Tag Archives: Wifi

Good times at Ben’s Canteen for August Bank Holiday Week

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This week is all about good times, it’s very much Summer holiday season and this weekend is a Bank Holiday and Carnival.

We suggest you take it easy this week, if you really do have to work then work from home or go in late. Hit up the Canteen for some brunch action (and free WiFi); sweet corn fritters with avocado and bacon sound good to us as do fish cakes, a daily changing salad and a smoked salmon bagel with great coffee, smoothies and juices and, if you’re really kicking back, Bloody Mary’s. Oh, and if you’re hanging from too much good times we’ve got a mighty Full English for you. We serve brunch from 9am to 4pm.

Of course holidays are really all about partying into the night and we’re open all week to help you do exactly that. Headliners are,

Friday night is set to be huge and one of the foodie led parties of the summer, please note you need to buy your tickets in advance and online – click here for full details. Sunday and Monday will be lots of fun as we ditch our normal dinner menu in favour of a Caribbean inspired menu, including patties, rotis and jerk chicken – click here to see it in full.

Road Trip Dinner at Ben's Canteen

Retro Express Lunch

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The susnshine really does seem to be here to stay (hopefully that hasn’t jinxed it) so we’ve decided to breathe new light onto our midweek daytime food so that you can have even more good times at the Canteen.

Ben's Canteen sunshine

The new menu is intended to be served quickly. So you can ditch that desk, lap up some sunshine, eat incredibly well and then get back to the emails and to-do lists. On that note, we were always sarnies at the desk types but honestly your quality of life will improve if you actually walk away from the desk a bit and you’ll make better decisions.

With the new lunch menu we wanted to introduce some retro dishes (but made so they’re actually super tasty) so we’ve got chicken in a basket, omelette Arnold Bennett, Coronation Chicken Salad and a Beef and Onion Pie.

Also, we’ve got free wifi, so you can actually keep working whilst you enjoy some sunshine and top notch lunchtime grub.

Weekday Breakfast – Served until 12pm

Big Breakfast

The Big Ben – 9.5

Sausage, back bacon, mushroom, homemade boston beans, black pudding, sourdough toast and 2 eggs ‘your way’

The Veggie Ben – 8.5

Tomato, spinach, mushrooms, beans, sourdough toast and 2 eggs ‘your way’

Add extras for £1

Smaller Bits

Ben’s Baps (choose 2 fillings) – 5.5

Sausage/Bacon/Egg/Black Pudding/Beans/Mushrooms/Tomato/Spinach

Fish Finger Bap – 4

Brunch – Served All Day

Eggs Benedict – 8

Eggs Royale – 8.5

Eggs Florentine – 7

Scrambled Eggs – 6.5

Add Salmon – 1.5

All Day Breakfast Scotch Egg – 6.5

Homemade Pastries – made fresh every morning.

Lunch – served from 12pm-4pm

Small Plates

Soup of the Day with Crusty Bread – 5

All Day Breakfast Scotch Egg – 6.5

Smoked Eel Pate with Toasted Sourdough – 5.5

Potted Ham, Homemade Piccalilli & Toast – 6.5

Nut Roast Fritters with Two Dipping Sauces – 6

Hot Sandwiches

Ham & Cheese Toastie, Topped with Rarebit – 5

Orkney Beef Steak Sandwich with Caerphilly Cheese – 7

Spicy Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Paprika Mayo – 6.5

Add Handful of Chips – 1

Mains

Stew of the Day – 10

Chicken in a Basket – 12.5

Omelette Arnold Bennett – 12

Mince Beef & Onion Pie – 10

Coronation Chicken Salad – 12

BC Burger and Chips – 12.5

(Homemade Black Angus Mince Patty. Topped with homemade Corned Beef & Smoked Cheddar with Ben’s Burger Sauce. Served with Handcut Chips)

Desserts

Poached Pear with Hazelnut Crust – 5.5

Rhubarb & Ginger – 6.5

White Chocolate Tart, Raspberry Salt & Chocolate Ganache – 7

British Cheeseboard – 14

Sides

Rosemary & Chilli Butternut Squash – 3.5

Root Vegetable Mash – 3.5

Market Greens – 3.5

Hand Cut Chips – 3.5

Captains of Industry

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When we cast our eye around the Canteen we often see business taking place.

Business Lunches at Ben's Canteen

From fledgling new businesses coming to life via laptops (and our excellent Square Mile coffee) to successful property developers to local businesses entertaining clients and establishing future revenues. We love it and like the government we want to stimulate more growth in the economy.

Here’s how the Canteen can help…

Business Lunches

We offer 2 courses for £10 and it’s ‘top British nosh’ as many of our customers like to say. So grab some clients or reward the team and enjoy dishes such as Smoked Eel Pate, Soup, Toad in the Hole, Mushy Pea Fish Cake, Super Food Salad, Bread and Butter Pudding or go off the set menu and take down the famous BC Burger and All Day Breakfast Scotch Egg.

BC Burger, pic courtesy of @burgeranarchy

Breakfast Meetings

As we run SW London’s biggest and busiest brunch you can rely on us to knock up a cracking breakfast – in our experience a good breakfast meeting has always laid the foundations for exciting future projects. We offer our Big Ben (Full English) alongside Eggs Benedict, Royale and so on… we also do epic breakfast baps. Of course a good breakfast meeting needs killer coffee and tea, we have Square Mile and Teapigs, and lots of juice and if you’re feeling a bit more daring then maybe even a Bloody Mary or a glass of Prosecco.

The Big Ben, pic courtesy of @mulia

Bespoke Events

We love to tailor events to your needs at the Canteen. So if you wanted to say host a drinks reception with canapes then we can do that without any problems (click here to see our canape options) or you might want us to open earlier for a large breakfast meeting –  just let us know what you think will make your business event go well and we’ll try to make it happen.

Dinner

British food, done well is what we serve and we know it will leave you and your clients happy. What business dinner wouldn’t go well when you start with our All Day Breakfast Scotch Egg, a British Meat Plate and Potted Hams before moving on to our British Beef Board, Pollock with Cockles, Oxtail and Horseradish Risotto or Venison before finishing with desserts such as a Powerhouse Porter Cheesecake or a British Cheeseboard?!

Extras

We’ve got free WiFi and you can always borrow our printer or photocopier for those emergency moments! Also, whilst you’re waiting for your clients and colleagues you can grab one of the magazines in our rack for a read and to be inspired.

Book for good times

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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.

New All Day Menu

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Jimmy and Rob have put their thinking caps on and have put together a new week day menu for you. We’re hugely excited about the Welsh Rarebit made with London Lager. The sandwiches sound great (roast portobello mushrooms with thyme and paprika goat cheese, fish finger bap with homemade tartare and prosciutto crudo, vine ripened tomato and emmental on sourdough).

For brekkie we’ve got cumberland sausage on a Flour Station bap with date chutney, a kick start smoothie (yoghurt, honey, berries, banana and granola), scrambled eggs and smoked salmon and a bacon and egg pie alongside lots of pastries.

Don’t forget we also do awesome Square Mile coffee and Teapigs tea and we have free WiFi, a free Book Exchange and if you indulge too much a free Running Club (Wednesday nights, meet at the Canteen at 7.30pm).

All Day Brekkie

Cumberland sausage on a Flour Station bap w date chutney. £4

Kick Start Smoothie – Yoghurt, honey, berries, banana and granola. £3

Scrambled eggs on sourdough. £4. Add Smoked Salmon for £2

Bacon and egg breakfast pie. £5

Lunch

SPECIAL!

Meantime Lager Welsh Rarebit on thick white bloomer  w chutney  (v). £4

Sandwiches

Roast Portobello mushrooms w  thyme and paprika goat cheese (v). £3.75

Fish finger bap w home made tartare. £3.75

Prosciutto crudo, vine ripened cherry tomato and  emmental on sourdough £3.75

Add Burt’s crisps £1

Salads

Baby new potato salad w red onion, semi dried tomato and  capers (v). £4.50

Pies

Pie. £5 – Chicken and leek, bacon and egg and the Canteen Special.

Mrs. King’s pork pie with date chutney. £5

Pastries & Treats

Warm Muffin with Salted Caramel ice cream £3.45

Croissant, £1.50, Pain au chocolat, £1.25, Pain au raisin, £1.50

Carrot cake. £2.75

Chelsea buns. £2.50

Jude’s ice cream: choose from raspberry ripple, double chocolate, vanilla or salted caramel. £1.50

 

All Day Dining

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Ben’s Canteen is open all day from 10am (this will soon be changing to 8am) and during the daytime we’re a cafe/deli serving up lots of tasty treats (before turning into a bar and restaurant in the evenings). For example we’ve got amazing Chelsea Buns from The Flour Station, lovely Granola and you have to try our All Day Breakfast Burrito (chorizo, scrambled egg, cheese, sour cream, chilli and herbs).

Pop in and use our free book exchange and free wifi and try the best coffee in Battersea (for those really into coffee you’ll be glad to know that we use Square Mile) or a lovely cup of Teapigs. And for the kids (big and small) we’ve got chalk board tables.

Finally, every Monday we give away a free meal to our Twitter followers, for more info click here.

Daytime  Menu

All day breakfast burrito. £5.50

Granola with yoghurt, honey and berries. £4

Drop scones of the day. £3.50

Sourdough toast with Kirrin’s lemon curd, marmite and jam. £2.50

Ham and cheese toastie. £4

Mrs King’s Pork Pie with mustard and chutney. £5

Brownies. £1.80

Flapjacks. £2

Millionaire caramel shortbread. £2

Carrot cake. £3

Chelsea buns. £3

Muffins. £3

Sandwiches

Sandwiches of the day. £4

Add salad. £1

All of our bread and treats come via The Flour Station and The Dessert Deli.

Salads

Daily, fresh salads £5.50

Add cornfed chicken: Free

Kids (big and small)

Fish finger bap. £4

Jude’s ice cream: choose from raspberry ripple, double chocolate, vanilla or salted caramel. £1.50

We’re one month old

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So one month ago we opened the doors to Ben’s Canteen (getting there involved, somewhat crazily, giving ourselves just 14 days to refurb, not to be recommended!) and we thought now would be a good time to reflect on things.

Ben's Canteen logo

It’s with great pride that we know we’ve had plenty of happy customers, equally we also know that we’ve annoyed some too! What has been great though is that people have never been shy in giving us feedback (good and bad) as they want us to be a great little local which of course is our aim. We genuinely do listen to the feedback and hopefully you will see that as we evolve, there is an awful lot to come and whilst we all wish things could happen quicker we hope that you see some small improvement on each visit. Oh and we’ve also learnt that keeping a Time Out reviewer waiting for his food is a very bad idea.

Each and every day is an event and this makes life hugely entertaining, especially if you throw some riots (they weren’t in the business plan) into the mix! Sometimes it feels like an episode of 24 is less eventful than a day at Ben’s Canteen. This is what makes it fun, it also makes it feel like we’ve been open longer than we have and perhaps it’s better to try and remember that we are very new but at the same time we do want to keep striving to make improvements quickly.

At this juncture it’s worth a quick reflection on how we see our concept; our interpretation of a Canteen is a relaxed space where you can enjoy great food and drinks. We favour working with smaller producers and suppliers and are constantly on the look out for tasty new things. We’re a cafe/deli during the day and a bar and restaurant in the evenings.

As part of this there are some key messages that we’d like to get across,

  1. We want to deliver better food than in the past and we love to use small, quality producers/suppliers,
  2. We’re open during the day Monday to Friday (come and use our chalk board tables).
  3. We’re a bar as well as a restaurant and we’ve got a cracking selection of drinks (especially for SW London).
  4. We’re open on Saturday and Sunday nights, there is life after brunch!
  5. We do brilliant coffee, so few places do in SW London so it’s nice to be joining the likes of Federation Coffee, Brew and Grind in doing so.
  6. Improving the toilets is firmly on the to do list!
Supplier wise we’re delighted to be working with some great people, this makes for a happy chef.
Pulled PorkOur list of heroes continues to grow but here are a selection,
  • The Dessert Deli (a great supporter of ours, thank you Laura!) for yummy carrot cake, millionaire shortbread, flapjacks and brownies.
  • The Flour Station for amazing bread, burger baps, muffins and the delicious Chelsea Buns.
  • Meantime Brewing for providing the brilliant London Lager.
  • Brewdog for the increasingly popular (and awesome) Punk IPA.
  • Beaumont’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer – our find of the summer (imagine how popular it would have been if it hadn’t been the worse summer ever!) and so much nicer than Crabbies.
  • Square Mile for brilliant coffee.
  • Teapigs for a lovely cuppa.
  • Bibendum for helping put together the short, simple but quality wine list that we wanted.
  • Sambrooks for their Junction Ale.
  • Hogs Back Brewery for their TEA.
  • Luscombe for their wonderfully popular lemonades and our favourite cider.
  • Mrs King’s Pork Pies, sensational, especially the pork and stilton!
In other developments, we’re rather proud of our free book exchange and our 10% discount for those using pedal power. We’re also delighted to see lots of people using our free WiFi, we always wanted the Canteen to be a place where people can feel comfortable enough to use it as their office or to catch up on life and, we’ve noticed with a tinge of jealousy, plan and book holidays. In the future we’re looking at starting a free running club and cycling club – good ideas?
A couple of big changes in the pipeline are that we’ve just been granted permission to open earlier, so we’ll probably start opening from 8am Mon-Fri and from 9am on the weekends but we need to figure out logistics before we start doing that. The other change is that we’ll be cooking from the contact grills in the bar on a regular basis to help create lots of great smells and a selection of small plates that can be shared tapas style either as a bar snack or a starter or indeed as a main course.
Anyway, we need to get back to trying to drive through our positive changes (rather than just blogging about them), we also want to keep improving the service and getting the basics right, thanks to everybody who has been down and tried us out and to everyone who is about to give us a whirl!
Oh and one final thing, just so you know, we are working on getting a few more ‘girl’ friendly dishes on our menu.

All Day Breakfast Burrito

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Morning Battersea! We’re injecting some life into this dank morning by unveiling our All Day Breakfast Burrito (chorizo, scrambled egg, sour cream, cheese and fresh herbs).

Burrito board

Don’t forget to go with our free wifi and free book exchange we have the best coffee in the area (we use Square Mile) and for tea lovers we’ve got Teapigs.

Daytime  Menu

All day breakfast burrito. £5.50

Granola with yoghurt, honey and berries. £4

Drop scones. £3.50

Sourdough toast with Kirrin’s lemon curd, marmite and jam. £2.50

Grilled croissant with emmental and ham. £3.50

Chilli corn fritters with crème fraiche. £4

Mrs King’s Pork Pie with mustard and chutney. £5

Brownies. £1.80

Flapjacks. £2

Millionaire caramel shortbread. £2

Carrot cake. £3

Chelsea buns. £3

Muffins. £3

Sandwiches

Sandwiches of the day. £4

Add salad. £1

All of our bread and treats come via The Flour Station and the The Dessert Deli.

Salads

Daily, fresh salads £5.50

Add cornfed chicken: Free

Kids (big and small)

Fish finger bap. £4

Jude’s ice cream: 3 scoops, choose from raspberry ripple, double chocolate, vanilla or salted caramel. £3.50