The Fat Delicatessen

Tucked next to a launderette in residential Balham, The Fat Delicatessen is a foodie magnet, where beautifully packaged, desirable & expensive ingredients fill the shelves & fridges, & counters are replete with taste-bud tingling specialities: moreish breads, smoked anchovies, quality cheeses. There’s a Spanish-Italian bent to the flavours – expect Monte Enebro & truffled pecorino rather than Camembert, jamón serrano rather than Bayonne. This is a great place for pimientos de Padrón, patatas bravas & melanzane alla mozzarella, too. Customers choose either to shop for home feasting, or to sit at the long canteen-like communal table & select a meal from the placemat menus & specials boards. There’s a relaxed, happy atmosphere here, helped along by a decent, inexpensive European-based wine list.