What’s New

Gourmet Salads

Eighteen months after Joelle Hallmark set up her cookery school “Smart Raspberry”, delivering after school classes to budding new chefs, the pandemic and lockdown threw a spanner in the works. With schooling going on line and many extra curricular classes on hold Joelle has taken her passion for food in another direction and recently launched Joelle’s Gourmet Salads.

Joelle supplies a range of freshly made salads using only high quality, carefully sourced ingredients, including beef from Randall’s. Salads on the menu include Orzo and Sunblush Tomato, Thai prawn/beef, Greek and Ventresca Tuna which all sound perfect for summer picnics, dinner parties, buffets or simple family meals. Order by mid-day for next day delivery to your door. Salads arrive in take away packaging or, for a small hire charge/deposit, they can be delivered in bowls ready to go on the table. “I’ve always loved healthy, fresh food and enjoy nothing better than experimenting with new flavours and combinations. Even my teenage sons crave my salads!”.

Servings we’re told easily feed 2-3 people and can be adapted to your taste, needs or dietary requirements. Order by mid-day for next day delivery joellessalads@yahoo.com or get in touch on 07762 105074. Find the full menu on Instagram @joelles_gourmet _salads

Ta’ Mini

This Lebanese bakery, whose name translates as “feed me”, opened at the end of June and is owned and run by husband and wife Ali and Nermin Khamosia who are both Lebanese; Ali from North of Lebanon/Tripoli and Nermin from Beirut. They’ve already had fantastic reviews in the short time they’ve been open and the shop front makes a pretty addition to the Fulham Road (number 801) with fresh window displays and beautifully laid out produce to take away.

They’re a lot more than a bakery with the claim to fame that they’re the first to introduce Ka’ak Lebanese street bread to London. In addition to selling traditional Lebanese baked food including spinach, cheese, halloumi mini bites, which you can order in mixed boxes (6 or a dozen) , Manakish (flat breads with different toppings), date bread and Arabic cookies they also have freshly prepared hummus pots and salad bowls to take away, serve coffee, soon offering traditional Arabic coffee, and have Lebanese produce for sale such as rose water, pomegranate molasses and sumac.

Nermin told Urban Village London “Ta’mini is our first business in London. Ali used to own a bakery back home and I never thought of opening one here in the UK. My Masters was in Child Development, I worked for UCL and the charity Refuge. However, I always loved hosting friends for lunch and cooking for my family. Ali and I decided to open a bakery back in October 2019 and we came across our current shop during the search for the “perfect” location.  We live in Central London and Fulham is a location that never crossed our mind. I remember Ali showing me a picture of the shop online and wasn’t sure, because I had in mind Warren Street or Tottenham Court Road! So, on a cold winter night he convinced me and the boys (we have three) to go and see the shop. From the moment I saw it I fell in love and had such a positive energy about it. We signed the contract a week before COVID-19 lockdown was announced, but deep down I never felt negative about proceeding with our plan. And here we are one month since we officially started our bakery and people in Fulham are amazed with our food and super happy with the vibe”.

We went in under cover, well it was “Face Mask On Friday” to pick up some items to taste test; it’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it. We settled on some humous and a lemonade to take home and were offered a complimentary spinach mini bite to try - how could we say no? We are huge fans of humous - it’s a picky tea staple, light lunch option - and we can report that Ta’mini’s was delicious as was the soft tasty puff of a mini bite. Lemonade is always a favourite purchase of ours at Le Comptoir, now we can enjoy it closer to home so we’ll be back supporting supporting local and Ali, Nermin and their young family. We’re looking forward to picking up an all time fave fattoush salad to go with.

Opening hours: Mon - Friday (8 am - 6 pm)/Sat (9.30 am - 6.30 pm)

Order baked goods and take out food in advance to experience a taste of Lebanon here in Fulham by calling 020 3875 0865 or order via Just Eat. Stay posted for the launch of their own app for orders & delivery and plans to introduce an additional menu and the option to eat in.

Nexus

This family owned restaurant opened on the Fulham Road (number 448 - 450) on 4 July aka Super Saturday. Tamara Ramsey Crockett and her brother Aaron Ramsey are self proclaimed “massive foodies” Tamara told Urban Village LDN “I am originally a film & TV make up artist and I met our chef Jai Harrower as he was catering for Jamie Oliver on the same film I was doing the hair and make up for. Jai first worked touring with Cirque de Soleil, then closely with Jamie Oliver at 'Fifteen' and went on to feature on Channel 4's  “Escape to the Chateau”. Jai’s food has always been technically informed working with seasonal local ingredients to get the best flavours and also bring in influences true to his Guyanese-Caribbean roots”.  

We haven’t had a chance to check Nexus out for you yet, we’re slowly venturing out of lockdown ourselves to “Eat out to Help Out” but Tamara told us the restaurant is “split across two levels” and that you can “expect abstract art, palm trees, gorgeous living walls, neon signs and a sky light conservatory “. We’ve seen some extremely tempting and mouth watering pics of the food on offer from breakfast options including granola fruit bowls, strawberry porridge, blueberry pancakes, traditional fry ups and they have a great breakfast take out offer; £6 for coffee and a bacon sandwich made with “delicious sour dough avocado and aioli”. Sounds perfect as an en route to the tube take out with restrictions lifting and Fulhamites starting to make their way back to work. Lunch and dinner includes eat in or take away options like chicken kebabs on flat bread, Nexus lobster tail, jerk chicken platters come served with coleslaw and a choice of mac & cheese or rice and peas. Nexus are also serving seasonal cocktails, fine wines, a selection of non-alcoholic drinks and their Bottomless Brunch runs all week (Mon - Sat). Choose from either 2 or 3 courses with 2 hours of bottomless sparkling wine, mimosas , beer or selected soft drinks.

Opening hours: Monday/Tuesday (7.30 am - 6 pm), Wednesday/Thursday (7.30 - 9pm), Friday/Saturday (7.30 am - 10 pm)

Their menu is available for takeaway from the restaurant and Uber Eats and Just Eat should be up and running this month.

Bishops Bar

This new bar recently opened on the Fulham Palace Road (399) on the site where Bloom used to be and although they’re still refurbishing we’re told by the new owners that they are family and dog friendly. Their outdoor, front of house wooden deck is perfect for sunny Fulham days where you can sip one of their cocktails including three unique concoctions created by their in house mixologist: Bishops Special (vodka, gin, peach snapps lime & lemonade), Bloom revival (Cointreau, Bloom Gin, Ginger ale, Basil, Lime and the Rum Nation (three rums mixed with a variety of fruit juices to create a Caribbean cocktail; we’re not sure we’re brave enough for the Zombie. They’ve also created a couple of shooters - the Bloody Mary shot 50 ml - and their alcohol licence starts at 9 am if you want to start that early!

On the non alcoholic front they serve fresh coffee, tea, smoothies, milkshakes and juices and items on their food menu, reduced for now, include spicy chicken wings, bruschetta, fajitas, salt and pepper squid, sweet potato chips and they have a breakfast and brunch menu.

We can imagine, if we get past the new normal and eventually return to pre lockdown normal, that Bishops Bar is going to be packed on match days and if you enjoy shisha or you’d like to try it this is another Bishops Bar terrace offer. They also hope to organise an open mic night and DJs in the near future.

Opening hours: 8.30 am - 11 pm (Mon - Fri)/9.00 am - 11 pm (Sat - Sun)