Ricks Cafe on Mitcham Road in Tooting is a delightful little restaurant that’s a world apart from the curry house cuisine the area has become famous for.

The Venue
Ricks Cafe is a small and intimate restaurant with simple wooden tables decorated with candles. Though there’s barely any room to swing a cat, the place is well laid out and you certainly don’t feel that you’ve been squeezed in too close to your dining neighbours. Twinkling fairy lights tempt you in from the street and the aroma of cooking whets the appetite as it wafts through from the open kitchen where chefs are hard at work.

The Atmosphere
The cosy-looking atmosphere beckons you in from the outside and once you’ve stepped in from outside the owner, Rick, welcomes you in, finds you a seat and politely takes your coat. The clientele is mixed – low lighting creates an ambiance of romance for visiting couples, whilst the low-key nature of the venue ensures that it’s as well suited to groups of friends as it is to a night out with your parents.

The Food
The European menu at Rick’s changes daily and includes soup of the day (£4), chicken liver parfait and toast (£5.25) and oysters (£8.95). The Tuesday night special of rump steak, chips and a glass of red wine is great value for £10. The chips are beautiful and the peppercorn sauce is marvellous, however whilst the steak is good it’s not of the finest quality. At £10 for the lot it’s a small gripe but at full price it would be more disappointing. Other dishes you can expect to see include pheasant, root vegetables and jus (£10.25), seared mackerel fillet with spinach and soy (£9.25) and tomato and garlic gnocchi with portobello mushrooms (£8).

Sides are priced at around £2. Desserts are priced at about £5 and the sticky toffee pudding, complete with toffee ice cream, is definitely homemade, very traditional and delicate. Other puds you might find include apple and blackberry crumble and chocolate brownie.

The Drink
The red wine served with the Tuesday night special is quite pleasant and goes down very easily, and the main drinks list is well priced with house wine starting at £12.50 a bottle and £2.90 a glass. Beer is £2.90 a bottle and soft drinks are £1.75.

The Last Word
Ricks Cafe is a friendly and relaxed little restaurant providing good food that’s thoughtfully made and reasonably priced.

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