Less is more

At the White House in Clapham a number of dishes are served in miniature portions. There are the three chilled shots of soup served in espresso cups: gazpacho; vichyssoise; and vine tomato and red pepper (£3.50). There are the baby burgers consisting of a cheeseburger, a hamburger and a chicken burger, served with mustard and ketchup (£4.50). There are two small pizzas - Florentine, ham and mushroom; and chorizo and black olive (£4). And at dessert, three tiny crème brûlées are also served together - raspberry, mango and blackberry (£4.50).

"People love the concept of going smaller," says 30-year-old Annabelle Job, who has been head chef of the six-strong brigade at the restaurant since it opened last March. Her previous work includes head chef positions, all in London, at Offshore in Holland Park, the Admiral Codrington in Chelsea, and Caviar Caspia in Mayfair.

Although Pat McDonald is consultant chef to the eaterie, which is located on the ground floor of a club, the menu is largely left to Job, who changes it monthly to keep regular diners interested. Many of these tend to be young, trendy people who often make an experience of their visit and stay for several hours, taking four courses, starting with dips or extra-long pork crackling strips with apple sauce (£4). Average spend per head, though, is currently a modest £15 per head, excluding drinks.

Job describes the cuisine at the 60-seat restaurant as "round the world", but elements of her classical background are clearly visible. "When I moved here, I wanted to bring in things like foie gras," she says. Her starter of peppered foie gras with warm brioche and sweet Madeira jelly (£6.50) has proved a top seller.

Asian-style cooking also holds a great interest for Job and she loves working with ingredients such as chillies, ginger and lime leaves. Starters with a nod in this direction include a seared teriyaki duck breast served sliced with pak choi and a Szechwan sauce (£6).

At main course, tuna gets the Asian treatment in a seared sesame tuna and avocado salad with soy and wasabi dressing (£6.50). "I use sashimi tuna and serve it raw," Job says. "I didn't know if Clapham would like it like that, but it does."

Fish and seafood feature prominently, with lobster ravioli served with its own juice on samphire (£6) and baby squid scored and chargrilled and marinated in chillies, shallots, parsley, dill and olive oil (£5.50) proving a hit with the average of 60-80 daily diners. Side dishes such as Italian plum tomato and basil salad (£2.50) and wok-fried greens (£2.50) are also available.

Desserts are a mixture of classics such as crème brûlée and more unusual dishes, such as a blueberry crumble ice-cream (£4.50), which is served in a martini glass and comprises hot compote at the base, followed by compote and crumble ice-cream, topped with crumble.

At present, the restaurant is open only in the evenings but it is likely to open for Sunday lunch by the end of this month, when Job plans to do dishes such as a roast chicken plate, a mini beef Wellington, and sliced baby quail.

A selection from the menu at the White House

Ballotine of salmon with crème fraîche, chive and salmon caviar, £5.50
Bang bang chicken salad, £5.50
Lamb kofte with a cherry tomato salad, £5
Garden pea risotto with mint pesto, £5
Mahi mahi with Oriental wok-fried pak choi, £6.50
Mixed berries and lemon grass syrup, £4.50
Hot chocolate fondant with vanilla bean ice-cream, £5
Watermelon and sloe gin sorbet, £4.50

The White House, 65 Clapham Park Road, London SW4 7EH. Tel: 020 7498 3388

Web site: www.thewhitehouselondon.co.uk