Soif Bistro + Wine Bar Battersea Rise London

A Thirst for Life

To have one great local French restaurant is jolly lucky. To have two is next level luck. Sinabro and Soif almost face each other across Battersea Rise. In between was a branch of Franglais Côte Brasserie (now replaced by Anglais The Table). Round one corner on Northcote Road is the ultimate Parisian bakery Les Merveilleux de Fred. Round the other corner is the French owned Deli Boutique on Webb’s Road. No Parisian neighbourhood is complete without a boulangerie and a lingerie shop. Battersea fits the City of Light mould. The lacy window displays of Amelie’s Follies can be seen from Deli Boutique.

London is officially the sixth largest French city with a population of some 400,000. That makes it more Gallic than Calais and Lille put together. Battersea has a particular concentration due in part to two good local French schools. As for the two restaurants, Sinabro is run by husband and wife team Yoann Chevert and Sujin Lee. Soif is the brainchild of business partners Ed Wilson and Oli Barker. The Soif duo have pedigree: they own Terroirs restaurant and wine bar in Covent Garden and East Dulwich as well as Brawn on Columbia Road. Ed and Oli specialise in organic natural wines and earthy French regional cooking with a hint of fusion.

Green asparagus? Slow cooked egg? Brown shrimp? Strawberry tart? The chef adds some chocolate mint from the plant pot on the front terrace. So far so good. Then out of the blue an impromptu orange wine tasting ensues. It would be rude not to indulge. The sommelier suggests sampling Piquentum Malvazija; Cambridge Road Cloudwater; Occhio di Terra Malvasia. All 2017. Best going for all three. When in Paris … The Soif Secret Cellar (its glass door is a bit of a giveaway) is clearly a goldmine or at least an amber hued treasure trove. On a return visit, small plates are a repeat success. Blood orange, pickled chilli and red onion is a colourful fusion of sweet and spicey. Cucumber, Galia melon, spring onion and lovage is another hit. Don Bocarte anchovies, toast and shallots set out in its component parts is what it says on the tin: wild caught by purse seine fishing. Paris is always a good idea; even when it’s in Battersea.