploussardlondon.co.uk.
