One of the best meals I had in the whole of 2012 was within walking distance of where I live, at the Lawns Bistro in Wimbledon village. Lifes like that, you traipse all over London sampling the various scrummy bits of grub on offer, but once in a while you find a gem right under your hooter. Anyways I'd seen the "working lunch" advertised on a board outside for a while now and been meaning to go and give it a bash. It's kind of the £14 quid for two courses, £18 for three carry on, with wine extra I think. So last week, finally, we went.......
Now as a publican, it's rare for me to "do lunch". Where I come from, it's called "dinner" not lunch, and your evening meal is your "tea" (I know but I'm Northern, that's how it is). Given that, I'm not the kind of bloke who is going to go for a poncey little starter followed by a wedge of goats cheese on a little mound of lettuce. So looking at ther menu at the Lawns, I got to thinking that I could probably eat all of it. I was starving hungry, couldn't decide, and it looked fantastic, so I had a quick word in the shell-like of the waiter and he agreed to do us three starters and a main.
We opened up with this little mussel soup (they probably call it a bisque but that's their privilage). I'm not some kind of food poseur, but I think it probably had a bit of saffron it as well. It was unbelievably good, really fanstastic. Particularly so when you dunked your little bread rolls in which they kept bringing round. Very rich it was too, as you'd expect.
Next up was the chicken liver parfait, which is world champion standard. I could sit at home with a pile of toast and eat this till the cows have been home and gone out again. Just wonderful. Needless to say the bread kept coming and I kept eating, brilliant.
Oh and I forgot to say Sarah ordered some Pinot Des Charantes (that's probably not how you spell it). They make it in Cognac, and we went there once and loved it. It was beautiful drop.
Anyways where were we? Oh yes, next starter up was Geese rillettes. A rillette appeared to me (as I had no idea what it was) to be kind of pulled leg meat mixed with a spicyish dressing and served with toast and a kind of sweet jam (I'm going from memory here, I don't take notes when I'm eating). It was flippin lovely also, but I was now beginning to realise I actually couldn't "eat the whole menu", no way Jose, or Jean-Paul, or whatever it is.
For main I had a bavette steak and big chips. This was the most flavoursome piece of steak I've had in ages, pinker than something that's very pink in the middle, and the chips were absolutely fantastic. We kept on quaffing this posh mineral water which had tiny bubbles (the smallness of which baffled me for ages during the meal) and to be totally honest I can't remember if we had a dessert or not (I don't think we did). We did have some fantastic coffees, and a chat with the staff who were all wonderful. Ah and Sarah has just said "don't forget the chocolates", and we got these little chocoate sweet things with the coffee which were brill.
The bill came to about £80 for the three of us, and it was a completely brilliant afternoon. We all thought it was unbelieveable value, which probably explains why the restaurant was pretty much packed out. I'm a huge advocate of the Lawns Bistro, I love going there for an evening out. Now, having tried the lunch menu I'll be going there in the afternoon as well. Well done to all concerned with this place, you should be proud of it.
