Soif

Un bon resto dans le quartier de Clapham.
La décoration est super sympa, très chaleureuse. J’ai l’impression que cela peut être assez bruyant, donc il né faut pas devoir se faire des petites confidences.
A la carte, de très bonnes entrées. Mention spéciale à la terrine aux pistaches, à la soupe aux artichauts de Jérusalem, à la burrata/​courge rôtie… Toutes ces tapas étaient délicieuses et accompagnées d’un bon pain (notable à Londres). D’ailleurs, je regrette de né pas avoir dîné de tapas, je crois que c’est vraiment le bon plan pour goûter le plus de choses. Les plats étaient aussi bons, mais plus inégaux. L’onglet par exemple, à environ 20£, était un bon morceau de viande accompagné de frites. Pas non plus très notable pour 27 €… Par contre, min ragoût de gibier et sa polenta étaient plus originaux. A noter aussi une très belle sélection de vins, beaucoup français et pour la plupart naturels.
Pour l’addition, cela dépend du taux de change mais en partageant des entrées, en prenant une bouteille de vin (pour 6) et un plat chacun, nous en avons eu pour environ 35£ il me semble.
Allez y, et tentez surtout les entrées !

Yes, yes and thrice yes. Really great food and wines helpful and attentive staff. Do visit.
Have been twice with 2 close family members both of whom are serious food lovers and will go again.
Highlights: Lardo (as good as in Milan and Parma), Onglet (as good as in France).

Soif seems to be little known as an option for weekend brunch, available Saturday and Sunday from 11.00am (considering that it’s certainly popular for lunch and dinner), as it’s never been that busy when I’ve been in there.
It’s not an extensive menu and there’s only a handful of choices for brunch, but it’s definitely quality over quantity. The menu changes regularly and always seems to include just what you fancy that day. Whether it’s a bacon sandwich or pancakes with seasonal figs and crème fraîche (delicious), it’s well-​executed and beautifully presented.
Service is friendly and it’s a nice relaxed environment, so plenty of scope for lingering over the weekend papers while you eat too.

This place is ok, but nothing special. It is not a patch on the excellent Terroirs. I was struggling to choose between 2 and 3 stars and in the end plumped for 2 (though it is probably a 2.5, that is 5 out of 10).
It is like the owners have taken the excellent Terroirs wine bar and tried to make it more Clapham. It is really pretentious, that is for sure. Part of this is down to the clientelle and the Clapham-​oise, but the place has made some choices that have lost the charm of Terroirs and turned it into another South West London, overpriced yet average pretentious eatery. The service was not particularly good and the food was not brilliant. We spent an age waiting to get food and drinks and the waiters just did not seem too bothered.
There was not much choice and I was a bit disappointed. The smaller tapas style dishes that you see at Terroir do not exist. I had some chicken livers whch were excellent, but my girlfriend really struggled to order (through lack of choice). I also had another ofal dish (kidneys) which was really tasty. However it missed delious stuff like bavette and other meat dishes. We had a charcutery dish that was a bit disappointing too.
I did not like the ambience and was not that impressed by the food. I will not go back. Le Bouchon (Boredeaulais) just a few doors up is a much better French resto.

Gorgeous. I thought I’d get the word in early, as it’s the one that’s front of mind regarding Soif. First, the food –the menu is an interesting confection of small plates and starters there are some things which can double up as mains, but you could quite happily order a selection of bits and pieces. Notable high points included a (nearly) beef tartare the silky meat, anchovies, capers and rosemary doing brillinatly without the traditional raw egg and quail with harrissa and yoghurt, chubby little birds spatchcocked and succulent. For the less meat obsessed, there are a good range of salads and fish, hake and skate both being on the menu at our visit. Small plates are in the £6−8 range, mains £16 and up. Desserts included a beautiful raspberry mousse, and a dark chocolate mousse with hazelnut sable. A bit of both was actually a winning combination.
Staff, my other obsession, were friendly, attentive, and helpful, and, it seems, almost entirely French, or at least Francophone. Bread and water kept coming without prompting, and they were right on the case when my wife mentioned, some time after her order, what she was allergic to.
But, it has to be said, no review of Semotely complete without a discussion of the winelist. It’s big, and it’s a little bit more sophisticated than most. You may do well to take direction from the sommelier, as there’s plenty that won’t often find in this country, for example some excellent white Vin de Savoie. Although wine is available by the glass, and there are some moderately priced bottles (starting around the £20 mark), it would also be possible to spend quite a lot (north of £60). Which, actually, fits the concept of the place perfectly a convivial, wine-​and-​food establishment. I think the final seal of approval most come by noting the number of French speaking customers. Je reviens, j’espere. Or words to that effect.

Loved it, just loved it. Soif is the new restaurant from those who have brought us Terrorir and Brawn. While I love both of these restaurants, arguably Soif hits new heights.
The space is divided into a small bar area (think 8 seats) for walk in customers and a larger area for the restaurant, seated bistro style, which is served by an open kitchen and a friendly and slick front of house team which know the menu and wine list well.
We ordered the Charcuterie plate and a Cote de Beouf to share. Neither disappointed. The charcuterie plate combined salami with lovely hints of fennel and black pepper, a moist terrine and rillettes which struck just the right balance between porky goodness and creamy unctuousness. The Cote de Beouf was a great bit of meat, tender, flavoursome and served medium rare alongside a well balanced Bearnaise sauce and fried potatoes. It was close to food perfection.

To finish, we enjoyed a hot chocolate pudding (dense, rich and dark) and a Pannacotta with mango and passion fruit which was lighter but well balanced with precise levels of vanilla (from the Pannacotta) and sweetness from the fruit.
Along the way, we enjoyed exploring the wine list which has an interesting selection of well priced wine, largely in the £20-£40 bracket. Although the best choices is arguably on the main list, there is a good choice by the glass and also a selection of ‘bin ends’ off the main list.
I think the thing that we liked best was the ambiance of the place. While we found Terroir and Brawn slightly austere, Soif was buzzing with energy, whether from the staff or from neighbouring tables. The positive vibe reflects the food on diners’ plates and the wine in their glasses. This combination is sure to prove popular with Clapham residents and those from further afield for some time to come.