All posts in category Restaurant reviews

Yo! Burger – Launch Party

I remember the first time I was confronted by sushi; I was about six or seven and I couldn’t have been more horrified. Raw fish and a modern popular delicacy it was, but you may as well have said, “here’s a plate of salmonella”. Salmonella maki. Yum. These were pre Yo! Sushi days too you know. Selfridges was the first time I was able to stomach this pesce dish, and despite my trepidation at putting an uncooked sliver of rice and slime into my mouth, I did – and it was completely underwhelming.

These days I could be sushi – if the saying “you are what you eat” has any truth. Although I don’t frequent Yo! Sushi – I find it mediocre for the price one pays – I was invited there for the launch of their new and rather ingeniously named concept, Yo! Burger.

The launch party was pretty slick and the PRs had done a good job of creating an atmosphere around a conveyor belt. I was plied with their new burgers – my first choice was the tilapia Yo! Burger. Let me first de-construct what I mean when I say burger, however. The bread is replaced with a sticky rice patty which has been toasted on the both of its outer sides. I guess the best analogy is when you get those crispy bits on the side of the pan after cooking risotto. These, in my opinion, are the best bits – much like the Yo! Burger.

OK, I am going to stop writing these branded exclamation marks in the text now.

Their view…

My view…

My write up of this burger is that it tastes like McDonald’s, right down to the plastic cheese that accompanies it. Mayo too (although it professes to be wakame tartar sauce). Wet and limp it really was like fast food. Sushi, by definition, may be the fastest food on earth but this tasted like I could have driven through Burger King when I was hungover.

Apologies for the quality of the photos – there wasn’t a great deal of light.

Next burger was the prawn Yo Burger. It was katsu – prawn katsu cutlet. This had a great deal more flavour; served with white cabbage, sprinkled with spring onion and diced beni shoga, and lubricated with curry mayo.

The Yo! Burger – Prawn cutlet

Did I just say lubricated in a post – oh sorry – wrong blog!

The creamy curry flavourings gave the rice bun more to enjoy and the zest of the spring onion was complimentary to the prawn, which by the way, was actually substantial in quality (juicy prawn bits, for the win).

With every burger meal you’re also given nori crackers, daikon slaw and ‘misochup’. It’s not a steal at £8 either.

On paper and as a concept, it’s a PR’s and fast-food fiend’s dream. Exciting, innovative and slightly limp with a salty, moreish conundrum; is it nice and naturally flavoured – or is it just fuck-it-artificially-enhanced goodness?

It’s not my thing. I will stick with the sushi bit of the YO!

My favourite flavour

Your nearest Yo Sushi if you live in south west London, is in Victoria:

Main Concourse Victoria Station Terminus Place
London, SW1V 1JT
T:020 3262 0050

Guest Post: A Guide To Eating Out in Brixton Village

It’s ever so nice to hear other people’s experiences about eating out in the area, so as you can imagine I was really pleased when Natalie from South London Blog got in touch to let me know her thoughts about Brixton Village. Here’s her run down of places to go – whatever the occasion.

Where to Start

Brixton Village has been rapidly growing in size both with its increasing popularity and with new premises springing up regularly. Having lived in Brixton for a year I made it my mission to eat my way round the village, this constant growth has meant that despite my best efforts I haven’t quite managed this, although on the plus side it means I have more new places to try!

From the vast array I have tried here’s my rundown of the top spots to visit in Brixton Village:

For Lunch:

French & Grace – Serving delicious wraps packed full of halloumi or merguez, or both with tons of salad thrown in! French & Grace is great value for money and uses quality ingredients, a perfect lunch time eat!

You can read Natalie’s full review here.

pancake brickbox

Brick Box – Specialising in both sweet and savoury crepes Brick Box is a great spot to visit for lunch. A wide variety of toppings can adorn your savoury pancake from chorizo to spinach and my particular favourite, a fried egg!

BYO:

Elephant – Pakistani street food served from this tiny kitchen with seating spilling out into the market. The menu is small but this just makes the meal decisions easier and everything I tried was delicious.

Koh Sarn – Popular Thai eatery, booking ahead is definitely recommended as this place is always packed. Tasty menu of classic Thai dishes with ample outdoor seating.

Drinks:

Seven – Although Seven does serve food, and tasty tapas at that, you really go here for the drinks and the atmosphere. Cocktails are all at £5 pounds and these are unique and frequently updated. There’s a small selection of Spanish wine which is again good value as is the Spanish bottled beer on offer. Make sure to check out the upstairs area where the walls have been decorated by local artists.

Patatas bravas, Seven at Brixton

Wishbone – Fast food at its trendiest this is the South London offering from the people behind Meat Liquor and Meat Market, and this time they’ve ditched burgers in favour of fried chicken. If you want a quick bite in trendy surroundings then Wishbone is worth a visit and what’s more they have a great drinks offering. From hobo beer to design your own sourz, to my personal favourite, spiced rum and ginger beer!

Three Courser:

Cornercopia – A constantly changing menu made with local ingredients, Cornercopia is at the high end of Brixton Village eating. It’s also one of the few places you would want to go to for a full three courser. Book ahead and go with an open mind and you won’t be disappointed.

Quick Eats:

Franco Manca – Sour Dough pizza cooked in stone fire ovens, what more could you want? How about good value wine and fresh salad? You got it! Be prepared to queue although despite the size it does move quickly.

Honest Burger – In light of the horse meat scandal Honest Burger really come into their own. Tasty burgers made with quality meat and all served with the house chips that are amazing and flavoured with rosemary salt.

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by The SW Food Blog on March 12, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Restaurant reviews

Tagged Brixton, Brixton Village, Franco Manca, SW2

Posted by The SW Food Blog on March 12, 2013

http://theswfoodblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/a-guide-to-brixton-village/

SW5 – Earls Court – As Greek As It Gets – Restaurant Review

I like to have no preconceptions before I review a place, but when I first heard of As Greek As It Gets there were a few phrases which sprang to mind.

What’s in a name?

Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Can’t see past the end of her nose.

I was overwhelmed with idioms. Really? Why would they call it that? It’s a terrible name. But I was there to review the place, not to pass early judgement.

The team were warm and welcoming when the Welshman and I arrived. It’s quite an unusual décor; contemporary with hints of mint green luxuriousness and an added bonus of having a stairwell full of spoons.

Yes, spoons! I thought the Greeks were known for plates? Moving on…

We opted for sharing a handful of mezze dishes, and being a fish fan, I was keen to try the calamari. Last time I had calamari, I wasn’t overwhelmed. Turns out, this was hot, had a decent crunch and the squid itself was as it should be; an initial elasticy bite that melts after first inception. Bingo. A fantastic start. I cheered a little. Woohoo!

Delightful!

Next was the feta tylixti - feta cheese squares covered in ouzo and honey served in filo pastry parcels. Our host explained that these had been toned down for the British palate – normally the ouzo isn’t reduced as intensely in Greece. The initial bite consisted of the sticky filo – still crispy – and then the overwhelming saltiness of the feta cheese. The ouzo was much less pungent than I had initially thought – I could barely detect the aniseed which relieved a few fears. The portion was too big however; no one can honestly manage that amount of feta. If the dish was served as a smaller squares with a bit more honey to balance out the saltiness, I think I would have enjoyed it more. As it was, I wouldn’t order it again.

Feta Tylixti

The grilled halloumi (I know, more cheese) was just great. Grilled simply and dressed with a few chillies. YES!

Simple halloumi is best

Tigania xoirini, otherwise known as pork strips in retsina and cream, left much to be desired. It erred on the side of fattiness, was submerged in a very heavy, strongly herbed cream sauce – which might have been OK – only it was drenched in oil too. Cream and oil don’t mix well, so it made an unpleasant looking slick of a dish as you can see.

Tigania Xoirini

The gigandes (giant baked beans essentially) tasted a bit false. It wouldn’t have surprised me if they weren’t home made. They weren’t a high point.

Gigandes

So I’ve done all the negatives now, which leaves me with the best part of the meal. The stuffed romano peppers were so sweet and packed full of creamy spinach. Not wet and sloppy, no, but earthy with a bite. It was something so simple that gave us both a lot of pleasure. The side salad / garnish thing they were going for could’ve been skipped if I’m honest.

Stuffed romano peppers

Pitta bread was very good and their melitzanosalata (aubergine dip – a bit like baba ganoush) was fresh and cut through the courses. It was easy to eat if a little under seasoned.

Although I was definitely too stuffed to eat dessert, we enjoyed galaktoboureko and some baklavas.

Dessert

As Greek As It Gets really did surprise. Fair enough, I wouldn’t necessarily suggest you take a trip there if you live in Shoreditch, but if you find yourself in west London, or live locally, and are in the mood for a great plate of calamari then you should definitely pop by. Admittedly it was a night pocked with a few bad dishes, but my overall feelings towards the place are largely positive. From my experience, I’d recommend the simpler dishes – they tend to do them well. It’s also made better with the fact that service was accompanied with a smile.

I was a guest at As Greek As It Gets.

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SW2 Brixton – Boqueria Tapas – Restaurant review

The 101 of writing is that you always start with something to captivate your reader. I tell this to people I’ve taught to write in the past. As we all know, every good teacher lies and breaks their own rules. Every good teacher also however, works long hour days and becomes fatigued with time. So, I trust you are in a captivate-able mood and allow me to bewitch you with my review, as the title of this post suggests, of Boqueria Tapas on Acre Lane in Brixton.

Pan con ali-oli, as you great linguaphile Brits will know, is garlic mayonnaise. Except it wasn’t garlicly enough at Boqueria Tapas, there was very little flavour – even the olive oil flavour didn’t shine. I needed a bit more *hmm*. My compañera and I couldn’t find the right adjective, but we decided if there was an adjective that sounded like a growl, then that’s what the ali-oli needed. More growl please.

Pan con ali-oli

When the Calamares a la romana (deep fried squid and lemon mayonnaise) arrived, we’d almost forgotten that we’d ordered it. We were still picking at the small plates on our table anyway, so it didn’t matter too much that it had come with a substantial ‘interlude’ between the first set of tapas that had been served. Not to worry, we tucked in. The squid itself was hot and freshly cooked as it should be; tender and nothing like the Michelin-tough cephalopods I’ve had in bygone times. And by Michelin I’m referring to the rubber tyres. So far so good. There were a few little things however, the batter was a bit thin and something was lacking. When I bite into crispy fried calamari I want to jump for joy, and I just couldn’t seem to find the jump in this particular dish. I enjoyed the lemon mayonnaise dip though.

Calamares a la romana

Alcachofas salteadas con ajo, perjil y guindilla was a very, very delicious dish. It probably looks the least appealing from all the pictures I have taken, but these sautéed artichokes (served warm) with garlic, parsley and chilli were really fresh and simple. I was struck actually, at how infrequently I eat non-tinned artichokes, so much so that my brain was already expecting the vinegary sour aftermath. It didn’t materialise which made me have second thoughts: “what have I just eaten”? I almost had to do the palate equivalent of a double take. They were a lovely surprise.

Alcachofas salteadas con ajo, perjil y guindilla

The next dish was tortilla española. Could we have chosen anything less adventurous? Probably not. The Welshman sneered at me when I told him that we’d ordered it. But it’s like I said in my last post when I reviewed Amirah’s Kitchen in Wandsworth, you’ve got to check that the establishment is A. capable of the basics, and B. put through their paces. I also need to stop apologising on this blog for what I order. It’s my food and I’m darn well going to eat it.

Tortilla espanola

As the side of my fork pressed into the golden slice of egg, potato and onion, the tortilla crumbled into fluffy semi-aggregated chunks. It was a beautiful, delicate texture and I heaped the morsels into a stable triangle on my fork – like you do when you’re trying to savour every bit of sponge remaining on your plate, long after you’ve finished your allotted portion of cake. The onion, potato, eggs – yes – all the flavours came through and lived up to the very moment I’d pushed through the bronzed top of the tortilla. But hang on a second. What is that? Sweetness. Yes, really sweet! It was not like the sweetness of carbohydrate that finds its origins in a potato. Like caster sugar sweet. This was not good. I hardly ate any more after that, save for the time when I needed a second confirmation on the true seasoning of this dish.

What happened? Had the chef put sugar in instead of salt? It certainly tasted that way. Oh dear.

Patatas bravas were less disappointing. Lovely, perfectly-seasoned potatoes with a millimetre-thin crisp coating were served piping hot. Naturally they were topped with a piquant tomato sauce (could’ve been a dab more piquant for my taste buds, but then I have an asbestos tolerance to chilli), and ali-oli. Weirdly this ali-oli had the ‘growl’ my companion and I had lamented earlier in the evening.

Patatas bravas

Selección de quesos – it’s no surprise I almost forgot to write about the selection of cheeses. They arrived very late indeed. All our plates, cutlery and empty vessels had been cleared. It was a bit odd. Again, my companion and I had forgotten about this dish – tapas is a very distracting meal and we were getting quite full.

Spanish cheese selection

I asked the waiter if he could provide an description of each of the cheeses. He did. It was vague. “This is manchego. This is goat’s cheese.”

“And what is this one please?” I enquired.

“That is blue cheese.”

Revelatory. I can see that. After he had left, my companion and I looked at each other in the eye, sighed, and then laughed out of bewilderment.

Boqueria Tapas is doing some things very well. There’s freshly prepared ingredients – as we saw with the artichokes and patatas bravas – being executed with a degree of authority. Then we see a few inconsistencies or some attention to detail which is missing – such as the calamari, and the ali-oli (I really did want to jump for that calamari, but I just couldn’t).

Then of course there are the points that I don’t want to have to dwell on, nor skip on the basis of fairness. Sweet tortilla, no thanks. Blue cheese? I know that.

The venue itself was refreshing – a little cold – but so much bigger and more contemporary than I expected; there’s a huge area downstairs which caters for parties and a day cafe annexed next door. But going big is ambitious; they need to make sure they find their growl to fill it.

I was a guest at Boqueria Tapas.

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by The SW Food Blog on September 27, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Restaurant reviews

Tagged Brixton, restaurant reviews, Spanish, SW2, tapas, The Welshman

Posted by The SW Food Blog on September 27, 2012

http://theswfoodblog.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/boqueria-tapas-restaurant-review/

SW18 Wandsworth – Amirah’s Kitchen – Restaurant review

Declining popadoms might have been controversial. I think it was controversial because everyone around us was clearly enjoying said popadoms. I also think it was controversial because our waiter did double check – triple check in fact that we were sure we didn’t want any. But that’s by the by. I wanted to see what Wandsworth’s Amirah’s Kitchen had to offer in the way of starters – to fill up on popadoms when the starter menu promised so much would have been ill conceived and irresponsible. Street food marks out the Old York Road Indian’s appetiser menu; small and intricately flavoured dishes pieced together with the grace of a skilled food-Jenga player; seared scallops with spring onions, cherry tomatoes, garlic and cracked pepper; lamb patties with cardamom and spiced yoghurt; warmed aloo tikki chaat with tamarind and mint chutney.

Criticise if you must but I opted for Amirah’s mixed pakora – fried potato and spinach bhajis, onion, and potato pakoras. Unadventurous? No, I beg to differ. When you’ve eaten something with great frequency, and it is that simple, it should be – well – simple. Pakoras can be monstrous in this country and in polarity also ludicrously divine. Eating something again and again gives you a benchmark; you know what to expect, its nuances and even its shortcomings. I had set Amirah’s Kitchen a challenge. The fried potato and spinach pakora was floury and moist on the inside, but getting there was the best part. The inaugural bites inward had texture and a brittle crunch which popped as your teeth anticipated the coarse, toasted coriander seeds on which your eyes had already feasted.

Amirah’s mixed pakora

Again to start; Punjabi fried fish. In detail, tilapia coated in gram flour and deep fried until it’s the colour I like my beer. Golden. In less detail. Melting gloriousness. And so good with the tamarind and mint chutney accompaniment which gave it the spicy slap round the face it could withstand. Tilapia really is a wonderful fish when fresh and well cooked. Haddock and cod really leave much to be desired with their wetness.

Fried tilapia and a spicy tamarind and mint chutney

Things done not so well? Well the onion ring in Amirah’s mixed pakora was a bit nondescript, and the batter a bit dry and thick for my liking. Plus the advertised mint chutney didn’t quite make it through the pass on this occasion which is by no means a deal breaker but it’s nice to try these things.

My main, kadhai jhinga, was small yet perfectly formed. The congruence of the red chilli, peppers, toasted coriander and the substantial, succulent prawns were not lost in a silver vat that one is often served in Friday Night Curry House X. The tiger prawns were the dish – and the thick sauce clung to them. There was no leftover watery gravy which had to be apologetically mopped up with cardboard naan. The prawns were cooked as their quality deserved. Oily? No. A very good dish, if slightly over seasoned.

Tiger prawns, ginger, chilli and crunchy peppers

Amirah’s Peshwari naan

The Welshman always chooses a lamb curry. At Amirah’s Kitchen his habitual leanings were rewarded in his rogan josh. Large hunks of bone tender lamb sat in an ochre bath of ginger, browned onion, and tomato. Robust and hearty, with only a slight hint of immiscible oil, but that’s if I am being especially fussy.

Piglet – I am. Amirah’s Kitchen was very generous and brought out desert. Shhh, don’t judge. I still had room. The warmed gajjar halwa (carrot fudge) was muted with subtleties of cardamom, and the grains of almond and pistachio gave the carrot sweet threads of texture. Served with vanilla ice cream the hot-cold combination was creamy and rounded. My initial interpretation of halwa is that it is sticky and fudgey, so I was surprised when this desert was wetter and less glutinous and cohesive. It was also not as sweet as other Indian deserts I’ve had experience of – which was no bad thing in my opinion.

Carrot, cardamon, almond, and pistachio halwa

Amirah’s Kitchen on Old York Road, Wandsworth, is trying to serve authentic Indian street food. Its lunchtime menu offers kathi rolls, shashlik, and other on-the-go bites. The starter menu also nods to the street food scene – like I said before structured, definite flavours stacked around a small bitesize centrepiece. Conquering street food is ambitious – the ingredients must stand out, be entirely fresh, and be of snack-worthy digestibility. There are reasons why Amirah’s Kitchen doesn’t continue their street food manifesto past 5pm which personally I think is a shame. If those reasons are financial or to do with turnover then that obviously must factor in the owner’s business decision, and I can completely see that, especially for a restaurant which has only been open 10 weeks.

For now Amirah’s must build its reputation as a great Indian restaurant in Wandsworth, and from the excellent standard of last night’s meal, I can see that it is doing this. The street food backbone is not lost, but ‘translated’ throughout the post-5pm mains. I mentioned beautifully-cooked tiger prawns, an emphasis on high-quality ingredients, detectable notes of individual spices – oh the ginger! Yes, it really was rather good.

I really hope Amirah’s Kitchen is able to nurture and cultivate its street food promise. There are so many ‘curry houses’ doing great curry very well. It would be a crying shame for Amirah’s to have to directly compete with them. I look forward to seeing a menu that is refined as the weeks and months pass. Street food and fast feasting really are in vogue in the foodie scene so I think they should make the most of it.

Old York Road in Wandsworth feels like a very homely place, and somewhere I would like to unearth in future. Fortunately I will be returning much sooner than I had anticipated thanks to the Old York Road Unplugged Festival which is happening this Sunday (16 September) between 11am-5pm. If I may put the plug back in for a second just to let you know that, as its name suggests, it’s a street festival with an emphasis on music. But don’t let the three music stages distract you from the tens of stalls, cask ale, street food and entertainment that will be lining this small south London street. I’m assisting with the event, and despite having to set my alarm for 4am, I am ecstatic to be part of such an occasion. Please join the Facebook group or visit Old York Road’s website to discover more.

I was a guest at Amirah’s Kitchen.

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by The SW Food Blog on September 13, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Restaurant reviews

Tagged curry, indian restaurant, Old York Road, restaurant reviews, SW18, Wandsworth

Posted by The SW Food Blog on September 13, 2012

http://theswfoodblog.wordpress.com/2012/09/13/amirahs-kitchen-restaurant-review/

SW17 Tooting – Dosa n Chutny- Restaurant review

Where is the ‘e’ I ask you? Where is it? I am always dubious about restaurants who give themselves oddly spelled versions of everyday words. Chutney? Chutny? And, well, using ‘n’ as a grammatical conjunction is something best left to the pop ups who serve ‘mac n cheese’.

“Mac n cheese?”

“Why yes, I’d love a portion of macaroni and cheese.”

That aside, I’d heard good things about the dosas at Dosa n Chutny on Tooting High Street. I invited a friend to come along – let’s call him the Pseudo Frenchman – seeing as though I give most of my friends these semi-biographical pseudonyms for the purpose of this blog. Don’t ask me why. Anyway he and the Welshman joined me on my excursion to Tooting.

Dosa n Chutny is like a truck stop cafe. Candy floor tiles, lurid peeling orange metal chairs, and communal metal water jugs arranged with uniform precision on every table. I was fooled by the age-old trick of lining one wall with floor to ceiling mirrors too.

The dishes are so cheap on the menu that all in my party were confused about how much we should order. Having lived in London for nearly two and a half years, I wouldn’t be completely surprised if a bowl of olives came to £3.50 on my bill. It’s a shock to be faced with dosa dishes on the mains section which range between £1.95 to a *whopping* £4.25. The boys were baffled; the Welshman ordered two main meals while the Pseudo Frenchman willingly gave in to adding a starter to the order, just in case. I hate to be a ‘told you so’ kinda person, but I was more reserved with the quantities I ordered.

OK, I love to be the ‘told you so’ person.

Shortly after a lot of food arrived at our table.

A starter of crispy fried vegetables was first up. Colourful and showcasing all the colours of a Sri Lankan market, I could tell it was going to be hot just looking at it. This may or may not have been something to do with the dried and fresh chillis which liberally sided every fried potato and onion. The fried coriander and cashew nuts sprinkled on top gave the dish a decent crunch; think of an Indian / Sri Lankan version of crispy fried seaweed and you’ve just about nailed the texture. The array of vegetables were not worth writing home about; a bit of potato, mushroom, onion, and pepper. Moreish though.

Crispy Fried Vegetables at Dosa n Chutny

The special masala dosa was thin and even. While being crisp enough on the edges, it was also rippable and spongy enough in the middle to soak up the sambar, raita, and coconut. I really liked the dosa. The filling of pulpy potato and carrot didn’t do it for me however. Mushy and wet, I felt it could have had a bit more flavour to it. Although the sambar was quite mildly spiced, and perhaps a little too salty for my personal consumption, it was oddly comforting. What is with the luminous green mint chutney though?

Masala dosa

I ordered a vegetable kothu paratha which is basically an Indian bread (denser and oiled unlike a traditional chapati) that has been shredded on a hot tawa. It’s then mixed with vegetables and spices. I found it chewy and doughy, and after about five mouthfuls inordinately filling too. It was served in a large bowl with raitha and ‘gravy’ – a runny lentil dahl on the side. These provided a distraction to liven it up. I found it bland and not really appropriate to have solely as a main – possibly as a side dish for the very hungry. The regimented carrot cubes gave their origins away; mixed frozen veg packet!

Vegetable kothu

When one pays so little for a dish, it’s probably no surprise to find that some of the ingredients have been watered down, and in that respect I’m willing to ease off on the criticism. I thought the dosas themselves were pretty good and I rate our fried vegetable starter too. I think I’d like to experiment with some of the starters, perhaps they’d put a bit more fire in my belly rather than doughy dosa. Between the three of us however, we were only £26 worse off.

*Shrugs* Meh. I’d go back.

SW2 Brixton – Curry Paradise – Restaurant review

I am not cool. I never have been and I never will be. I was a bit of a geek in school, and even if I did have a bit of a punk phase when I was 15, it was very much a bandwagon which I was tardy to board. I am so not cool; last week I mistook my friend’s record bag as a cool bag, and although she was mortified I had confused her expensive DJ-ing satchel for a vessel that keeps your sandwiches chilled, I brushed it off – not quite realising the extent of my faux pas.

How then have I come to live in Brixton? Food bloggers flock here, you’ll spot a couple of undercuts and NHS-style prescription glasses, and Brixton Village…where does one begin? You only have to look at this infographic which has been doing the rounds on the t’interwebs.

London’s hipster neighbourhoods

I love the wave of Brixton Village restaurants which have ingeniously captured the gastronomic imaginations of this big city; quick, street-side food which relies on simple well-thought out ingredients. It’s not expensive, and great food is accessible to all. I love it, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes its bloody marvelous to eat in a place which you’ve been able to book, and where you can sit down on a chair (as opposed to an old beer crate). But it is not that cool is it? Normally one has to go to Clapham for that sort of thing (chairs).

I also found myself heading back to Battersea for a decent curry. You know, like a proper curry. There didn’t seem to be anywhere in Brixton which would fit the bill, everything is – you know – a bit trendy. Heading up Brixton Hill though there is Curry Paradise. It has such a terrible name that I’d forgive you for not even registering it as a place to eat in Brixton, but perhaps that is something we can address in this blogpost?

Curry Paradise sits on Brixton Hill just below the monstrosity that is the South Beach Bar…yeah you know the building! It’s very pleasant inside (Curry Paradise – I’ve never been in the bar – the BOGOF offer on rose wine bottles has not drawn me in, yet). There’s no neon lighting, and I’d go so far to say that although it’s quite contemporary it’s reasonably cozy.

Our waiter was diligent and blooming friendly – two thumbs up for service. Let’s not beat around the bush; Curry Paradise has everything on the menu that you’d expect from a curry house. I ordered a king prawn channa (medium, mixed spice dish with chickpeas). It never claimed to be super hot (how I eat my curries) so I had to ask for a few fresh chilies on the side, but that’s by the by. This was the second occasion that I had been to the restaurant. The first time was unexpectedly delicious (What! I can get a decent curry in Brixton? ). This time round I’d say my dish was too oily, which was a bit of a shame as I hadn’t remembered my previous dish being like that. The other complaint I had was that they didn’t include whole king prawns in the dish; they had been halved. I think it is always wise the err on the generous side in curries, don’t you? The ingredients were however very fresh – spices can’t always hide a multitude of sins. Yeah, I’m looking at you Brick Lane.

The Welshman’s lamb pasanda (leave him alone, he can’t take the heat) however, was very flavoursome, and the creaminess was nicely counterbalanced with some piquancy.

I never order rice with curry, and a decent naan for me can make or break the night. Curry Paradise’s naans are very soft, spongy and I know it’s a ridiculous think to say – quite bread like. They don’t top the scale as the best peshwari naans I’ve ever had, but they weren’t too sweet and were buttery and moreish.

Take Curry Paradise as you will. If you fancy a reasonable quality curry that delivers (in more than the literal sense), then it will leave you feeling more than satisfied as long as you are not expecting anything fancy. The ingredients are wholesome and there are even chairs too!

PS. No photos. Not even Instagram can make a curry look that desirable (it was too dark)!

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by The SW Food Blog on June 18, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Restaurant reviews

Tagged Brixton, Brixton Hill, Brixton Village, curry, indian restaurant, restaurant reviews, SW2, The Welshman

Posted by The SW Food Blog on June 18, 2012

http://theswfoodblog.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/curry-paradise-brixton-review/

SW11 Battersea – Adulis – Eritrean dining & restaurant review

I rarely eat Chinese food. Do you know why? Because I have never eaten any Chinese food which has knocked the socks off me. Sure, I should probably go to China and experience it first hand, but do you have £614 (that’s the first value that came up on an unnamed flight price comparison website, which might be spelled Kayak backwards…er). Admittedly I could go to Soho, but I wouldn’t know the first place to start in among the hanging Peking duck and sex stores (they really should have hygiene laws for that sort of thing). Why then, is ‘a Chinese’ the nation’s favourite dish? This I will not comprehend, just as I will not comprehend those who think Staffordshire bull terriers are cute. ‘An Indian’ however, I can understand.

North African food is something I have experienced, and I will admit, was not something that I’d write home about – apart from perhaps their moreish breakfast pancakes – which themselves are not that dissimilar from an Indian paratha. And, despite living in Nigeria for a small percentage of my youth, west African cuisine has also passed me by. I want to say I’ve tried Ethiopian cooking, and I have, but only in Brick Lane and it was very very salty. Enter Adulis, an Eritrean on St John’s Hill, Battersea. The gateway to my African palate.

St John’s Hill is a street fast becoming something of a hub for those looking for casual, great food done well. Only last week did the Fabulous Feast take place and no doubt you’ll all have heard of Ben’s Canteen’s whose social media following accurately reflects the tastiness of their offerings.

Unfamiliarity means sometimes we neglect to see great things which lie right under our noses. But not me! No! I am not a sheep (a tendency which might not ultimately win me any Darwin awards). That aside, Eritrean food was on my radar.

Appearance wise, Adulis is a really, really nice restaurant. And I can’t say fairer than that. Extremely tastefully decorated – there are no gimics – it is spilt over two levels and last Wednesday night the place had a buzz which sounded like it could have been a Friday.

I enjoyed the £15 two-course meal which was put on as a result of the Fabulous Feast festival. With it came honey wine…given the choice between your average blanc de blanc I would always go for something drier, but on this occasion the sweeter version of the Miès was far more palatable (the Welshman and I were given both samples to choose from). Not sure if it is really my thing, but blimey, that stuff could get you seriously pissed. I was assured that being organic, a hangover could be swiftily avoided. Where was this valuable information when I was drinking neon bottled drinks in the student union circa 2005?

Eritrean food is eaten with the hands, which the Welshman’s relished; his Neanderthal eating habits are only marginally more refined than a dog. But rolling up the injera and grabbing morsels of the tasting dishes was almost like biting into temporary samosas. Injera is a traditional bread which is flat, made with yeast and has a vinegary-sour taste – it soaks up all the juices. Think of a sour crumpet with a similar texture to boot, and you’re not far off. Eaten plain, they’re not all that, but the acidity is neutralised and compliments the robust, mealy flavours and textures of the accompanying pulse dishes. These pulse dishes (the vegetarian beb’ainetu) included spiced lentils which were plainer (less spicy) than the more familiar dahl; cooked spinach was quite garlicky and had a sweeter than expected taste. There was a much spicier dish which stood out, but for the life of me I can’t remember its name (or indeed how one might pronounce it). It was fiery and delicious.

The meat beb’ainetu

The Welshman had the meat version of the platter, and in general the dishes looked and were flavoured in a similar manner to that of the vegetarian – save for the addition of either lamb or chicken. He mentioned that the chicken in one of the dishes was a little dry for his liking, but then you’ll have to take his word for that. The dishes which were presented to us were all a type of ‘stew’ and I would have liked to have seen a little more variety in the textures. I think choosing one’s own dish off the menu would probably give a more representative impression of what Eritrean food can offer in terms of texture. So I guess that means I will have to return to Adulis at some point. Life could be a lot worse!

Service was awesome. I refuse to believe you can get service like that in London. Apparently you can. At Adulis. Plus you can also be part of a coffee ceremony which was similar to what I’ve experienced on Brixton Station Road.

Eritrean coffee ceremony

Should I sum up what I’ve written in some corny, cliché-ridden paragraph? Probably. I’ve done it before. However, just try Adulis. But if you do – make sure you’re hungry. You’ll know what I mean after a couple of pieces of injera!

I was a guest at Adulis restaurant as part of St John’s Hill’s Fabulous Feast.

2 Comments

by The SW Food Blog on May 25, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Restaurant reviews

Tagged Adulis, Battersea, Clapham Junction, coffee, Eritrean, Ethiopian coffee, Food Festivals, St John's Hill, SW11, The Fabulous Feast

Posted by The SW Food Blog on May 25, 2012

http://theswfoodblog.wordpress.com/2012/05/25/adulis-restaurant-review/

SW11 Battersea – Entrée Restaurant – Cheese & Wine Evening

Is is me or is it an excellent afternoon? It might be to do with the fact that it has been glorious for the past week. But then, come to think about it, I have been working so I haven’t been outside. Maybe it’s to do with the fact that I’ve been listening to Bruce Springsteen’s discography since I woke up this morning and that I am going to see him play in Hyde Park this summer. Listening to him in the coming months is merely an amuse bouche to the main course. *Boast, and a la carte puns over*.

There is one other thing which is making me smile today (I promised the boasting was over, but if I am honest it has only just begun) and that is cheese.

Cheese is one type of food I don’t buy often. Save for the occasional dried piece of cheddar which has ambled its way to the back of the refrigerator, you’ll not find any in my kitchen. I love it, and not buying it is a damage limitation exercise to prevent the bulge. Despite this, I love strong flavours and am not one to shy away from a stilton, St Agur, or any curded goody which is marbled blue.

I’m reluctant to tell you about Entrée restaurant. Nestled in on Battersea Rise, it’s a bit of a local secret. But if you promise not to tell, I’ll give you a few more details. Last night was their inaugural cheese and wine evening hosted by their new restaurant manager, Chloe Gounder-Forbes.

Cheese Board at Entree

A knife tinkling on a crystal glass signalled that the night was to begin. Sitting side by side in the Bentley Bar, each of us were brought five cheeses on a board with delicately sliced French bread. Chloe, who has been a judge at the British Cheese Awards, entertained us with a description of the first cheese – Sante Maure – a medium goat’s cheese which had been matured for a minimum of 10 days to give it the thin blue circumferential rind. The complimenting wine, Les Acrobats, opened up the creamy, firm yet well-roundedness with a pineapple kick.

We were given a chance to sample the cheese on its own, with the wine, then discuss our findings and thoughts. The evening was really relaxed and Chloe couldn’t have been more helpful – even to a complete Luddite like me (I love and know a little about cheese, but I’ve had little experience of pairing good cheese and wine together).

Chloe ran through each cheese and wine pairing one by one. The lingering mushroom hints of the English (Hampshire) Turnworth Soft, not dissimilar to a Camembert, were a favourite of mine. But the combination of Bleu d’Auvergne and The Opportunist – a 2010 Australian Shiraz – finished the evening off strongly. Late night snogs were definitely off the menu.

The intimate Bentley Bar

I believe Entrée will host more events like this in the future, but in the meantime they are open Monday to Sunday for dining, and or, just drinks. The speak-easy atmosphere and the Bring Your Own on a Monday night in the restaurant (£5 corkage) is going to see my return quicker than you can say fromage.

Entrée Restaurant

2 Battersea Rise

London

SW11 1ED

1 Comment

by The SW Food Blog on March 29, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Restaurant reviews

Tagged Battersea, Battersea Rise, Cheese, clapham common, restaurant reviews, SW11, wine

Posted by The SW Food Blog on March 29, 2012

http://theswfoodblog.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/entree-restaurant-battersea-review/

New restaurant Bubbas Dining opens

There’s two rules to the South West London Food Blog.

The first one is that we never speak of The South West London Food Blog.

The second is that we stick within the confines of the SW London postcode.

Or do we? After all, this was a blog designed to be about local eating; celebrating restaurants, food producers, and other independent establishments. So I will.

Bubbas Dining is a new restaurant which is opening in Tulse Hill (postcode SE27 if you were wondering) this Friday. I am lucky enough to be going to their pre-launch event tomorrow.

I’m promised it’s new Caribbean with a twist, and by all accounts it sounds like it could deliver. The kitchen is led by Michelin-trained head chef, Anthony Cumberbatch, who has worked in the likes of The Savoy, The Ivy, and Quaglino’s (Sherlock fans – don’t get your hopes up, I doubt there is any relationship).

Bubbas Dining main course

Bubbas, named after proprietor Antoinette Ledford Jobson’s six-year-old son, aims to produce dishes which are hearty, refreshing and refined; exploring Caribbean cuisine and taking on familiar British fare reinterpreted using West Indian ingredients.

They’re also keen to promote this new Tulse Hill establishment’s cocktail list.

Chili Bubbas Bee

I must admit, I haven’t had a great deal of experience with Caribbean food so I will be looking forward to being enlightened by such morsels as:

- Crab and chive mayonnaise with avocado sweetcorn and beetroot emulsion

- Authentic Caribbean curried goat in a roast petal tuille basket served with avocado puree and plantain crisps

- Carrot cake with rum sorbet and spiced carrot puree

I’ll let you know how I get on!

For more information visit www.facebook.com/bubbasdining.

1 Comment

by The SW Food Blog on March 7, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Restaurant reviews

Tagged Brixton, Caribbean, new restaurants, restaurant reviews, SE27 restaurants, Tulse Hill

Posted by The SW Food Blog on March 7, 2012

http://theswfoodblog.wordpress.com/2012/03/07/new-restaurant-bubbas-dining-opens/

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