Balans Soho Society
Modern British
16A Clapham Common South Side, SW4 7AB
££
Described as a "restaurant, bar and haven, for the convivial", Balans Soho Society claims that there is "no such thing as too much of a good thing" and boasts a friendly, lively and fun atmosphere. It must be doing something right, as it now has 7 establishments spread over the South West of London. The Clapham joint has been open for a few years now, however, I was never too keen on trying it... that is, until I saw the best brunch option in the universe.
"The High Society Eggs Benedict" costs £12.50 and is comprised of poached eggs, lobster, avocado, bacon, hollandaise and English muffin: 6 of my favourite things combined. Whilst a simple eggs royale is my usual brunch of choice, who knew it could get better and one could replace smoked salmon with the most superior of all sea creatures, the king of the ocean: the lobster. As you can see from the photo above, this dish looks nothing short of spectacular and I was itching to discover what I thought would be the brunch of a lifetime, the real deal, and the point of no return.
When I arrived at 11am, there were no chairs outside - not an issue, but a bit odd considering the place is open from 8am and the sun was shining to a considerable degree for London. I asked the friendly waitress if we could sit outside, and she promptly brought some chairs out. I asked what types of coffee they had, to which she replied "the normal kind"... so I ordered a very milky and very normal cappuccino for £2.80. Once both our high society eggs benny's arrived, the waitress asked if we wanted pepper (we did), which never did turn up.... but, again, not really the end of the world.
What is, however, the end of the world, is just how bad my fantasy brunch was in reality. It eventually (40 mins) arrived on a no-frills plate, simply slopped on and looking, frankly, quite limp and lifeless. I ignored the drab appearance and tucked into my first bite, which was achingly cold. On top of the catfishing online advertisement and chilling temperature, the hollandaise was a bit too thick, one of my yolks was hard boiled, and you had to search for any evidence of lobster. For a pretty hefty £12.50 it really wasn't worth it, and I dare say it was one of the most disappointing brunches I've ever had.
Usually I will go back and give places a second chance, especially when they're this local. However, this really was the only exciting choice on the menu. The rest is composed of basic and uninspiring lunch dishes, revolved around sandwiches, burgers and British classics such as chicken supreme. Supper small plates and starters get slightly more exciting (seared scallops £9, squid ink risotto cake £8), but the mains are equally as dull as before (burger £14, supreme £17, seared salmon £18). Unfortunately, Balans Soho Society didn't do anything more than disappoint and I will not be returning for seconds.
OVERALL RATING: **
https://www.balans.co.uk/restaurant/clapham-common/
