Blue Pumpkin is easy to walk past. The stroll up Balham High Road from Tooting Bec is littered with bars and restaurants vying for your attention, but turn off the main drag and you’ll be rewarded. For hiding behind the trees on Ritherdon Road is this three-year-old bar-restaurant.
The terrace sported groups of friends letting go of the week, inside we found a couple of couples doing the same. Beyond the bar, the restaurant was populated by a mix of locals young and not-so-young.
I took along a visiting Japanese friend, Yuka, determined to prove that our cuisine is not as bad as they say. Thankfully Blue Pumpkin didn’t let me down. The menu didn’t seem to offer much in the way of excitement however, as I struggled to avoid my restaurant usuals of salmon or anything goats cheese. I plumped for warm sautéed squid salad followed by fillet steak. Yuka opted for the goats cheese tart with caramelised red onion and tomato.
The starter was a success – I enjoyed it and Yuka rated it seven out of 10 (a great compliment from someone who really knows their squid). The main dishes went down very well too. The steak was wonderfully pink inside, set off perfectly by the gratin potatoes and wild mushroom sauce. I didn’t finish, despite a couple of determined final attempts, but was surprised to see my friend polishing off her substantial dish before declaring it to be really good. Hurrah!
On to the dessert menu and again nothing struck me as novel, Yuka, however, was intrigued by the crème brûlée. I chuckled watching her struggle to break through the hard caramel top, but once she’d cracked it, tasted it and deliberated it, she soon dug her spoon back in for more.
Victoria Purcell
Meal for two £35 plus wine
16-18 Ritherdon Road SW17 (020 8767 2660; www.bluepumpkin.co.uk)