The Dairy

This is another Clapham neighborhood gem that has one of the finest affordable tasting menus around. I really like this concept of tasting menus at places besides the high end Michelin star establishments that don’t cost over 100 pounds. At The Shed, The Manor (The Dairy’s sister restaurant), and now The Dairy, you can get really inventive cooking with fresh ingredients for what is truly a bargain. I managed to get a rather last minute booking for Friday evening by emailing the restaurant after seeing no availability online. They said a table was available in the bar area but that it would get the same food and service as the dining area. Upon arrival, I was even more pleasantly surprised because we weren’t dining facing the wall in what I typically think as bar seating; we had a 4 person table for 2 people, and it’s more like the setup at Morito in Exmouth Market, with a wooden table and rickety chairs. I think this may not be bookable online but I thought it was totally fine so I recommend contacting the restaurant if you don’t see availability!
Now, I’m not sure how many courses The Dairy advertises as part of their menu, but I can tell you that it is a ton of food. The entire snack section is 6 separate plates of a few bites each; our favorite was the chicken liver mousse, but there were a number of interesting plates with mackerel, anchovy, a crab soup with grilled cabbage, and charred kohlrabi. It was really helpful that they left a menu on our table so we could follow along as we went. The servers were extremely attentive, and we were served by no less than 4 or 5 friendly, smiling people who were always eagerly bringing plates to our table. The only choices we were asked to make was the choice of pigeon or venison for the second Land course, and there was the option of whether to add shaved black truffle to the venison. We went for the venison and the black truffle, which added up to 10 pound supplement. If I had to do it again, I didn’t think the black truffle added much and I could hardly discern its flavor at all, which was quite disappointing. There is also truffle in the previous dish, the first Land dish with sausage, unless that was intended on the part of the restaurant.
For dessert, we had the choice of 3 options and contemplated getting 2 different ones between the both of us, but the server convinced us that the salted caramel with malted barley ice cream was the only way to go. It’s the only one of the dessert options that has never been taken off the menu since the restaurant opened in 2013. And it was definitely our favorite part of the meal. This is not a dessert meant for sharing; it is that good. The same server also recommended us a great Italian red wine from the Piedmont region that did a great job of complimenting the diverse menu. We thoroughly enjoyed our entire dining experience, and the spectacular service just made it better. We ate everything on our plates, and left very full and happy. If I were to come again, I’d go for the bar area and order the chicken liver mousse and the salted caramel — those are the ones you can’t miss!

Contradicting is the word I’d use!
I’ve been wanting to try The Dairy for a long while. We came for lunch before Christmas and the set lunch menu is decent, pick 4 dishes for £25 per person. The portion sizes aren’t big but the food is very well done. Great flavours. A serious effort is made to produce something different using traditional ingredients from the British Isles. The presentation is great, apart from the stone bowls and plates, which just isn’t for me. However this goes in with the rustic décor which is most pleasant.
The wine list was pricey but had some lovely options. Not many by the glass.
The only let down for me was the service was a bit cold. Maybe they were busy but I wasn’t impressed. Also the vibe was a little but Mayfair, stuffy, but in Clapham! But then that could’ve just been me.
Overall the food was exceptional, but it just felt a bit off for me, the service and atmosphere. Wouldn’t go back even though they do try hard, offering amouse bouche and a little dessert at the end. It just didn’t come with a smile.
ps. I gotta say the bread and butter they bring out at the start is something special. so i’ve gone from 3 to 4 stars.

One of the best meals I’ve had in a while. Better than our meal at their sister restaurant (paradise garage). We had the tasting menu… which is always a good bet. Stand outs were the venison with truffles & pear, the cabbage & crab, the pork cheek (which we added to the meal from the al a carte menu) and the fig & rose water ice cream sandwich. I hate anchovy but I not only ate it tonight, I did so without gagging or swallowing something else to mask the taste — in all honesty that is the first time ever. This is the place to go to test the boundaries of your taste buds and enjoy every mouthful. I will be recommending this place to everyone that will listen. Amazing.

If you are confused about what «Modern British» cuisine is head here. Classy, sophisticated food in a laid back venue (think exposed brick).
Not cheap but good. Added marks for the fresh bread served in a bag with hot stones.

Came here for a cheeky cocktail last night and really really liked it! Had the dill or die and one with orange and prosecco, both of which were delicious if on the expensive side…
The terrace out front really captures the sun!

The place does not look that nice. The entrance looks no good… But the service was great and food is delicious. Tried the tasting menu. Didn’t like all, but enjoyed lots of the dishes… Must try it at least once…

This was one of the best places I have eaten ever — and that a bold statement.
We had the tasting menu with the drinks to match, it was such a experience.
Every element was exciting and we didn’t know what to expect as every course came out.
I loved the casual feel of the place, plus the vintage pates!
EVERYONE SHOULD VISIT HERE!

A pricey treat but AMAZING food. Service is great too. Expect fancy food though — butter on a pebble etc!
A must try.

Such a cool place, great vibe and superb food! The tasting menú was incredible, especially the wood pigeon.

It’s quite amusing to me that when you’re asked if you have a reservation and you answer «no» the utter befuddlement it causes. Listen, I know… it’s 18:00 on a Friday and you’re about to be slammed, at 20:00, but please stop looking like you just farted and give me the table. I will finish within two hours. I promise.
Do I know what tapas is? Yes. Oh excuse me… you call them sharing plates? Okay. No, a few plates are just fine for me and my companion, but thanks for telling me how «tiny» they were in effort to have us order more. Remember, we have to be out in two hours. I’m not sure I would describe the plates as tiny either, they’re certainly not that small unless you’re used to eating at the Cheescake Factory in the US. No, I didn’t think you were.
Anyway, it’s 19:40. You know what time it is! There’s ten other empty tables in here, but this one is for the guests with that reservation and they’ve just arrived, early. Gotta go sit out in the cold whilst we finish our last beers.
The food was delightful. Overpriced, but delicious and innovative. Bitchface? Not so much :(I’d like to say that I’ll be back, but that doesn’t seem very likely with literally a sea of other options more than happy to give me a seat and a smile.

Tastefully crafted dishes. The restaurant boasts of a limited but eclectic menu from the Garden, Sea, Land and the Sky. The ambience is laid back and casual and reminds me of California.
The veggies are fresh and the protein is delicately cooked to perfection. Expect a mélange of flavors but incredibly small portions. I love attention to detail and they certainly score high marks in that area.

I’ve eaten here twice and it was superb both times. First time was with a friend — we happened upon the place just wanting cocktails and the menu looked so good that we stayed for dinner. Came back this week with my husband. Menu changes monthly and I have no complaints about any of the dishes or cocktails I’ve had. Staff clearly takes pride in their work and made sure we enjoyed ourselves. It is some of the best service I’ve seen in the UK.
Dishes are seasonal, with locally-​sourced ingredients. Probably best described as «modern British.» This time, we shared seven small plates between us. Favorites were venison with blackberry and a dramatically-​presented grouse.
Wine list focuses on Italy with a lot of interesting options at different, reasonable price points. Lots of choices, both «safe» and «adventurous.»
Worth a trip to Clapham for this place.

Best food in Clapham. Adventurous, modern European dishes, using seasonal ingredients (some greens are grown on site), exquisitely prepared and presented. The dishes are small (£7−9 each), so you try 3 or 4 to make a full meal, and sample the flavours from this talented kitchen. Service is impeccable, and atmosphere is casual & relaxed. I plan to come back with more people. (Price: £30−40£ per person without drinks, totally worth it)

This place was phenomenal. Did the tasting menu and every course was absolutely delicious.

The Dairy is serving some of the finest and most original food in London in a really relaxed and informal setting — no dressing up required, which suits us perfectly.
My wife and I were lucky enough to get in last night as they had had a cancellation at the busiest time of the year.
As always the menu was incredibly tempting and we chose three dishes each as they don’t have the conventional format of starters, mains and desserts, but have small plates, each one was as delicious as we have come to expect on this our third visit.
We drank an excellent bottle of Verdejo, a wine that we have enjoyed every time we have been there.
Alas we only had room for one salted caramel dessert to share, a superb finish to an incredibly good meal.

When my boyfriend and I had to find a last minute anniversary spot, I remembered reading a blog post about this place. There wasn’t a lot online to recommend it yet — no incredible hype– but god there SHOULD be.
The room is lovely. The service was really friendly, with a decisive waiter telling me JUST what we should eat when we asked for advice (I love that), and, when I had him blindly pick me a glass of wine, he didn’t go for the most expensive on the list (nice touch).
But the main thing is the food. Which is just unbelievably good. Stone platters and 72 ingredients in many dishes might look like trendy show-​boating, but they are perfect. The flavors worked. Everything worked. It was just so, so good.
Go. Just go.

There’s something about Dairy…
There’s something about Dairy that’s so now, so 2013 food trend, that it almost feels like a demonstration, a ‘look, this is how trendy London eats’. Unfreeze a hipster in 10,000 years time and this is what they’ll be talking about.
That being said, it also manages to stay just the right side of safe. There are enough neologisms and touches of painterly genius to convince the most discerning food fanboi, but (and this is certainly no criticism) you could bring your mum here and she’d be happy with most things landing in front of her.
The venue is a generic Clapham wine bar; tall bar counter style tables at the front, bigger, rounded oak jobs at the back. Other than the ever-​present design lover soothing concrete carried through into the heavy serving plates, there isn’t a grand unified design. If anything it’s rustic chic meets Lower East Side loft bar. There’s not even a jokey cow reference to justify the name.
You can either select small, but emphatically not sharing, plates from an intriguing list of ‘garden’, ‘sea’ and ‘land’ or you can throw yourself at the mercy of the kitchen who’ll save you the agony of choice with a well priced set menu. Judging from what we had and comparing with what the table next to us ended up with on the set menu, there’s little difference.
Smoked bone marrow butter slathered on hot, fresh wholemeal bread was a delightfully rich hello from behind the pass and one that immediately ramped our expectation levels right up. I won’t go through to describe the seven or so plates we shared after this, it’s a changing seasonal menu so you’ll just have to take your chances, something I heartily recommend you do at the earliest possible opportunity.
We particularly loved the amuse of chickpea and cumin bitteballen, a masterful take on that most vile of Dutch pub snacks. Due to a mix up with the order, we ended up with two portions of heritage beets, delicately cooked and served with a filthily divine hazelnut purée though could quite happily have slipped back later to flirt with some cheese with dessert.
Thankfully we didn’t miss out on fresh from the pod peas, served with a light mint crème and delicate celery and a light chorizo and squid scotch egg was another happy highlight, and only one of the few that brought meat to the foreground. The other we tried being a polite and gentle lamb on a bed of squelchy and moreish aubergine purée. It was delightful, but the lamb didn’t quite have the depth of flavour I was hoping for, the same true of a beautifully plated but relatively pedestrian sea bass dish from the ‘sea’ section.
Overall, the small plates work well. There was enough to share, even if the heavy bowls didn’t always make that easy. If I were being overly critical, I’d have to say that while it doesn’t totally kill it yet, there’s enough here for me to heartily recommend. There’s a real sense of ambition and drive emanating from the kitchen (slightly at odds with a chilled, casual and at times an amiably almost amateur front of house). A couple of the dishes were just a little muted and the service needs to step up (as I’m sure it will once they’ve been open for a while), but with the ambition in the kitchen and for the price and location it will do very, very well indeed.

I am surprised there aren’t more reviews!
Please just GO. It’s the perfect place to have a memorable dinner. It’s not going to break the bank, and it will be better than most. The whole place gives a sort of milk on your doorstep country feel. Country, local, laid-​back topped with unbeatable service.
We went based on a review we saw to celebrate my birthday. Perfect for a special occasion but perfect for any party/​date/​drinks. Especially since there is both a fantastic bar area and restaurant area.
We chose the bespoke 7 course tasting menu selected by the kitchen. On our request they let us change up a few of the courses so we weren’t eating the exact same thing each time which was wonderful service. Specifically the ones they changed up for us were the ‘sea’ course — amazing cod (who knew?) and monkfish. They also changed up the ‘land’ course — beef short rib and lamb.
We opted for the wine pairings which were unique, well explained and not pretentious and even with few ‘extras’ in addition to the 7 courses — an amuse bouche and also a sorbet course. AMAZE!
We loved the strawberry cheesecake icecream so much and had questions the chef came out to answer them and he was just so approachable, fun and excited to talk about food (which we love).
Please go and let your taster enjoy. You are going to be hit with all kinds of amazing textures, flavours and fun.

2 words… So Cute!!!
I’d like to come back for lunch or dinner at some point but only had drinks here the other night. It was still a little early so there were plenty of tables in front near the bar for drinks. I was with a friend that night but we both said it’s such a good date place. There aren’t too many places where they provide table bar service in London so it was nice to have a cozy place without having to use your elbows to get a drink at the bar!
Me likely very much.