Claire's Reviews

My parents are a tough crowd. I know this, I grew up with them. So, when they're impressed by a restaurant, someone's doing something right.

Enter, Entrée, in Clapham Junction. Apparently it's been open for almost a year but having moved from the area I'd somehow missed it.

The restaurant, at the top of Battersea Rise, is relatively small, with a cool little cocktail bar downstairs and a Manhattan Bistro feel to it. What really makes it stand out from other eating places in Clapham is head chef Omar Palazzolo's CV, which includes some top restaurants including Le Gavroche and Nobu.

Food was, for the most part, excellent.

We were pleasantly surprised by a carrot soup amuse bouche. The soup was good, although the presentation was a bit under par.

Most of our group opted for the scallop and crab lasagne, with chive buerre blanc to start. This was one of the best starters I've had in a long time. Full of flavour, rich but not too heavy. My sister opted for grilled mackerel with fennel remoulade and orange glaze. This was well cooked and fresh tasting.

A main course of hake, mange tout and courgettes with sauce vierge, was beautifully presented. Fish was perfectly cooked and the flavours nicely balanced.

The cumbrian chicken breast, enoki mushrooms wrapped in bacon, Jersey Royals and corn purée was also excellent, with very tender chicken and the unusual enoki mushrooms adding a point of interest.

Pudding was a mixed bag. I loved the sound of the rhubarb bakewell tart but unfortunately it was really disappointing. It was very stodgy and had a weird savoury taste to it, as though it had taken on cooking smells in the kitchen. The flavour of rhubarb didn't come through at all. Nil points. The sticky fig and ginger pudding was excellent though, very moreish.

We had a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Service is top notch, the wine list was reasonable and the food (rhubarb bakewell aside) fantastic. Will definitely be going back.

We visited on a gorgeous sunny afternoon and sat outside taking in the incredible view, unfortunately the view was better than the food.

I started with the squid (Cumin spiced fried squid, chimichurri, roasted tomato, barrel aged feta salad, tapenade), which was very good but was overcomplicated with far too many ingredients and flavours. Delicious crispy squid but I don't think it really needed all of the above plus fennel and chick peas.

My sea bass main course was very disappointing. On paper it sounded fab: Sea bass, fresh Devon brown crab champ mash, truffle beurre blanc, fennel salad. In practice it was bland (apart from the random sprinkle of capers, which was just jarring). There was no trace of crab in the mash and the only evidence of truffle was a drizzle of oil at the side of the plate. The fish was well cooked but you would expect it to be at £25.

On the plus side, the service was excellent: considerate and unimposing.

Unfortunately, the food really lets the place down. Far too many ingredients and flavours on the plate and poorly composed dishes.

When you walk into Lola Rojo, it's immediately apparent that this isn't your average tapas bar. The sophisticated decor is cool white, with flashes of red – sort of art gallery meets boutique hotel.

The food is an adventurous, modern take on tapas. There are some of the old classics but usually with a creative twist.

I've eaten at the restaurant several times since it opened in 2006 and have always been impressed with the presentation of the dishes. Most also taste fantastic but occasionally some miss their mark.

The crispy aubergine with orange blossom honey was good but I didn't taste the honey. The chestnut mushroom with manchego was a big let down. This was one of the dishes I'd picked out on the menu earlier in the day and had been drooling over. The dish looked lovely but the mushrooms weren't cooked through – part warm part raw – the accompanying sauce was bland and the taste of manchego didn't shine through. Shame.

The cheese croquettes were a triumph. Ok, so nothing particularly unusual about them but they were presented well, crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle. Oh and really, really cheesy. Delish.

If there's octopus on the menu, I'll order it. And I did. In this case, grilled octopus, roasted potatoes and onion with aioli sauce. The octopus was excellent, very tender. The roasted potatoes appeared to be boiled and the aioli lacked oomph.

The baby squid with honey and spinach was really good. We ordered it without the chorizo but it was still flavoursome and tender. Not sure the spinach added much though.

The all-Spanish wine list is excellent with lovely categories and descriptions to help you choose. Most of the bottles are reasonably priced too, in the £20 region.

All in all, a meal at Lola Rojo is an experience. You definitely feel like you've been somewhere different, it's just a shame that a couple of the dishes let them down.