Midweek Nights at the Canteen

Posted on October 23, 2012 by benscanteen

One of the reasons we started Ben’s Canteen was to create a space where you can hang out without feeling too formal. In essence an alternative to the pub. We wanted to create an atmosphere where you could just roll in and be yourself, that’s why we stripped back the interior and at night we dim the lights and light the candles to create a cosy space. We don’t have TVs as we want you to dictate the night rather than tuning out to the tube.

We know that often you don’t want go crazy on the spending front during the week and most of you don’t want to blow the doors off on a school night so we created a little extra value offer in the form of 2 courses for £20 and a free glass of wine if you join us for an early dinner (before 7pm), meaning you can have a good feed and still get a good night’s sleep. However, we also like to encourage you to go a bit bigger during the week, that’s why we do 2-4-1 Cocktails on Tuesday Nights and we run regular pop-up supper club style events such as our Halloween Hell Night.

In terms of food, we believe in comfort, especially as it’s now getting colder. Our meatballs with a cheesy cauliflower & squash mash are a midweek dinner winner.

On the drinks front, we favour working with smaller producers, so we’ve got beers from Meantime and Curious Brew (from the English winemaker Chapel Down) amongst others, and some cracking spirits including Sipsmith and Little Bird Gin. The idea is simple really, we want to introduce you to some different, quality, products and hopefully as part of that make your midweek life just a smidge better and more interesting if possible.

Add to the above that we’re a shortish stroll from Clapham Junction and Wandsworth Town train stations and buses will ferry you around Battersea back to Clapham Common, Brixton, Putney, Fulham, Chelsea and beyond, then we’d like to think we offer you a nice little, simple, midweek night out – and we believe it’s part of the reason we got voted Best Local Restaurant in the Time & Leisure 2012 Food and Drinks Awards.

If you’d like to reserve a table and join us for a midweek dinner on St John’s Hill then please click here.

Ben’s Canteen – The Weekend

Posted on May 25, 2012 by benscanteen

This week we’ve been loving the sunshine and reflecting that if you want breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner or just drinks around Clapham Junction, Wandsworth, Battersea or Clapham then St John’s Hill is a belter of a street for it.

Anyways, here’s what’s going down at the Canteen…

We’re now keeping our kitchen open all day on Saturday, normally we close it between 4 and 6pm but no longer.
We’re getting massively into Sipsmith’s Summer Cup, this genuine rival to Pimms is going to make your weekend an awesome one.
We run a super popular brunch but we wanted to spice it up some more. So, we’ve created a Bloody Mary menu - come and try it out this weekend.
On the subject of booze, we’ve never been so excited about a shelf, behold our Gin Shelf.
Ditch those Sunday blues with our Sunday Roast. We serve it from 2pm every Sunday. Enjoy Roast Orkney Beef, Pork Belly or Roasted Chicken with roasties, cauliflower cheese and broccoli, greens, root veg mash and yorkies.
With an eye on next week, you should come and try out our new lunch menu – we’ve added a bunch of news salads, fish cakes and more.
Time and Leisure just nominated us as one of London’s best local restaurants, if you like us then would you be so terribly kind as to vote for us here?!
Also, Ben recently got interviewed by our friends at Le Cool, click here to read the interview.
To add to our British food, done well ethos and British beers we’ve added a selection of English wines (British wines means something else), including a cracking sparkling by Chapel Down. Come and run the rule over them this weekend and let us know what you think.

Eating and Drinking in Clapham Junction, Battersea

Posted on May 21, 2012 by benscanteen

Last week was the St John’s Hill Fabulous Feast, a week long celebration of food and drink. It reminded us that St John’s Hill is a seriously good spot for food and drink.

You’ve got The Plough, Powder Keg Diplomacy, The Birdhouse, The Fish Club, Adulis and more… all of which surely makes it a wee bit more interesting than Northcote Road and probably the most exciting street for bars and restaurants in Battersea, especially as it’s a stone’s throw from Clapham Junction?!

So, what do we here at Ben’s Canteen bring to the street?

Well we see ourselves as an all rounder, we aim to serve you a top notch coffee with brekkie or brunch, something tasty for lunch, a treat for tea and a cracking dinner with drinks being served via our bar all day and night.

Chiefly, we see ourselves as an alternative to the pub. Don’t get us wrong, we love a boozer but we got a bit bored of tap after tap of beer (most of them generic continental lagers) and numerous big screens with Sky Sports News on loop but where do you go to escape that? Whilst keeping everything equally relaxed? That’s what we strive to be.

We want to be that place where you can drop in on your own or grab some friends and catch up over drinks and simple but super tasty food. We love the fact that Clapham Junction is just a short stroll from the Canteen as it means you should be able to persuade your friends who live that little bit further away to drop in and hang out with you.

To help become this place we serve breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner every day. We serve British food, done well. We’re infamous for our All Day Breakfast Scotch Egg and the BC Burger has been named as one of the Top 10 in London.

Obviously to become your alternative to the pub we need plenty of booze, we’ve tried to make it interesting and a little different. So, we work with small independent brewers, such as local boys Sambrook’s. We’ve put together an interesting wine list that features some English wine, not least a sparkling one in the form of Primrose Hill by Chapel Down. We’ve put in a special Gin shelf which features gins from small London distillers such as Sipsmith, SW4 and Portobello Road.

Remember, that unlike a lot of new trendy hangouts, you can actually book a table at Ben’s Canteen - click here to reserve yours now.

Ben’s Canteen – The Weekender

Posted on May 18, 2012 by benscanteen

This week has been all about The Fabulous Feast on St John’s Hill – and this weekend sees the street’s celebration of food and drink go up another gear with all sorts of events and activities taking place, including a bunch of pop-up stalls.

Here’s what’s going down at the Canteen…

We’re going to keep our kitchen open all day on Saturday, normally we close it between 4 and 6pm but not for The Fabulous Feast.
We run a super popular brunch but we wanted to spice it up some more. So, we’ve created a Bloody Mary menu - come and try it out this weekend.
On the subject of booze, we’ve never been so excited about a shelf, behold our Gin Shelf.
Ditch those Sunday blues with our Sunday Roast. We serve it from 2pm every Sunday. Enjoy Roast Orkney Beef, Pork Belly or Roasted Chicken with roasties, cauliflower cheese and broccoli, greens, root veg mash and yorkies.
Sunday night, at 8pm, will see Murderous Cupcakes in the Canteen, we think it’s going to be fun, you should come.
We’re getting massively into Sipsmith’s Summer Cup, this genuine rival to Pimms is making us feel all summery in lieu of any actual sun.
Time and Leisure just nominated us as one of London’s best local restaurants, if you like us then would you be so terribly kind as to vote for us here?!
Also, Ben recently got interviewed by our friends at Le Cool, click here to read the interview.
To add to our British food, done well ethos and British beers we’ve added a selection of English wines (British wines means something else), including a cracking sparkling by Chapel Down. Come and run the rule over them this weekend and let us know what you think.

A right royal celebration of English wines with Bibendum

Posted on May 10, 2012 by benscanteen

English wine is actually rather good and to celebrate us adding some English wines to our list, the arrival of Summer (fingers crossed it’s actually a good one) and the Queen’s Jubilee we’ve teamed up with Bibendum to put on a special dinner for you guys.

On the 5th June we will be doing a 3 course meal with Bibendum.

Free glass of Primrose Hill by Chapel Down (English sparkling wine) on arrival

a’Becketts Pinot Auxerrois wine cured salmon tartare with quail’s eggs and pickled radish (served with a glass of said wine)

Ballotine of chicken stuffed with mushrooms and Furleigh Estate Bacchus Fume wine butter with a broad bean mash and cep gravy (served with a glass of said wine)

Strawberries and cream with a hot a’Beckett’s Rose jelly (served with a glass of said wine)

Tickets for this awesome celebration of English wine cost just £60. Drinks will be served from 7pm with food being served at 7.30pm. Food will be served supper club style, i.e. everybody will be served at the same time, so don’t be late or you’ll miss a course.

Please note that you need to book online in advance by clicking here.

Some things for the weekend

Posted on May 3, 2012 by benscanteen

It’s a bank holiday weekend people! We’re here make sure you are fed and watered with top notch British food, lovely wines (including English ones) and some cracking craft beers from small brewers such as The Kernel and local lads Sambrook’s. On Monday we will be serving brunch, lunch (try some of our retro classics such as chicken in a basket and coronation chicken) and dinner.

Here’s what’s going down at the Canteen…

Massive news; top chef Ben Spalding will be doing a 4 course dinner on the 14th May at the Canteen to launch the St John’s Hill Fabulous Feast. Click here for more info and to book.
To celebrate our burger being named as one of the Top 10 in London we made a film of it being made - click here to watch. We serve it all day on Saturday and Sunday so you’ve got plenty of time to come and take it on.
Time and Leisure just nominated us as one of London’s best local restaurants, if you like us then would you be so terribly kind as to vote for us here?!
Also, Ben recently got interviewed by our friends at Le Cool, click here to read the interview.
Our Sunday Roast is super tasty. We serve it from 2pm every Sunday. Enjoy Roast Orkney Beef, Pork Belly or Roasted Chicken with roasties, cauliflower cheese and broccoli, greens, root veg mash and yorkies.
To add to our British food, done well ethos and British beers we’ve added a selection of English wines (British wines means something else), including a cracking sparkling by Chapel Down. Come and run the rule over them this weekend and let us know what you think.
We recently introduced a Retro Lunch menu, served from 12pm to 4pm Mon-Fri. Our current favourite from the menu is the chicken in a basket – you can actually eat the basket! Don’t forget we also serve brunch every day, not just at the weekends.
If you haven’t experienced our All Day Breakfast Scotch Egg then you need to change that this weekend. Like the burger it’s served all day. It got 5 stars from the leading light on Scotch Eggs - it’s a serious orb.
In our opinion brunch should be accompanied by Bloody Mary’s, have you tried ours yet? We use Sipsmith Vodka, they’re based in Hammersmith and it’s lovely stuff. Oh and we’ve also added Sipsmith Summer Cup to our bar, amazing.
On the subject of local booze, we make our cheesecake using Powerhouse Porter from local brewers Sambrook’s. It might sound a bit odd, making a cheesecake from beer, but blimey it tastes good.

Some things for the weekend

Posted on April 27, 2012 by benscanteen

Whatever the weather this weekend we are here to make sure you are fed and watered with top notch British food, lovely wines (including English ones) and some cracking craft beers from small brewers such as The Kernel and local lads Sambrook’s.

Here’s what’s going down at the Canteen…

Massive news; top chef Ben Spalding will be doing a 4 course dinner on the 14th May at the Canteen to launch the St John’s Hill Fabulous Feast. Click here for more info and to book.
To celebrate our burger being named as one of the Top 10 in London we made a film of it being made - click here to watch. We serve it all day on Saturday and Sunday so you’ve got plenty of time to come and take it on.
Time and Leisure just nominated us as one of London’s best local restaurants, if you like us then would you be so terribly kind as to vote for us here?!
Also, Ben recently got interviewed by our friends at Le Cool, click here to read the interview.
Our Sunday Roast is super tasty. We serve it from 2pm every Sunday. Enjoy Roast Orkney Beef, Pork Belly or Roasted Chicken with roasties, cauliflower cheese and broccoli, greens, root veg mash and yorkies.
To add to our British food, done well ethos and British beers we’ve added a selection of English wines (British wines means something else), including a cracking sparkling by Chapel Down. Come and run the rule over them this weekend and let us know what you think.
We recently introduced a Retro Lunch menu, served from 12pm to 4pm Mon-Fri. Our current favourite from the menu is the chicken in a basket – you can actually eat the basket! Don’t forget we also serve brunch every day, not just at the weekends.
If you haven’t experienced our All Day Breakfast Scotch Egg then you need to change that this weekend. Like the burger it’s served all day. It got 5 stars from the leading light on Scotch Eggs - it’s a serious orb.
In our opinion brunch should be accompanied by Bloody Mary’s, have you tried ours yet? We use Sipsmith Vodka, they’re based in Hammersmith and it’s lovely stuff. Oh and we’ve also added Sipsmith Summer Cup to our bar, amazing.
On the subject of local booze, we make our cheesecake using Powerhouse Porter from local brewers Sambrook’s. It might sound a bit odd, making a cheesecake from beer, but blimey it tastes good.

Some things for the weekend

Posted on April 20, 2012 by benscanteen

Here’s what’s going down at the Canteen…

To celebrate our burger being named as one of the Top 10 in London we made a film of it being made - click here to watch. We serve it all day on Saturday and Sunday so you’ve got plenty of time to come and take it on.
Time and Leisure just nominated us as one of London’s best local restaurants, if you like us then would you be so terribly kind as to vote for us here?!
Also, Ben just got interviewed by our friends at Le Cool, click here to read the interview.
Our Sunday Roast is super tasty. We serve it from 2pm every Sunday. Enjoy Roast Orkney Beef, Pork Belly or Roasted Chicken with roasties, cauliflower cheese and broccoli, greens, root veg mash and yorkies.
To add to our British food, done well ethos and British beers we’ve added a selection of English wines (British wines means something else), including a cracking sparkling by Chapel Down. Come and run the rule over them this weekend and let us know what you think.
We recently introduced a Retro Lunch menu, served from 12pm to 4pm Mon-Fri. Our current favourite from the menu is the chicken in a basket – you can actually eat the basket! Don’t forget we also serve brunch every day, not just at the weekends.
If you haven’t experienced our All Day Breakfast Scotch Egg then you need to change that this weekend. Like the burger it’s served all day. It got 5 stars from the leading light on Scotch Eggs - it’s a serious orb.
In our opinion brunch should be accompanied by Bloody Mary’s, have you tried ours yet? We use Sipsmith Vodka, they’re based in Hammersmith and it’s lovely stuff.
On the subject of local booze, we make our cheesecake using Powerhouse Porter from local brewers Sambrook’s. It might sound a bit odd, making a cheesecake from beer, but blimey it tastes good.
Oh by the way, Monday is St George’s Day – to celebrate we’re doing a free pint offer, click here for deets.

This weekend at the Canteen

Posted on April 13, 2012 by benscanteen

It’s not a lovely long weekend but it’s going to be fun and if you head down to the Canteen we’ll make sure it’s super tasty too. By the way, we’re next door to William Hill, so you can pop in for pre-Grand National drinks and food and then later treat yourself after your big winner comes in!

Here’s what’s going down at the Canteen…

To celebrate our burger being named as one of the Top 10 in London we made a film of it being made – click here to watch. We serve it all day on Saturday and Sunday so you’ve got plenty of time to come and take it on.
Time and Leisure just nominated us as one of London’s best local restaurants, if you like us then would you be so terribly kind as to vote for us here?!
Also, Ben just got interviewed by our friends at Le Cool, click here to read the interview.
Our Sunday Roast is super tasty. We serve it from 2pm every Sunday. Enjoy Roast Orkney Beef, Pork Belly or Roasted Chicken with roasties, cauliflower cheese and broccoli, greens, root veg mash and yorkies.
To add to our British food, done well ethos and British beers we’ve added a selection of English wines (British wines means something else), including a cracking sparkling by Chapel Down. Come and run the rule over them this weekend and let us know what you think.
We recently introduced a Retro Lunch menu, served from 12pm to 4pm Mon-Fri. Our current favourite from the menu is the chicken in a basket – you can actually eat the basket! Don’t forget we also serve brunch every day, not just at the weekends.
If you haven’t experienced our All Day Breakfast Scotch Egg then you need to change that this weekend. Like the burger it’s served all day. It got 5 stars from the leading light on Scotch Eggs – it’s a serious orb.
In our opinion brunch should be accompanied by Bloody Mary’s, have you tried ours yet? We use Sipsmith Vodka, they’re based in Hammersmith and it’s lovely stuff.
On the subject of local booze, we make our cheesecake using Powerhouse Porter from local brewers Sambrook’s. It might sound a bit odd, making a cheesecake from beer, but blimey it tastes good.

This weekend at the Canteen

Posted on March 30, 2012 by benscanteen

Ok first up for this weekend, we’d like to apologise in advance but we’re running a shortened brunch this Saturday – last orders at 12pm. We’re hosting the Food Bloggers Lunch which is awesome but we understand it’s not so awesome if you want brunch after 12. It will be normal service next week, promise. The kitchen opens up to the public again at 7pm.

Now, what else do we have to tell you about?…

Our burger, the one named as one of the Top 10 in London, has been absolutely flying out ever since. We serve it all day on Saturday and Sunday so you’ve got plenty of time to come and take it on.
Our Sunday Roast is super tasty. We serve it from 2pm every Sunday. Enjoy Roast Orkney Beef, Pork Belly or Roasted Chicken with roasties, cauliflower cheese and broccoli, greens and root veg mash and some killer gravy as well as yorkies.
To add to our British food, done well ethos and British beers we’ve added a selection of English wines (British wines means something else), including a cracking sparkling by Chapel Down. Come and run the rule over them this weekend and let us know what you think.
If you haven’t experienced our All Day Breakfast Scotch Egg then you need to change that this weekend. Like the burger it’s served all day. It got 5 stars from the leading light on Scotch Eggs – it’s a serious orb.
Next weekend is Easter and it’s going to be huge. We will be running a full blown brunch on the Friday and Monday, not just Saturday and Sunday to set you up for a big day or to help you get over the previous night!
Talking of brunch, have you tried our Bloody Mary? We use Sipsmith Vodka, they’re based in Hammersmith and it’s lovely stuff.
On the subject of local booze, we make our cheesecake using Powerhouse Porter from local brewers Sambrook’s. It might sound a bit odd, making a cheesecake from beer, but blimey it tastes good.

The BC Burger (pic courtesy of @noshableadam)

Serving Brunch, Dinner & Drinks, 7 Days A Week

Tag Archives: Chapel Down

Midweek Nights at the Canteen

Ben’s Canteen – The Weekend

Eating and Drinking in Clapham Junction, Battersea

Ben’s Canteen – The Weekender

A right royal celebration of English wines with Bibendum

Some things for the weekend

Some things for the weekend

Some things for the weekend

This weekend at the Canteen

This weekend at the Canteen