REVIEW: Locale Blackheath, Lawn Terrace, Blackheath Village

So something strange happened to me the other day. I took a good friend to a restaurant I’ve not visited before, but one which was their all time favourite dining spots. This friend has come for Christmas, countless drinks (perhaps even drunk them dry on some occasions) and eaten more meals here than they can count on two hands. This friend does live in the area too, so that probably explains at least part of the obsession. Anyway it was unusual for me – I never ever go to any restaurant which is a friends favourite. Why? Well to be honest I’m always scared I’ll hate the experience and have to pretend to love it – then the dreaded review comes out and you give it a bad score. So you could only imagine my high expectations. Locale is a small group of restaurants, one in Blackheath (this one), one in Fulham and a third on the Southbank. We got through a few (too many) cocktails when we arrived and actually they were all very good, the espresso martini was a particularly beautiful concoction.

Locale Blackheath has just had a refurb and recently I believe, because it looks great (I stole that interior shot off the net). The dining room is grand, opulent and airy – and I loved the bar area. Food wise if you’re wondering – it was a lot better than you may think. I’ll get my usual apologies out the way now too, this time for the photos – they’re not great but I can only put it down to low-lighting and poor camera – or perhaps it was just the gallons of wine? We started our meal here with a seabass ceviche salad (my idea of staying slightly healthy). The salad was actually rather good, full of coriander, lime, and tossed in a lovely chilli yuzu sauce. It was by no means extraordinary but for what I wanted right then and there, it suited perfectly. King prawns smothered in cannelini beans, pancetta and rosemary however was the better half. A generous helping of three large, juicy and succulent prawns, laden with enough garlic over the top to keep me on my toes. A lovely honest dish which if you visit Locale, I would highly recommend ordering.

I convinced myself that steak slathered in a sweet sauce was healthy and ordered the Hibatchi Steak – a perfect medium-rare ribeye with sweet soy sauce and a sesame & onion garnish. My dining companion recommend this dish (uh-oh), I was on the edge of my seat, begging for it to be as good as they say. Thankfully from that moment onward I was completely put at ease, the dish was absolutely gorgeous. The steak really was perfectly cooked – still nice and pink in the middle but with the outside heavily blackened, giving the meat a gorgeous crisp bark. The sweet soy sauce had a good balance of sweetness, turning each mouthful into a salivating affair, even the side of veg was nice. I know I said the prawns were good, but this steak should really be top of your list and considering the relatively affordable price tag – you get a lot of quality meat on your plate for the money. Continuing with the slightly Japanese/oriental theme in a what is a supposedly Italian restaurant (we’ll get to that later), another lovely dish arrived to the table. Blackcod marinated in miso and served with caramelised lime, summer salad and sticky rice. If there was ever a fish that never fails to delivery, its blackcod and there was no exception here. Perhaps the skin was a little overcooked on one side but the meaty flakes inside were stunning – with that all important buttery melt in the mouth texture. Plating here, specially on the main courses could do with a little work (just stick with round plates please) but otherwise I had very little to complain about.

By this point we were both incredibly full, wondering if dessert was even a possibility (of course it was). I went for a classic, pavlova – filled with strawberry, peach and berries, it featured lots of cream too. As a dessert it was by no means anything spectacular but what it did offer was a very well made classic. The meringue (home-made) was crisp on the outside and chewy on the middle, plus all the fruit was fresh and cream devilishly thick. Perhaps some fruit puree or sauce drizzled over (maybe even white chocolate?) then this dish would be even better. Cheese course was I’m assuming (and hoping) for two people but my dining companion who for this reason alone I will not name – finished the whole thing. Rather impressive I think,  no?

Suitably tipsy and busting at the seams, I was ready for my bed. Locale was to my surprise such a lovely experience. It’s very rare that a restaurant which performs as a group gets me excited, but the food here was really rather delicious. The one confusing thing I did find about this place was that it’s supposed to be an Italian restaurant, yet they have a new and extensive sushi menu and various Japanese offerings seeping their way into the menu. It’s a bit confusing – advertise the place as “Grill & Sushi” however and it will all make much more sense. With three locations to experience Locale I can’t think of any reason why you shouldn’t visit, but if you want to real experience then come here to Blackheath. Not only can the chefs here cook but the village is also very pretty, just another reason to visit.

7.5