The Revolution Kitchen | Clapham Restaurant Review

My memories of Revolution (yes, Vodka Revs) are cloudy ones – I thought that stepping through the doors of their Clapham brand would whisk me back to my student days – girls in miniskirts selling me shots, while music blares from the speakers, but I was surprised to see that things had changed. As I’ve grown up, so too has Revolution. Yes, it’s still a vodka bar at heart (as the neon V.O.D.K.A sign on the wall reminds us) but the kitchen dining area has a comfortable ‘farmhouse’ feel, with chunky wooden tables, herby foliage and jam jar lights.

First of all, we checked out the cocktail menu and there is definitely something for every taste, from the classics such as a Mojito or Cosmopolitan, to the fun re-works like the ‘Sweetshop’ with banana liquor, bubblegum syrup and garnished with sweeties. I went for the latter while Charlie chose a classic Mojito. Check out the full cocktail menu here – it’s epic!
The menu has been revolutionised (lol) by new head chef Mark Rush – who describes it as ‘food for the soul’ – and it’s the kind of food that everybody craves on a Friday or Saturday night. Food that all sounds mouth-wateringly good whether it’s the fresh crab cakes, or the thin crusty spicy sausage pizzas. With eyes bigger than our bellies it would have been easy to order one of everything – for everything on the menu looked so scrumptious. I pondered over the slow cooked brisket, and the extravagant looking burgers that the table next to us had ordered, while Charlie seriously debated between Chicken wings, meatballs or a ‘Bad Boy Pizza’ with every topping you could imagine.
I always order burgers, always, but today I thought I would go for something different. The burger offering in Clapham is pretty good already, with Honest Burger jus down the road in Brixton, Byron just opened on the corner, and of course Red Dog Saloon with their ‘Devastator Challenge’ (find out about that here). I opted for the Dirty Dog – and this is no ordinary hot dog – but a premium bockwurst sausage in a brioche roll, smothered with chipotle pulled pork, french mustard, ketchup and topped with crispy onions. Macaroni Cheese is my weakness so I couldn’t resist ordering one as a side too. 
Charlie proclaimed to be ‘starving’ and ordered the most massive-sounding dish on the menu – the ‘Bad Boy’ Pizza, complete with a feast of Chorizo, fennel sausage, spit pro n’duja, Meatballs, I could go on….
The food was as scrumptious as it sounded, healthy it is not (there are salads on the menu too, but would you REALLY come here and order salad?!) but boy did it taste good! My hot dog was literally the best i’ve ever had (i’m in the airport about to go to New York as I write this, so this may not be for long – will keep you updated!!) and Charlie’s pizza disappeared before I even had a chance to snap it.
As I had expected, the Mac ‘n’ Cheese was divine – heaven in my mouth. I am pretty critical when it comes to Macaroni Cheese and proudly proclaim to all my friends that the one that I bake is the best in the world, but Revolution may have given me a run for my money!
 
As you can see, the Dirty Dog was finger lickin’ good! 
My only complaint – and it really is the only one, is that the table was too small. With a menu full of delicious looking side-dishes, you’ll want to order a selection of dishes, but there is literally no room to put them. This issue became apparent when my Mac ‘n’ Cheese ended up face-down on the floor after just a few spoon fulls…. Embarrassing and upsetting, but thankfully the fantastic waiter quickly bought us a new one.
For afternoon dinner entertainment – we were treated to some fantastic magic tricks by the in-house magician. Even the ever-sceptical Charlie was amazed by his mind-reading tricks, and ability to remove my Monica Vinader ring from my finger, and have it appear in his wallet, all without us noticing.
Of course the evening had to end in true old-school Vodka Revs – with shots! We wanted to try them all so ordered the set of 10 with fruity flavours ranging from bubble gum to citrus to coconut.
The meal has totally changed my perception of Revolution – and i’m so pleased that the bar has grown up into not only a fun night out, but a restaurant with a menu to be proud of. It’s the perfect place to grab some delicious food in a lively atmosphere before heading to the club upstairs.
This meal was kindly offered as a complimentary experience by Revolutions.