South London's Balham is home to a buzzing food scene, making it a great place to host a party. But, with so many up and coming restaurants, it can be hard to know where to start. Freak Scene Balham is a recent opening from Head Chef Scott Hallsworth, formerly of Nobu London, who first brought his take on sushi and robata to London in 2017 as a pop-up. Since then, he's opened a first successful restaurant in Parsons Green, before following up with a sleek new venture in Balham.
First things first; the team enthusiastically welcome events bookings, so whether you want to book the place out for a birthday party, private dinner or impress colleagues and clients at a corporate do, Freak Scene is here for it all. You won't find many details on the website, so make sure to drop Scott and the team an email or phone call to chat through everything you need.
In terms of the space, it's an intimate restaurant with a sleek design concept, nodding to the typical Japanese style. Think natural materials, neutral tones and nods to East Asian culture through artwork and decor. You can really take over the space and make it your own.
Of course, one of the biggest reasons to book Freak Scene is the incredible menu. The dining is concept is pan-Asian overall, but heavily focused on sushi and dishes cooked using a robata grill. You could start off with some small plates which are great for sharing with a group, such as scorched edamame with sake, butter, sea salt and lemon, or salt-grilled mackerel on grilled pumpkin mochi toasts.
Onto the sushi bar and we love the sound of the sushi tacos with fillings like tuna, salmon and yellowtail. Then, when it comes to the wood fired oven and robata, the pork belly lettuce cups with pineapple sambal and pickled mussels sound amazing, as does the black cod or whole lemon sole, served with spicy shiso ponzu.