Review by Piers from London
cost per head=£45
Morel is opposite Sainsbury's car park entrance, just off the main road at Clapham Common and unfortunately the not so salubrious surroundings do not help first impressions. Thyme was housed here for a while and despite rave reviews struggled to fill the space most nights.
Inside, Morel struggles to create a warm, cosy atmosphere, with deep red walls, candlelit tables, white linen and modern art. It works to a certain extent but my wife commented that the chairs totally ruined the whole effect - go there and you'll see what she means.
We were seated underneath an air conditioning unit, blasting out hot air, so we asked to move. The couple next door giggled because exactly the same thing had happened to them 20 mins earlier. Then the waitress brought still instead of sparkling water. But we persevered and looking at the menu decided that things were looking up. It is a well balanced menu and to be honest I fancied the sound of most dishes (take a look on the website for the up to date menu).
I chose the Morel and Gnocchi starter, my wife had the prawns. Mine was a disappointment, a tiny portion for £7.50 and the three small gnocchis were burned and bland. The prawn dish was OK. Both were beautifully presented.
I had the suckling pig for main (£14.50) with a side of chips (£3). Again, a small portion but the meat was very good. Not sure what veg accompanied it because it was a burnt, overly vinegary lump of something not very nice. Wife had leg of rabbit (£15) which was good.
We washed it down with a good bottle of Oregan Pinot Noir -one of my favourites, the Fireseed (£29).
The waitresses were lovely and well-meaning but over-attentive - topping up the water and wine every 2 mins. And the food arrived a bit too quickly.
I will give a small mention to the 'appetizer' which was plonked onto the table within a few minutes of sitting down and was lukwarm and over-salted. The sorbet in between the starter and main was a white peach delight, which did its job of cleansing admirably.
Total cost with 12.5% service was £91.07 for the two of us.
Morel could be very good, but the food quality must step up a notch or three if it to survive at these prices.