Ploussard

2023 brought a new watering hole just off Clapham’s buzzy Northcote Road and it immediately attracted quite the crowd. The operation comes from the unlikely duo behind Other Side Fried, London’s cult fried chicken shop, who have made something of a U-turn with this neighbourhood venture.

Ploussard offers the cosy essence of a Parisian-inspired bistro and wine bar, albeit with a fashionable London twist, and serves an ever-changing menu of seasonal sharing dishes accompanied by a low-intervention wine list. It’s palpably buzzy. Plates pour out from the open kitchen at the back, and virtually every seat in the house is filled. While dark wooden booths, distressed flooring and the letters p-l-o-u-s-s-a-r-d spelled out in framed prints on the wall offer a characteristically retro vibe.

The menu comprises an ever-evolving list of around 15 dishes, starting at £4.50 for house bread and butter and working their way up to just over £30. One dish that hasn’t budged since opening is a simple but awesome house-made crumpet crowned with juicy, slow-cooked lamb and anchovy. Elsewhere, smoky barbecued greens with cooling ricotta, fresh peas and toasted almonds are a lesson in how to make vegetables taste fantastic. Another highlight of crispy-skinned trout and charred leeks immersed in a beautiful salmon-hued shrimp butter sauce felt like a steal for £16. There are only two desserts, including a playful take on rhubarb and custard. Barbie-pink cubes of soft rhubarb are crowned with a blob of aeriated vanilla custard – like the squirty cream you used to eat as a kid – and topped with shards of meringue.

The focus is just as much on the wine as the food here with a short but considered natural French wine list. We plumped for a light, easy-to-drink white grape blend, although you could go as quirky and funky as you like if you wanted to. All in all, any neighbourhood would be lucky to have a place like Ploussard on its doorstep.

Finding its home on St John’s Road in Battersea Rise, just before you get to the forever-buzzy Northcote Road, is neighbourhood restaurant and wine bar Ploussard. The 34-cover restaurant takes its name from the French red grape wine varietal ‘ploussard’, and comes from the same guys who founded London cult fried chicken spot Other Side Fried: Matt Harris and Tommy Kempton. Head chef Matt brings with him a ton of experience having previously held roles at The Parlour in Kensal Rise, One Leicester Street in Soho and Lamberts in Balham. Meanwhile, Tommy oversees the front of house team.

Diners can expect to sample an ever-changing seasonal menu of sharing plates alongside a low-intervention wine list, always with a focus on championing small, local and independent suppliers. Examples of its signature dishes include smoked cod's roe with a squid ink cracker, lamb and anchovy crumpets, duck liver mousse with quince jelly and toast and BBQ scallop with Jerusalem artichoke and back fat. While for dessert, think an Amalfi lemon tart with crème fraiche. There is also a selection of vegetarian and vegan plates available.

The restaurant has been designed by Matt and Tommy themselves, offering diners a cosy, wooden-clad spot to catch up and share a selection of its exciting dishes. Settle down in one of its snug dark wooden booths, while oat-coloured table tops and tones of burgundy and light pink throughout the space have a calming effect. Alongside the main dining room, which is best-suited to more formal sit-down meals, there’s a bar area at the front of the restaurant offering counter dining for those who want to pop by for a quick drink and some bar snacks.