Reviews The Jam Tree

Following our recent review of The Exhibition Rooms in Balham, we’ve been keen to check out more Brunch options in south London.  Over the bank holiday weekend The Jam Tree was following the popular trend of offering ‘bottomless boozy brunches’, in the case of The Jam Tree this was priced at £15 for unlimited Bellinis or Bloody Marys over a two hour period.  The regular price of a Bellini is £8.50 here, so not a bad deal, drink up!

I've lived in London seven and a half years and last Wednesday was my second foray to Clapham - the first was to the Chicago Rib Shack launch with the Try This For team just last year. I don't know a great deal about SW4 other than there's a club called Inferno's and recently there's been a whole host of new openings recently that really are worth a look in. Last week, The Jam Tree invited me down to try and show me that it's worth crossing the river once in a while. I had some time to kill after a meeting and walked from Marylebone to Clapham - a cool 4.4 miles across town - meaning I was ready for a cocktail or two. As well as the classics (and a very tempting Bloody Mary menu that included homemade beef stock as an ingredient in one), The Jam Tree's signatures are their concoctions made with jam. They recommended I try the Confiture (Cariel Vanilla vodka shaken with raspberry jam, Chambord and pineapple juice) and boy, was it good. Ideally sweet but without being overly saccharine, it was a great introduction to their list. Next up was the Damson In A Dress (Damson vodka, Martini Bianco, lime jam and prosecco) which was the perfect antidote with that vermouth bite cutting through the fruitiness. We were there to try the new menu from Executive Chef Gary Smith who aims to 'create globally inspired plates bursting with flavour. The menu comprises an assortment of small and big plates as well as hearty sharing dishes, perfect for enjoying with groups of friends'. We started with the sotong manis (sticky battered squid) - large pieces of squid in a sweet honey and soy dip with a little added heat from chilli. A nice touch to a perennial favourite. I spied 'lardo' and had to have the lardo and braised Scotch Bonnets on toast - bitesize delights with a real kick. The chilli here outshone the lardo which was a shame but a nice try nonetheless. Finally, we shared the buttermilk fried rabbit. I've never eaten rabbit so had no idea what to expect but was surprised it was a whiter meat than I'd imagined. Less gamey too. Good when dipped in the hot sauce but I doubt I'd order again. Moving on to mains, we originally planned to share the salt baked sea bass with caponata and polenta but another table nabbed the last one so A chose the hanger steak with chips and salsa verdi. Nicely cooked, it was melt in the mouth and I enjoyed my bites but A found the rosemaryed meat a bit too much for him. I went for two more starters - the salmon tartare which was nice and came with the seasoning on the side to fold in yourself. I'm not a massive fan of pumpernickel bread but that's an aside and I used my toasts from the very buttery potted shrimp to dip into the two. Service was friendly and attentive and the recommendations were good. The restaurant around us was filled with lots of dates and a couple of groups at the bar. Windows open onto the street and there's a large garden area out the back that is no doubt rammed on Fridays and Saturdays when things really kick off at The Jam Tree. Would I venture south of the river again? Yes - to check out those ridiculously brilliant sounding Bloody Marys.

Cozy sunday lunch! I've bene passing by the jam tree for quite a while and finally in sunday I've decided to step in not sure what I was gonna get.
FOOD: We've opted for Sunday roast, they have three choices of meat and we went for pork and beef. They are both very good but I would really recommend the pork! Very soft, portion is big and it comes with quite a lot of sides. In the end a very good plate! We finished the lunch with the banofee mess, good not exceptional. The roast indeed was very good!
PRICE: average, not cheap but considering the portions I think it's worth.
PLACE: I love the design of it, very cozy, very designy! Really enjoyed it. Service was fast, nothing to say. We were lucky but on Sunday I would advice to book a table.

I've always been a regular of the Jam Tree in Chelsea, with its great beer garden, delicious cocktails and excellent sunday roasts. After hearing about the launch of its Clapham site i'd been meaning to give it a try - but only just got round to it now. And what a time to visit on the day of its JamaicaJamaica menu inspired by, you've guessed it, Jamaica. The menu is also available at the Chelsea branch with the menu running from Tuesday 6th August (Independence Day) - Tuesday 20th August.

The Clapham branch is perfect for the summer months as all the front windows recline, great for people watching or a nice breeze. When we dined at the restaurant there was a table behind us, who seemed pretty devastated (and very rude) that someone from the Caribbean wasn't cooking - according to them it was bound to be a failure. Well, so they thought. The Jam Tree’s executive chef James Browne is from Brixton and decided after travelling through Jamaica it was time to share it amongst us foodies. For all the food popping up around London at the moment, Jamaican food has been left behind to locals and people in the know. It’s about time we're seeing more of it.

For starters there was a lot of choice. First we decided to go with the salt cod fritters with hot sauce mayonnaise. The dish arrived with three crispy patties, a little salad and the mayo. The patties themselves were OK. Maybe a little overcooked and not fishy enough for me. The salad leaves were simple and the hot sauce mayonnaise was only a little more adventurous. It felt very simple and not very exciting. I've had these once before at a Jamaican take-out where they were much bigger, lighter and fluffier.

Calypso pepper prawns with bammie and mango salsa, couldn't help but ordering this dish - who can resist the offering of big juicy prawns. The dish itself was rather odd, but no doubt authentic. Bammie, if you haven't heard of it before is a type of thick flat bread made from cassava. Its fried off and is like nothing you would have had before - you'll either love it, or hate. The sauce was full of flavour but had that sort of texture you get from pasta water. I wasn't sure at first but I did grow to like it. The prawns were huge, succulent and full of flavour, some of the best i have had in a good while. Perfectly cooked is the key and the Jam Tree got it spot on.

After a mixed view on the starters the mains that came out next were a real shock to the palate - but in a good way. After being very indecisive of what to choose the very friendly waiter said we should go with the curried goat, rice and peas. He couldn't of suggested a better dish. A dry curry with chunks of goat falling apart at the touch of my fork. The sauce was bursting with flavour, very rich, a hit of garlic, ginger, chillies, thyme and curry powder (I think) there was so much to this dish and I highly recommend it. The table behind soon kept quiet after their first mouthful! The rice and peas were a nice addition, but expected of course.

Hungry? Read more - http://www.londonfoodaholic.co.uk/2013/08/review-jam-tree-old-town-clapham.html

My husband and I had the pleasure of dining at this quirky laid out restaurant over the weekend and enjoyed every minute. Apart from a slight abrupt greeting at the door ‘do you have a reservation?!?!?’, which was quickly turned around into a positive once confirmed that I did, the service was really good. We chose to sit up for a unique dining experience. The food was all amazing! I highly enjoyed my bolognaise and the margarita pizza looked lovely. The olive and bread, and zucchini fries, to start with were also delicious. I found everything fairly priced considering the area. Definitely would recommend for others to try out.

Great service and staff (the genetically tanned Italian male waiter/ I'll omit his name for GDPR reasons) was absolutely amazing, knew the menu well and gave great suggestions. Only complaints were the table was a little sticky, I couldn't taste the liquer in the tiramasu (except for that it was pretty good) and the calamari was overcooked (so it was a little too chewy). If that was not the case I would have scored The Jam higher. I will definitely come again and would also recommend to others. 👌🏾

Wow! Showstopper gnocchi dish. Better then many I have had in Italy. And I live there part of the year. The clam pasta was also great. The service was swift, warm and precise. Vibe is young, hip, groups and dates. Which makes sense because the lighting is very flattering. A detail not enough restaurants get right. Good music that added to the atmosphere without overpowering it. Also one of the more affordable options in Chelsea. I will absolutely be back.

My friend and I had a meal here and really enjoyed the food and the fast service of dishes. However when our dessert arrived we were still waiting for cutlery (and had asked for it) when we were given the bill and told they needed our table. We were under the impression we had 90 minutes for our booking and it had only been an hour. We then got our cutlery and had about two bites before they came and put the card machine on the table and told us to pay. Our meal was nice but unfortunately we were rushed out the door and couldn’t enjoy the end of it.

We decided to eat here for the novelty of the double decker seating, more than for any other reason. It really is a fun concept and just makes it into an experience. The staff were very friendly and helpful. One of my children decided they did not like anything on the menu, and they were accommodating and served a bowl of plain pasta with cheese for them. The actual real food that was on the menu was great, and we really enjoyed our meals.

FOOD…..DELICIOUS STAFF…..EXCEPTIONAL ATMOSPHERE……DELIGHTFUL My friends and I had a great time, such a funky environment with double decker seating!!! Food was incredible would highly recommend the crab linguine, UNBELIEVABLE!! Service was excellent, super speedy and very well mannered!! Joe was a delightful waiter. Definitely recommend.

Cool italian place to sit and experience. My son and I thought the pizza was delicious!! I didn't really enjoy the pear salad or the chicken casserole. However the pizza dessert with ice cream, and the mango sorbet, were very tasty!!! Service was great!! I would definitely go back and try something new, as well as the pizza and the desserts. Suggestion: Ask to sit on the top :)