The Avalon, Balham Hill
Review
A pub of incredible proportions, The Avalon has a vast dining area, a generously proportioned bar, and a beer garden so large you could play hide and seek in it. If it hadn't been so cold when we visited, we totally would've.
On arrival we were deposited at a corner table and gazed in awe at the vintage wall tiles and enormous chandeliers. Then we remembered that we'd come here to eat, and applied our eyes to the equally awe-inspiring menu.
After a short fight over whether to drink white or red wine we were provided with a 500ml carafe of each (which is more than enough to induce a state of gentle sloshedness) before settling down to the task in hand: dinner.
Having seen a few pictures of the pies on offer, we skipped starters in order to bring ourselves closer to pie o'clock. The steak and ale fellow was, frankly, mind-blowing. It was enormous and bursting with meaty goodness, with a puff pastry lid the size of a baby. It was a challenge, but one that we approached with bravery and delight in equal measure.
The imam biyaldi was similarly astounding (the name means, literally, "the imam was thrilled"). Aubergine stuffed with onion, garlic and tomatoes with taboulleh and flat bread felt somewhat virtuous compared to the pie, whilst also being immensely filling and moreish. If we could've eaten the stalks from the aubergine, we would've.
For dessert we had a Seville orange tart with limoncello ice cream that was so delicious it nearly made us cry (we'd nearly finished our carafe of Sauvignon Blanc by this point) and the sticky toffee pudding with cinammon ice cream was perfect: dense, almost smoky toffee sponge in a syrupy, golden dessert haze.
Needless to say, we left very happy and we recommend The Avalon very highly indeed. It's named after the mystical island in the legend of King Arthur, and if ever there's a mystical island in South London, this is it.
Tags
gastropub |
