Mommi Restaurant Review: Latin America meets Japan in Clapham with First Table

Food glorious food. I don’t know what it is at the moment but I seem to be living in restaurants more so than I ever have. It’s become so much more accessible, more affordable and more importantly – more relaxed. Our latest adventure led us to one of Clapham’s much-loved restaurants Mommi, a placed we’d never have experienced such a delight if it wasn’t for restaurant booking website, First Table. Also known as my new favourite website.

Before we talk about the quite frankly delicious food Mommi offer and before taking advantage of the 241 cocktails before 7pm, let me introduce you to First Table. Now if any of you know me well, you’ll know I love eating before 7pm and in an empty restaurant. Don’t ask me why, but I love a bit of quiet and it’s exactly why First Table is so perfect for me and it’s so simple to arrange. Head over to www.firsttable.co.uk, scroll through the list of restaurants, select, pay £5 to book the first table of an evening and you’ll get 50% off the food bill.

Where Japan meets Latin America, Mommi serves up fusion food for the soul. Delicious small plates, packed with flavour and colour. We started our journey with a very good bowl of spicy edamame, and an even better plate of scorched padron peppers sprinkled with sea salt.

A nice surprise were these croquetas as they weren’t quite traditional, but ever so tasty. Balls of crispy fried choclo (Peruvian corn), roasted rocoto pepper & smoked aubergine. Made even better by the peanut, sweet soy & sesame dip it all sat on top of. Did I mention the entire menu is gluten free? You wouldn’t know.

Star dish from our entire meal had to go to this ahi tuna tartare. I was a little skeptical at first, given all the ingredients listed out on the menu – but everything worked perfect and the quality of the fish was stunning. A mixture of wasabi “mayo”, quinoa crisp, jalapeño, garlic, soy, pickled ginger, samphire salt, tobiko & narañja seca (orange peel I think). As I said, there’s a lot going on but your palate will only be thanking you after that first bite.

Once we practically inhaled all of our snacks and small plates, we moved onto the larger plates off the menu and one really stood out. Glossy, flaky, perfectly cooked miso glazed salmon with salt roasted beetroot, sweet potato puree and coriander. The whole thing is then covered in a chocolo yuzu & aji pancha soy dress. When it comes to ingredients, I sometimes had no idea what I was eating – but it was too delicious to care.

The beef they serve here is absolutely beautiful so don’t miss out on the anticucho flat-iron steak. It’s cooked over coal, smothered in an Andean herb chimichurri and served with some thick cut cassava fries. If you’ve got room, order an extra side of crispy sweet potato fries. They come with a fantastic aji amarillo & citrus mayo – dusted in truffle salt.

For desserts, you can choose from a very decadent selection of mini puddings, priced at £3.50 each and of course the more you order – the more you save. We tried three. Choc chip brownie, salted dulce de leche & puffed peanut quinoa. Banana & caramelised lacuma ice cream. My favourite was the Peruvian chocolate mousse with toffee popcorn. Rich and decadent.

We had a really lovely time at Mommi in Clapham and if it wasn’t for First Table, I may well have never discovered this fantastic restaurant. Dishes full of flavour, faultless service and from what I hear one of Clapham’s best brunches. There are so many reason to visit Mommi which makes for many more reason for me to come back sooner, rather than later.

NB: Our food was complimentary, but we paid for our drinks. All views are as always, my own. My views are not influenced by anyone other than my own palate and slightly poor eyesight.