What a funny little place SW9 is. Tucked away off the main drag of the (let's be honest) quite hellish Brixton HIgh Street, this small bar / restaurant is a funny creature. It seems a bit embarrassed about it's gay status - the only sign being a small rainbow sticker behind the bar. And it can't quite work out if it wants to be a lounge lizards paradise or a bustling bistro. Sadly while trying to juggle both - it fails pretty miserably on both counts.
My first main issue with SW9 is the space. They need a redesign - and fast. The bar is stupidly positioned so that everyone who enters immediately walks straight into the back of the queue for the bar. Tables are squeezed together within an inch of their lives, and worst of all they've tried to cram in overly large chairs and a couple of sofas in an attempt to give it that 'lounge' feel. By cramming in so much the place feels frantic and when full completely overwhelming.
Drinks were slightly overpriced for the area. A single gin coming in at almost £5 and a small glass of pinot grigio at £5. The food I have to say was a lot better. A wide range of bar type food, I had pasta with smoked salmon strips, creme fraiche and broccoli, my friend opted for the fishcakes. My pasta was pretty basic, for some reason it had lemon peel scattered liberally on top, yet no actual taste of lemon existed in the sauce. The penne used was supermarket standard, but the broccoli was crunchy and mercifully undercooked - thank god. The menu prices are probably the best thing about SW9 - many main meals are well under £8, perfect for a recession.
Now, I never normally use Yelp to moan about the service that I've received and I'm not going to go on a full-on rant, or give you a blow by blow account. All I will say is that a member of staff was really, really, short with me when I tried to order food, verging on majorly rude. I was quite taken aback. Needless to say that will be lasting memory of SW9 bar. A shame really, as if it's quiet and the staff aren't so stressed, it has the potential to be an urban retreat in one of my least favourite areas of town. read more