The Dairy

When Chef Robin Gill and his wife Sarah opened their first restaurant in Clapham Common in 2013, it became an instant success. Sadly, it also became another COVID casualty. But miracles do happen. The Dairy has been resurrected at the uber cool apart-hotel, Bermonds Locke. Light, bright and airy, it’s clearly geared for the google generation. The open work spaces, café and super chilled courtyard co-mingle beautifully with the restaurant. An amazing collection of cacti add a touch of the surreal. It’s a good fit for Chef Gill who studied the classics and the new Nordic kitchen before developing his own style.

Our waitress was super. Friendly and well informed about both food and wine, she ensured we had everything we needed before we needed it. For example, a Somerset Spritz! Homemade ginger wine, plum sake and cider brandy (£9.50) made a refreshing cocktail.

Janine’s sourdough with herb noisette (£3.50) was a fab, crusty loaf. We added homemade black pepper salumi (£4), a fantastic hard sausage, and Nocellara Del Belice olives (£3.50). A great start.

Tarragon battered hake, pea and Amalfi lemon (£7) was so crispy! The best chipless fish and chips! I wanted to wrap it in newspaper.

A salad of courgettes (£6) got top honour! So simple. So delicious. Baby zucchini, raw and fried, with whipped ricotta and a sage and rocket salsa verde. A big part of Gill’s style is putting less on the plate. This was a great example. Just a few, well sourced, perfectly prepared ingredients. And you can’t beat the price!

Two medallions of wood roasted lamb (£17) were perfectly pink, top quality and worked well with charred lettuce and mint oil. A dollop of hayonnaise left me cold. I didn’t get the hay and it was no substitute for a good sauce. Hay ho!

Monkfish with pine nut sauce, fennel kimchi and sea veg (£18) was another example of Gill’s skill with few ingredients. Fermentation, crunch and brine all complemented the sweet, succulent fish.

The wine list is eclectic and represents current trends, one of which is for young, “fresh” reds. A Nibiru Grundstein blauer Portugieser, 2018 (£49.50) is such a wine. It has the intensity, almost effervescence of youth, bursting with juicy berries, but lacking nuance, development and tannin structure. It was however a good all-rounder for a varied menu.

Dorstone Ash (£9) is a lovely, zesty goat cheese. This came with neither bread nor biscuit but a tiny portion of burnt peach. Why there wasn’t more of it is a mystery. The two married very well but it was a lopsided relationship. Raw cobnuts, served on the side, seemed an afterthought.

Chocolate salted caramel (£7.50) was a triumph! Choux pastry filled with gorgeous, molten, gooey, chocolatey, salty heaven. If this came in a pack of 6, I would be in big trouble!!!

I have to congratulate the Gill’s on making such a quick comeback. I’ve been waiting years!

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