3 Top Grapes at Ben’s Canteen

We do like a glass of wine (well if we’re honest we like several) at the Canteen, and we wanted to take a moment to share with you our excitement at having 3 awesome grapes that have been handled by absolute legends of the trade.

Vino

We strongly suggest you come and chill on the hill and enjoy a bottle or two in excellent company.

Pinot Grigio

Our wine: Riff Pinot Grigio, Terra Alpina, Alois Lageder, 2011: £25

Region: Alto Adige

One of the best regions in all Italy and indeed the world for growing pinot grigio grapes. Protected by the dolomite mountains, the vines enjoy a long, sunny growing season with warm days and cool nights that help to preserve both the grapes’ natural aromas and acidity.

Producer: Alois Lageder.

Alois is widely regarded to be the leading producer in the Alto Adige and the Lageder family have been growing wine here for 150 years. Lageder’s focus is on a respect for the soil, and the environment in which the vines grow, all of his wines are biodynamic and organic. The Riff Pinot Grigio is an exceptional example of the grape, fresh, rich and elegant in style.

Malbec

Our Wine: Catena Malbec, 2010: £30

Region: Mendoza

Historically a French grape, the Argentineans have made Malbec their own. It is completely at home in Mendoza, which is in the highest planes of the Andes. The landscape provides amazing conditions for growing grapes, high rainfall, lots of sunshine and great irrigation.

Producer: In 2009, Nicolas Catena’s work was honoured when the world’s leading wine publication, Decanter, named him their Man of the Year. No one has done more for Malbec production in Argentina or the Argentine wine industry as a whole than Nicolas Catena. Nicolas was considered mad in the 90s for planting in the Uco Valley (1400m) but he recognised the benefits of planting on higher, cooler ground. His Malbecs are considered some of the greatest in the world.

Riesling

Our wine: Wolf Riesling, Ernst Loosen, 2010: £24

Region: Mosel

The Romans originally brought wine to the Mosel region in Germany and they have been producing some of the world’s best Rieslings ever since. The slate soils provide great drainage for the heavy rainfall and the warm summer months are perfect for creating extra fruit.

Producer: Ernst Loosen

Another globally recognised producer, Ernst Loosen has also been named Decanter’s Man of the Year. He exclusively grows (and adores) Riesling and is regarded as one of the finest producers in the Mosel region.

Book for good times

As we are now taking bookings via Top Table we thought it would be a good time to reflect on our offering.

Ben's CanteenDuring the day, Monday to Friday, we’re a cafe which opens up from 8am and frankly we believe we’re the best in Battersea, and beyond. We serve amazing Square Mile coffee and Teapigs tea alongside breakfast, lunch and tea with loads of fresh salads, sandwiches and bites to eat in or takeaway. At the weekends, we serve brunch and we do all manner of tasty things, including homemade Boston Baked Beans with a mighty Full English, Eggs Benedict/Royale/Florentine, Corned Beef Hash and a cracking Bacon and Sausage Bap.

Sexy Buns

In the evening things really crank up another level as our bar and restaurant swings into action. We serve a small but well appointed selection of wines, our Malbec, Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio are hugely popular, we’ve got a really cool range of beers which include Meantime’s London Lager on tap and others winners such as locally brewed Junction Ale and beers with attitude (as Jamie Oliver would say) such as 5am Saint and Punk IPA from Brewdog. We’ve also got fizz and cocktails to get your evening off to a great start.

Cocktails

As well as bar snacks that include Mrs King’s Pork Pies, we serve Small Plates (basically modern tapas), our Raclette from Hamish Johnston is a plate of indulgence and then we have a seasonal menu. At the moment you can tuck into Mussels with Bacon and Luscombe Cider, Pork Belly with Autumn Squash, Beef and Junction Ale Stew with Horseradish Dumplings, Sea Bass, Chilli Crab Linguine and Beetroot and Squash Risotto. We also have our Canteen Classics, the BC Burger with smoked Montgomery Cheddar, Wild Boar and Apple Bangers and Mash, a Super Food Salad and an ever popular Sirloin Steak.

Beef and Junction Ale Stew

At the Canteen we chiefly try to do two things, one is to make sure the prices are reasonable, the other is to make sure the food is tasty – we try and achieve this by using Hero Suppliers. It’s an evolving list but at the moment we’re getting treats from The Dessert Deli, awesome pies from @MyPie1, bread from The Flour Station, meat from Dove on Northcote Road, cheese from Hamish Johnston, who are also on Northcote Road, the best ice cream we’ve ever tasted from Gelupo and lots of other amazing suppliers and producers.

Hero Suppliers

We also want to be a little bit different and add a bit to the local community, so we offer things like a Free Book Exchange, we have free Wifi and free nappies and wet wipes and we give out dog bowls of water. We also do lots of offers, for example you can get a cheap babysitter via our friends Like Minders or you can get a 10% discount if you cycle to the Canteen. Also, before you go big on Saturday, go small with us: £5 for a pint/glass of vino and a slider/flatbread with dips.

We’re still new and we’re still learning and improving, don’t be afraid to give us feedback, @benscanteen

We hope to see you soon and don’t forget, we now take bookings.

Mussels with Dove Bacon and Luscombe Cider Tonight?

What a gorgeous Autumn day it’s been and the Canteen has been teeming with people taking on our new brunch menu, lots of people were trying our new Corned Beef Hash with homemade Boston Baked Beans (top Canteen tip: add a poached egg).

Now we’re starting to think about dinner and following such a lovely day we’ve got our eye on our new dinner menu and in particular the mussels with bacon from Dove the butcher on Northcote Road and Luscombe cider which is delicious, especially if you add a side of hand cut chips.

New Dinner Menu

If the temperature drops then we might change our mind and go for our new Beef (diced chuck from Dove) and Old Engine Oil stew which comes with Horseradish Dumplings, this was a massive hit last night with people having a bottle of Talia Malbec to go with it.

If you’re looking to simply graze tonight with some drinkies (our bar is open until midnight) then get stuck into our small plates, the Raclette from Hamish Johnston with ham, potatoes and cornichons is a winner and our sliders (mini burgers) always receive good reviews. Oh, and the Flatbread (from The Flour Station) with Stacey’s homemade dips is great for a quick snack before you embark on a big night out.

If you want to book a table for this evening, then click here to get in touch.

Oh and one final thing, don’t forget that we now open for brunch from 9am, see you then for Bloody Marys, great coffee and some lovely grub.

 

 

It’s definitely a bangers and mash night

Blimey it’s horrible out there tonight! It’s most definitely a night for Wild Boar and Apple Bangers (from Dove, the butchers on Northcote Road) and probably a bottle of Junction Ale or a nice glass of Malbec.

We’ve also got a lovely Plum Crumble on the dessert menu to warm you up.

Don’t forget that on Monday nights we give away a meal for 2 for those who follow us on Twitter.

Bar Snacks/Starters

Pork Pie: £5

Traditional or pork and stilton with chutney and mustard – pies are from the award winning Mrs King.

Scotch Egg: £2.50

Egg encased in meat and breadcrumbs and dropped in the fryer for crunch.

Cheeseboard: £7.25

A selection of cheeses from Northcote Road food hero, Hamish Johnston.

Charcuterie Board: £5.95

Selection of cold meats with chutney, pickles and toasted ciabatta.

Beetroot Ravioli: £4.95

Ravioli of beetroot with a chive and basil ricotta filling.

Tartiflette: £5.95

Bacon, roast potatoes and grilled cheese on sourdough toast.

Quails Egg Salad: £5.25

Salad of rocket, parmesan and quails eggs.

Mains

Cod: £12.25

Oven roasted cod with chickpeas, chorizo and tomatoes.

Gammon, Egg & Chips: £10.25

Gammon steak (via Dove the butcher on Northcote Rd) with hand cut chips, egg and caramelised pineapple.

Sirloin Steak: £15.50

Sirloin steak with dauphinoise and roasted tomato.

Beef Burger: £9.00 (add emmental cheese £1, add Montgomery cheddar/Dorset Blue Vinny, £1.50, add bacon £1)

Home made burger with English mustard, ketchup and toasted fennel.

Pork Belly: £14.25

Confit pork belly on colcannon with roasting juices.

Bangers and Mash: £9.95

Wild boar and apple sausages (via Dove the butcher on Northcote Rd) with mash and onion gravy.

Linguine: £7.95

Linguine with fire roasted peppers, vine tomatoes and basil.

Watermelon & Haloumi Salad: £6.50

Watermelon with haloumi and cucumber.

Sides

All sides are £3

Chips

Mash

Spinach with lemon and garlic butter

Green Beans

Broccoli

Side Salad

Desserts

Jude’s Ice Cream. Choose from Salted Caramel, Raspberry Ripple, Vanilla, Double Chocolate or Rum and Raisin. £1.50

Classic Cheese Cake. £4.95

Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream & Berry Couli. £4.95

Eton Mess. £4.95

White Chocolate and Cointreau Crème Brulee. £4.95

Roasted Plum Crumble with Crème Anglaise. £4.95

Oh and as much as we personally hate to share, we really don’t mind if you want to share your desserts, we’ve got plenty of spoons.

Cheeseboard

£7.25

Our cheeses come from Hamish Johnston, a local food hero on Northcote Road.

On the board we currently have,

Lincolnshire Poacher

Stinking Bishop (much nicer than the name may suggest)

Shropshire Blue

Woolsery Goat’s Cheese

Thursday Night Steaky

Last night was fun in the Canteen with our friend, Captain Intensity, running the bar and shaking out cocktails – he’s looking to do this for the next few Wednesdays so put a reminder in your diary. Anyway, on to tonight… we really feel like it’s a night for steak, not sure why but this Thursday kinda has that vibe to it, washed down with a bottle of Malbec or if the hint of heat today somehow lasts then perhaps some Rose.

Once you’ve taken down a steaky then we have to recommend you go for a Jude’s Ice Cream, we’ve just had a fresh delivery and we’ve got a new flavour, Rum and Raisin to complement Salted Caramel (amazing), Vanilla, Double Chocolate and Raspberry Ripple.

Bar Snacks/Starters

Pork Pie: £5

Traditional or pork and stilton with chutney and mustard – pies are from the award winning Mrs King.

Scotch Egg: £2.50

Egg encased in meat and breadcrumbs and dropped in the fryer for crunch.

Cheeseboard: £7.25

A selection of cheeses from Northcote Road food hero, Hamish Johnston.

Charcuterie Board: £5.95

Selection of cold meats with chutney, pickles and toasted ciabatta.

Tartiflette: £5.95

Bacon, roast potatoes and grilled cheese on sourdough toast.

Quails Egg Salad: £5.25

Salad of rocket, parmesan and quails eggs.

Mains

Cod: £12.25

Oven roasted cod with chickpeas, chorizo and tomatoes.

Gammon, Egg & Chips: £10.25

Gammon steak (via Dove the butcher) with hand cut chips, egg and caramelised pineapple.

Sirloin Steak: £15.50

Sirloin steak with dauphinoise and roasted tomato.

Beef Burger: £9.00 (add emmental cheese £1, add Montgomery cheddar/Dorset Blue Vinny, £1.50, add bacon £1)

Home made burger with English mustard, ketchup and toasted fennel.

Pork Belly: £14.25

Confit pork belly on colcannon with roasting juices.

Linguine: £7.95

Linguine with fire roasted peppers, vine tomatoes and basil.

Watermelon & Haloumi Salad: £6.50

Watermelon with haloumi and cucumber.

Sides

All sides are £3

Chips

Mash

Spinach with lemon and garlic butter

Green Beans

Broccoli

Side Salad

Desserts

Jude’s Ice Cream. Choose from Salted Caramel, Raspberry Ripple, Vanilla, Double Chocolate or Rum and Raisin. £1.50

Classic Cheese Cake. £4.95

Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream & Berry Couli. £4.95

Eton Mess. £4.95

White Chocolate and Cointreau Crème Brulee. £4.95

Oh and as much as we personally hate to share we really don’t mind if you want to share your desserts, we’ve got plenty of spoons.

Cheeseboard

£7.25

Our cheeses come from Hamish Johnston, a local food hero on Northcote Road.

On the board we currently have,

Lincolnshire Poacher

Stinking Bishop (much nicer than the name may suggest)

Shropshire Blue

Woolsery Goat’s Cheese

A night for red wine and comfort food

It seems odd to be thinking about comfort food but then again it’s bloody odd that the weather is quite so filthy in August. Anyway, come into the Canteen and cosy up with a tartiflette to start followed by pork belly or graze on a cheeseboard (we get all of our cheese from Northcote Road food hero Hamish Johnston) with a bottle of red (the De L’Hospitalet Pinot Noir is good and Tilia Malbec is proving very popular).

Alternatively take the lead of the girls who were in the Canteen last night and crack open a bottle of prosecco (Jeio) and show this week who is boss.

Oh and one last thing, chef Kirrin has added a new dessert tonight, white chocolate and cointreau and creme brulee – yum.

Bar Snacks/Starters

Pork Pie: £5

Traditional or pork and stilton with chutney and mustard – pies are from the award winning Mrs King.

Scotch Egg: £2.50

Egg encased in meat and breadcrumbs.

Cheeseboard: £7.25

A selection of cheeses from Northcote Road food hero, Hamish Johnston.

Charcuterie Board: £5.95

Selection of cold meats with chutney, pickles and toasted ciabatta.

Tartiflette: £5.95

Bacon, roast potatoes and grilled cheese on sourdough toast.

Tuna: £6.95

Seared tuna on an avocado and mango quesadilla.

Beetroot Ravioli: £4.95

Ravioli of beetroot with a chive and basil ricotta filling.

Mains

Hake: £12.25

Oven roasted hake on caponata with salsa verde.

Sirloin Steak: £15.50

Sirloin steak with dauphinoise and creamed horseradish.

Beef Burger: £9.00 (add cheese £1, add bacon £1)

British beef burger served with date chutney and chips.

Pork Belly: £14.25

Confit pork belly on colcannon with roasting juices.

Linguine: £7.95

Linguine with fire roasted peppers, vine tomatoes and basil.

Watermelon & Haloumi Salad: £6.50

Watermelon with haloumi and cucumber.

Sides

All sides are £3

Chips

Mash

Spinach with lemon and garlic butter

Green Beans

Side Salad

Desserts

Jude’s Ice Cream. Choose 3 Scoops: Raspberry Ripple, Salted Caramel, Vanilla or Double Chocolate. £3.50

Classic Cheese Cake. £4.95

Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream & Berry Couli. £4.95

Eton Mess. £4.95

White Chocolate and Cointreau Crème Brulee. £4.95

Oh and as much as we personally hate to share we really don’t mind if you want to share your desserts, we’ve got plenty of spoons.

Cheeseboard

£7.25

Our cheeses come from Hamish Johnston, a local food hero on Northcote Road.

On the board we currently have,

Lincolnshire Poacher

Stinking Bishop (much nicer than the name may suggest)

Shropshire Blue

Woolsery Goat’s Cheese

 

Thursday Night Anti-Rain Dinner

Today has quite simply been a shitter weather wise. Move on from this misery by joining us in the Canteen tonight… we’ve got confit pork belly on the menu and after it went down so well last night we’ve kept the steak tartare on toast with black pudding as a starter.

It may also be time to get stuck into our collection of red wines, we’ve got a Sangiovese, a Tempranillo, a Malbec, a Pinot Noir and a Syrah. Don’t forget we’re not just a restaurant, use us as you want, be it for drinks, snacks or a full blown dinner.

Snacks/Starters

Tartare and Toast: £6.25

Black pudding toasts with steak tartare.

Pork Pie: £5

Traditional or pork and stilton with chutney and mustard – pies are from the award winning Mrs King.

Scotch Egg: £2.50

Egg encased in meat and breadcrumbs.

Tuna: £6.95

Seared tuna on an avocado and mango quesadilla.

Charcuterie Board: £5.95

Selection of cold meats with chutney, pickles and toasted ciabatta.

Beetroot Ravioli: £4.95

Ravioli of beetroot with a chive and basil ricotta filling.

Kirrin’s Veggie Toastie: £5.95

Roast potatoes, sauté mushrooms and grilled cheese on sourdough toast.

Mains

Hake: £11.95

Oven roasted hake on caponata with salsa verde.

Sirloin Steak: £15.50

Sirloin steak with potato dauphinoise and creamed horseradish.

Beef Burger: £9.00 (add cheese £1, add bacon £1) 

British beef burger served with date chutney and chips.

Pork Belly: £14.25

Confit pork belly on colcannon with roasting juices.

Linguine: £7.95

Linguine with fire roasted peppers, vine tomatoes and basil.

Sides

All sides are £2.50

Chips

New Potatoes

Spinach with lemon and garlic butter

Broccoli

Side Salad

Desserts

Jude’s Ice Cream. Choose 3 Scoops: Raspberry Ripple, Salted Caramel, Vanilla or Double Chocolate. £3.50

Classic Cheese Cake. £4.95

Saffron flavoured Crème Brulee. £4.95

Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream & Berry Couli. £4.95

Eton Mess. £4.95

Oh and as much as we personally hate to share we really don’t mind if you want to share your desserts, we’ve got plenty of spoons.

Cheeseboard

£7.25

Our cheeses come from Hamish Johnston, a local food hero on Northcote Road.

On the board we currently have,

Lincolnshire Poacher

Stinking Bishop (much nicer than the name may suggest)

Shropshire Blue

Woolsery Goat’s Cheese