Local hero? Farine, Wandsworth
Farine is the latest venture by the coffee gurus behind local chain ‘Press.’ Taking over the premises of what was the ‘Barmouth Kitchen,’ it sits ... Read Feature
Menu
It was 28 years ago, during the long, hot summer of 1990 that I first set foot on Bellevue Road, Wandsworth Common’s main drag.
Although Thatcher was still in power and inflation running at 9.4% the road was the living embodiment of urban gentrification. Chez Bruce’s forerunner Harveys was firmly in place with two Michelin stars and an SW17 stalwart called The Brasserie was standing on the current site of The Good Earth.
Fast forward to 2018 and, to mangle a Take That song, I’m back, but before I dropped in on The Brasseries’ old site I popped into the Belleview Brewing Company on Jaggard Way.
It is, quite literally, a pub in a shed on an industrial estate.
But that’s a bit like saying Elton John is a pensioner with a piano.
Technically correct but not really conveying the magic.
Trust me, just go, you’ll love it.
Anyway as we weaved over to the Good Earth, the first sign that this was more than your local Chinese restaurant was the menu. It’s not so much the dishes themselves, although there are some exotic offerings such as golden sands Dover sole sitting alongside the more usual sweet and sour prawns. But it’s the prices, which seem to have arrived as if by chauffeur from the fine dining environs of the West End or Belgravia.
Cheap it ain’t.
Moving inside reinforces the suspicion that this is a joint which is unlikely to have numbers next to its dishes. More than anything it looks like a Chinese restaurant re-imagined by Hollywood, for those of a certain age this is easy just think back to the opening scenes of ‘Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom.’
We decided to go large on the starters, as these are everyone’s favourite part of a Chinese meal then follow onto a main course to share each, whilst having some noodles lined up as a support act.
Have I said the menu is expensive?
The starters are the most reasonable element ranging from soups at £7ish each to a fresh lobster on a bed of noodles for £48. I thought that the scallops looked a fair option at £7.80 until I belatedly realised that this was per scallop.
We ended up ordering 4 starters in total, salt and pepper spare ribs, soft shell crab, vegetarian spring rolls & satay chicken skewers. These ranged in price from about £6 to £15, with the soft-shell crab and the satay topping and tailing respectively.
The ribs were great,. Tender, flavourful without being overly seasoned and, were for me, the stand out dish in the starters. The satay and the spring rolls were good and distinctly superior to the regular fare that turns up on my doorstop courtesy of the Asian supermarket and Just East. It was the crab which I found disappointing, unfortunately, just a bit too bland which was a shame as it was well cooked with a great texture.
We plumped for a white wine with and the list is vertiginous in its heights. I chose a mid-slopes Pouilly-Fuisse at around £40 which is more than I would usually pay, but it was of course good and complimented the food extremely well.
For the main course I had selected rib of beef in XO sauce, this elicited a pleased look from the waiter who said he felt this was one of the better dishes on the menu, and certainly different from the standard Anglo-Cantonese choice of black bean. My guest then went ahead and ordered sizzling chicken, in guess what, black bean sauce. I’m surprised he just didn’t simply ask for a number 57.
Both dishes were very very good. The beef edged it as the rich XO sauce gave it a delicious silkiness. For those counting the costs, these dishes would have extracted another £17 & £18 from your wallet respectively. The noodles were fresh and light with none of the claggy lumpiness that betrays too long on the stove.
By the time the bill came around, a second bottle of wine had replaced the first in the ice bucket. The Good Earth is one of those places which doesn’t seem to think you’re capable of managing your own wine bottle. This led to several pleading looks and pantomime charades coming from our table as the comically small glasses quickly emptied.
I loved the Good Earth. The food IS pricey, but on the whole matches if not exceeds the expectations that such prices inevitably raise. There were a couple of niggles, the soft-shell crab’s blandness and the wine bottles unreachability. With an important birthday coming up, I’ll be placing the good on my wish of places for friends to take me (friends take note.)
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