uliets Quality Foods has long felt like the one that escaped. In the jittery Wuhan-looking weeks of late February 2020, I slurped into this Tooting cafe for a pretty good lunch—of popping folded eggs and a huge cracked Anzac cookie Frisbee—which, in theory, would form the basis of a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency review, should this virus hinder us all for the predicted few weeks.
You know how the rest went. The resulting column, alongside all those cruise ship vacation guides, never ran. Which meant my constant appreciation for this place felt like some kind of burning undeclared crush. And so, when I planned a trip to Juliets Café and Bar – the same team’s spin-off opening, within Clapham gallery Studio Voltaire – I was expecting another pleasant brunch and a little closure. What I didn’t expect was a full-fledged, hugely ambitious restaurant that might be one of my favorite new places in the capital.
It immediately turned out to be an exceptionally harmonious match between food partner and venue. A short walk (and an absolute universe) from the mythical Infernos meat market, the sparkling, bright main complex of Studio Voltaire sits behind a quiet courtyard where the traffic noise dies down to a murmur, the fountain gently ripples and, lately, outdoor tables of natural wine-drinking Claphamites have spilled onto the sidewalk. The small Juliets counter overlooks a spacious lobby with long communal tables, dotted here and there with plasticine-tinted vases by artist James Shaw. There is an attractive shop where you can buy work, where – as I heard, after taking the kids for my second visit – you might have a reason to hastily scare a five-year-old away from some appropriated erotica. from the nineties.
Beignets of broad beans and halloumi
† Matt WriteIn art terms, the food from Australian-raised chef and founder Julian Porter is multidisciplinary. Where the original Juliets (named after the hair salon that once occupied their Tooting property) is perhaps best known for Antipodean brunch maximalism, careful fermentation and making an insane amount of dish components in-house (why regular banana bread when you could have it mixed with coffee cherry skins, cut as thick as a curb and slathered with salted espresso butter?), they don’t mind keeping it simple here. Fresh peas arrive with the instruction to “peel” them and eat them with pecorino; deliciously hot, freshly baked panisse is studded with flowering thyme, a thin layer of crunch that gives way to judiciously seasoned goo; ham and melon is somehow more than the sum of its parts: canoes of a golden-fleshed honeymoon, draped in oiled sheaves of coppa and absorbed in a few salty-sweet bites.
This was more atmospheric than To cook† But as things got more complicated – as I tried puffy fava beans in a spicy home-cooked Bengal tomato pickles plus, on another occasion, a slumped piece of lamb, slow braised to spoonable, wobbly tenderness, and served with flageolet beans in a subtle bagna cauda – confidence did not drop.
Panisse with blooming thyme
† Matt WriteIt’s true that the sink approach to flavor building can get in the way – I’m thinking here of the saltiness of sourdough waffles which, without the balancing influence of honey parfait, can confuse the mouth. But this iteration of Juliets (opening a decade after Milk, the Balham cafe that was Porter and his partner Lauren Johns’ first venture before they left in 2020) feels like a showcase for years of skill; a cheerful haven that just wants to tempt you with cake, pour you something cold and facilitate a good time. Set in an enchanting building and animated by dishes of dazzling mastery, the new Juliets feels like the best kind of tucked-away neighborhood secret.
Studio Voltaire, 1A Nelsons Row, SW4 7JR; Meal for two plus drinks about £60. Open Wednesday to Sunday 9am to 5pm; studiovoltaire.org/visit/juliets-cafe