Restaurant Review: The Stonhouse

Here's my review of The Stonhouse, part of the Renaissance Pubs group, written for my South London Press column.

The Stonhouse has held pride of place on a tucked away Clapham backstreet since 2006. Old boozer The Windsor Arms was bought by locals Mark Reynolds, Tom Peake and Nick Fox and transformed into the trendy venue that The Stonhouse now is. It occupies a space somewhere between gastropub and restaurant, not at all dissimilar to The Avalon, The Bolingbroke and The Abbeville establishments nearby which are owned by the same entrepreneurial trio.

Inside, The Stonhouse is light and bright, but just a bit cosy, too. During the summer, doors open into a picturesque walled beer garden, but there’s a fireplace ready to take centre-stage again come winter.

Restaurant Review: Four-O-Nine

A tucked away French spot that it's worth putting a bit of effort into finding. Here's my review of Four-O-Nine in Clapham, originally written for my South London Press column.

Four O Nine is not a place that you’d stumble across. You may stumble into the prominent Clapham North pub, which sits opposite the tube station of the same name, but you’d never know that lurking at the back was this gem of a restaurant. They probably wouldn’t want you to know they’re linked, either. The only way to get into Four O Nine is by leaving the pub and finding an inconspicuous residential-looking door at the back. Having found it, the work still isn’t done. To get access you need to ring a buzzer and give your name. If you haven’t pre-booked, there’s every chance you won’t be let in.

Through the door, the journey continues. A slightly dodgy, not entirely pleasant smelling, staircase leads the way up (and up, and up) until the restaurant is reached. On arrival, the