Local lad Nick, is delighted to finally find an oasis of taste in a postcode not always known for quality eating and drinking
As a kid I grew up not that far away in now cursed Croydon. In Streatham was The Cat’s Whiskers, a ‘disco’ we would go to when we dared, as it was a bit rough to say the least, and there was also a great record shop for all the latest punk hits. Yes I am that old.
The main high road that bisects it, built extremely wide to allow for the lorries of the day, big carts pulled by horses, to do U turns, does the place no favours, but Lambeth council are actually doing some good for once and making what sound to be, in theory, some much needed improvements in the next year to put pedestrians first.
Fast food still dominates both sides of the road though, kids today sure do love their fried chicken, but here and there are more tasteful places, and SW16 ‘all-day bar, restaurant, cocktail lounge and workspace’ created from a pub some years ago, is one.
They do great food all week long, and a Sunday Roast, but a special event is their Supperclub. Every month they pick a different region of Italy for a food and wine journey and so we ‘went’ to Sicily
Sat round a long table in a private room we genuinely felt welcomed by manager/sommelier Tom, who was busy opening a whole host of Sicilian wines, while the number of guests, I think about fifteen, was just right with everyone socialising happily.
Tom, Executive Chef Antonio and Head Chef Teddy had designed a proper Italian meal – Antipasti, Primo, Secondo and Dolce – which kicked off with massive sharing plates of Beef and Pea Arancini, Sardine Beccaficio, Swordfish Involtini, Red Prawn Tartare and Aubergine Bruschetta, accompanied by a Limoncello and Bergamot Sour. Also poured was Sole E Vento, Marco de Bartoli, 2023 a blend of grillo and zibibo, and a Frappato, Mandrarossa, 2024
Maker Marco is regarded as one of Sicily’s winemaking pioneers for commitment to the native Sicilian white grape varieties, Grillo and Zibibbo.
The arancini, deep fried rice balls, were substantial, a contrast to the Ammaru Russu, the Sicilian name for Red Prawns. These prawns live deep out at sea and have a unique sweet flavour from the mineral salts they absorb from the Mediterranean in high summer.
It was all very good, although personally I’d have preferred the Bruschetta to have been focaccia or ciabatta bread and not baguette.
Primo is pasta, of course, Maccheroni Alla Norma. Tubular pasta in a sauce of cherry tomatoes and aubergine with salted ricotta. It’s a classic simple dish, robust and full of flavour aided and abetted by Rosso Nero d”Acola 2022 served chilled and at room temperature.
I rarely drink chilled red wine, so this idea of Tom’s was interesting. Chilling red wines emphasises the tannins, so it works best on lighter, less tannic wines, or you get too much ‘grip’, the mouth-puckering sensation. This was a delicious wine either way and Tom was generous to those, like me, saying ‘could I just try the comparison again?’
We also tried a wine Tom prefaced as ‘rustic’ which is a kind of code, in the way estate agents say ‘vibrant’ when they mean dangerous, and ‘compact\ when they mean tiny. This wine is a classic Sicilian, made entirely in a traditional palmento, a Sicilian winemaking technique usually consisting of stone or concrete basins for crushing and fermenting the grapes. A brilliant example of an Etna wine. Rustic is good,
With the pasta sating appetites we could savour better the pan-fried red tuna with a pistachio crumb. As with the red prawns, this dish reminded us all that Sicily is an island with a natural larder on its doorstep. The sweet and nutty pistachio went well with the tuna, also known as Bluefin Tuna. The deep pink flesh has a soft texture and an intense flavour. Rigorous sustainable fishing practices make it a guilt free treat.
Glasses of Euonora Carricante went well. This wine made from the Carricante white grape local to Etna is a lovely fresh wine with a saline touch from the sea breezes balancing the acidity.
By this point, as is traditional at wine dinners, Tom was having some difficulty capturing everyone’s attention with his knowledgeable but light hearted and fun breakdown of the wines.
To end, a dauntingly sized Cannolo Ricotta, a truly iconic Sicilian dessert. ‘Little tubes’, or in this case not so little, made of fried pastry stuffed with ricottaa and topped with chocolate and pistachio. Absolutely delicious, but oh so filling.
A glass of Marsala Superiore Dulce, Curatolo Arini, NV made with the Grillo grape and rich with the flavours of figs, sultanas and caramel was perfect to end with.
A most enjoyable evening, made all the better by, for once, being somewhere within walking distance of my home. Everyone at the table was local or not too far with Streatham Hill Station a few minutes walk away.
SW16 the postcode needs more places like SW16 the restaurant. Look out for their next supperclub, it’s not to be missed
5 Streatham High Road, SW16 1EF