Well wasn't this just a little gem of a find! Situated in the dense Clapham sprawl of restaurants, bars and entertainment for ‘yuppies,’ ‘Bison and Bird’ became one of the first handful of venues I visited since my move to South London.
Whether you’re a duo or a few, this place seems to be both suitable for day and night occupancy. I headed in on a weekday afternoon to grab a bite and one of the first things that hauled me in was the extremely delicious selection of platters for such low prices. I went in with an attitude that it could be ‘you get what you pay for,’ but it was a very pleasant surprise. The grub was delightful, filling and fresh from what I could taste. There wasn’t evidence of any mass-produced, reheated foodstuffs on my plate, I tell ya. A hat sized portion of fries was 3 squid. WIN. Pulled BBQ cheesy pork, slaw and large, boat-like and roasted sweet potatoes was my platter of choice and it satisfied my tastebuds nicely. For only 5 pounds, much like 70% of the daytime a la carte menu, it was a steal. Usually I would expect plastic.
The place had a fairly easygoing, liberal-expectations-of-clientele, potential-to-get-cheap-and-sticky-vibe, which means it’s allowed to get rowdy in the evenings, but resonated ‘pleasant,’ welcoming and more subdued during the day. Families could comfortably go in at their leisure, just as much as people wearing tight tank tops and falling over their faces could go in at their leisure within later hours. It was versatile like a lot of the places along Clapham High Street.
Bison & Bird had vibes of being quick ‘twit-a-twoo’ due to it’s nice outside eating area onto the pavement but cornered off, it’s weighty, black leather menu design and the more than friendly female staff. It was also a merit to the location which is peppered with some infamous chains (Pizza Express/GBK par example), as it adds competition and diversity, over cocky set prices and homogeneity of the eating experience.
Summary: value for money, yummy, lively, bang on for summer
Overall #worthit.
