Lamberts

Named after owner Joe Lambert, this friendly modern British bistro in the heart of Balham is everything a neighbourhood restaurant should be. The interior is chic and modern with stripped-wood floors, unclothed tables, banquette seating, subtle lighting and gently murmuring background music. The staff are welcoming and the place has a relaxed feel about it, with the kitchen's commitment to sourcing from small producers and determination to follow the seasons making it unsurprisingly popular. There's a great value midweek lunch menu, which might offer (in May) the likes of plaice with spring onion and crab bisque to start, followed by slow-cooked chicken leg with Charlotte potatoes, broad beans, peas and baby gem. On the carte in March you may find wild rabbit with prunes, roasted Jerusalem artichokes and green lentils, and rhubarb tarte Tatin with stem ginger ice cream for dessert.