The Department Store in Brixton is home to all manner of enterprises, from restaurants and work spaces to a private member's club. Another one to add to the mix is Bellefields, which occupies the ground floor of The Studio and spills out into a beautiful external courtyard.
Championing modern Mediterranean cuisine, the restaurant takes inspiration from the seas of the Med, from the Aegean and Balearic to the Levantine basin.
Head chef, James Mathieson, has designed a menu to transport guests to sunnier climes, featuring a mix of light snacks, larger plates and weekly specials. Although opening hours vary throughout the week, Bellefields is open from 8am Monday-Friday and serves food until late at weekends, making it a great spot to grab everything from your morning coffee to a quick lunch (check out the set menu) to a lazy dinner.
The main menu offers bites, main plates and extras with an emphasis on a sharing style of dining. Whet your appetite with a selection of ‘bites’, from Greek-inspired flatbreads with hummus and taramasalata, to Sicilian anchovies and Braesola hailing from Northern Italy. The restaurant's eclectic influence is evident throughout the rest of the menu. Larger plates feature burrata caprese salad, Bouillabaise, crab tortellini, roast squash with baba ganoush and steak frites. For lovers of sunny Mediterranean flavours, Bellefields offers a generous helping of them all.
They also offer a set lunch menu at £18 for two courses and a small glass of wine. Choose a bite of your choice, followed by one of four pasta dishes. The gnocchi with butternut squash, mascarpone and gremolata would make a strong choice, while you can’t go wrong with cacio e pepe.
If you’re only in town for a drink with a friend, Bellefields’ wine list is one to be rivalled. Order a carafe (and maybe a plate of focaccia), take a seat in the courtyard and imagine, if only for an evening, that you're on your 'olidays.