Neil Littman reviews a newly-opened restaurant in Cannon Hill

Walkers Brasserie in Southgate Green opened with little fanfare in August after a round of restaurant musical chairs, which illustrates the complex issues surrounding the hospitality business these days and how much you need a cool head, deep pockets and a bit of luck to make it work.
Located on the site formerly served by Café Rouge for many years, it was briefly occupied by Cannons Fish & Chips, who also happen to own Walkers. However, this location didn’t take off, so they made a bold decision; move Cannons back to its original corner site, and establish something different in its place – an all-day brasserie.
Walkers Brasserie represents a much-needed addition to the area, and occupies an impressive space with seating inside and out, but it needed a big idea to capture local people’s attention and custom.
Named after the Walkers of Southgate, a cricketing family who lived in Arnos Grove House in the 19th Century and were connected to the Taylor Walker brewing company, the new owners resisted the temptation to fill the place with cricketing memorabilia. Instead, they have gone instead for a cool, modern look, reusing some of the recent interior, a brighter colour palette, banquettes, zany zebra prints, and swivelling seats!
The daytime menu includes a comprehensive selection of breakfast and brunch favourites; French toast, waffles, shakshuka and eggs in a dozen ways – all on sourdough bread, of course. The lunch menu includes burgers, pasta, salads and falafel. Each menu describes the food as “modern European cuisine with a twist of traditional British flavours”. I prefer to describe it as eclectic, with something for everyone.
My first visit was just after Walkers had extended their opening hours to Friday and Saturday evenings, following a soft opening. My friends suggested we order cocktails to pretend we were still on holiday, an excuse we probably didn’t need. Our round of Campari and Hugo Spritz (at £11 each) were so generous and strong we didn’t consider ordering wine from their well-priced list.
The evening menu is currently offering just three starters and three mains, but short menus, done well, are maybe something other restaurants should note. Steak, fish, and a seafood pasta were on offer the evening we visited, although a vegetarian option would have been welcome. Fortunately, the all-day brasserie menu is also available in the evenings, so we were able to mix and match.
To start we ordered two portions of arancini rice balls stuffed with mushroom and mozzarella, which were delicious and light (£7), plus king prawns with spicy bang bang sauce flavoured with Thai sweet chilli and Sriracha (£8), both decorated with a colourful display of edible flowers.
From the mains, we ordered seafood linguine with mussels, grilled calamari and large prawns, both on and off the shell (£18), grilled sea bass on celeriac puree with asparagus (£19.50) and, from the lunch menu, teriyaki salmon bowl with rice, edamame beans and avocado (£17) plus a side order of sweet potato fries.
The mains were impressive. Service was good, with a few hiccups after our server finished her shift, but it recovered in time for us to order dessert and coffee, which included two portions of Basque cheesecake with Nutella, which we shared without getting into a spoon fight.
It was a shame there were not more tables occupied on the night we visited in late August, but it takes time to get established, especially if you have had one false start. Hopefully this write-up might encourage others to go and visit! There is some original cooking being built around a good concept.
Our bill for three courses with drinks came to £130, plus a 10% service charge. A follow-up visit for breakfast was equally good and I ordered eggs Florentine (£10.50) from the extensive brunch menu together with a reassuringly strong Americano coffee (£3).
For more information about Walkers Brasserie including opening times:
Visit walkersbrasserie.co.uk
Do you have any suggestions for restaurants in Enfield to review or feedback on the places Neil has already reviewed? He would love to hear from Dispatch readers:
Email [email protected]
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