Milk Review - Balham - London - The Infatuation
"There are a couple of things to know about Milk. Firstly, there’s been a lot of hype around the walk-in only Balham cafe since it opened in 2012. Secondly, it is absolutely deserving of that hype. The inventive brunch dishes mean you’ll order more than you can eat, the coffee has the silk factor of Victoria’s Secret pyjamas, and the friendly service is something you don’t always expect from somewhere that’s regularly got queues down the street. Milk isn’t just one of the best cafes in Balham, it’s one of the best brunch spots in the whole city. While there are plenty of outdoor benches that are a great choice on a summer's day, the British weather means the queue is usually for those sought-after indoor tables. It’s a small but inviting space with plenty of natural light. Servers zigzag between tables while you not-so-subtly eye up your neighbour’s halva-covered banana bread and make a mental note to order that later. The sharing tables are spacious enough that you’re not elbow to elbow with a complete stranger, but our favourite brunches here have been when we’ve managed to get one of the cosy three-person tables next to the floor-to-ceiling windows. The lively buzz isn’t exclusive to weekends—even at 3pm on a Tuesday the kitchen will be flinging out order after order. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Milk’s menu is filled with exciting, fomo-inducing brunch dishes. Order the famous fish sando? You’ll wonder if you should have gone for the fluffy buckwheat pancake special. Get the pancakes, and you’ll kick yourself for not getting the golden cornbread with nutzilla. You get the idea. The dishes are all consistently great, but unless you’re a local who has the luxury of popping in once a week, we’d come with a friend and steal a bite of their dish and order some poacher hash to share. Don’t worry about saving space for dessert, that’s what to-go bags were made for. Food Rundown photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Young Betty The brown butter hollandaise sauce is smooth, salty, and buttery, the eggs are perfectly poached, and you should absolutely get the smoked salmon with it. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Sweet Maria This is a hefty brunch dish that’s got the perfect ratio of wholesome sweetcorn fritters to citrussy tomato salsa. An excellent vegetarian option. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Poacher Hash Fireball We don’t want plain hash browns ever again. These golden potato bites are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and stacked on top of each other with a very respectable amount of Milk’s homemade spicy mayo-like sauce and a small mountain of cheese. Order this for the table, ask questions later. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Fish Sando This is your childhood fish finger sandwich all grown up. Toasted shokupan that’s crisp on the outside and airy in the middle, with light, meaty panko fried fish and a hearty tonkatsu sauce—you’ll need one of these to yourself. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Banana Bread The thick layer of sticky, nutty tahini butter on top of the thick slab of toasted banana bread is not for the faint-hearted. Or anyone who doesn’t like excessively sweet things. We’re very into the banana bread part of this, but just a heads up this is verging on a full-on dessert." - Rianne Shlebak
