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Prima Donna

23 May

address:   25-27 Market Row, Brixton,  SW9 8LD

www.primadonnabrixton.co.uk

I never wanted to start a review with the sentence ‘The problem with this restaurant is…’ but I don’t feel creative enough to say it another way. So … the problem with this restaurant is its USP (unique selling point). It has an Italian name, a Portuguese/Brazilian style of food at dinner and it plays music from Radio 1. Described as an cafe/restaurant the breakfast menu looks English yet lunch seems to be more Brazilian. I quite like novelty but this is so eclectic that may be difficult for passers by to understand (and be drawn to) its open doors. This is a shame as it probably deserves encouragement.

This is a new restaurant in Market Row rather than in Brixton Village and it builds a new epicurean alleyway particularly as the Village is getting fuller and fuller and hard for the casual visitor to be sure of getting fed. Small tables (for two) are inside and outside. Its white walls have little adornment (well there isn’t much wall in there) and across the back wall is the kitchen.

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El Rancho de Lalo

9 Mar

Address: 94-95 Brixton Village Market, SW9 8PS

Telephone:

email: elranchodelalo@hotmail.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/pages/El-Rancho-De-Lalo/156815314336773

El Rancho de Lalo has been in Brixton Village for as long as we can remember and, despite the area’s recent renaissance in smart modern eateries, its simple approach to Colombian food still seems to be holding its own. Located on the Coldharbour Lane side of the Village, the restaurant’s exterior still manages to stand out with a tidy awning, dark wooden detail, and half a dozen tables outside. The interior is simply furnished with an open kitchen displaying hanging sausages and a couple of chefs hard at work. The service was friendly, came with a smile and, although not advertised on the menu, provided us with a couple of Corona beers served with lemon, and a surprisingly refreshing Kiwi juice.

The menu was short with similar looking dishes throughout. As with other South American Cuisines Colombian food is relatively simple mostly consisting of meat, rice, and beans. A couple of us ordered the Colombian National dish, the £10 Bandeja Paisa, which was more of a platter than a dish, consisting of a large Colombian Sausage, thinly cut steak, crispy pork belly, kidney beans in a dark sauce, a mound of rice topped with a fried egg, corn bread, avocado, salad and a slice of plantain. All in all it was pretty delicious. The sausage was beautifully spiced, the steak well cooked, the avocado perfectly ripe and the unlikely presence of an egg somehow seemed to work. The other member of our party went for the £10 pork that came with similar trimmings plus a potato and was, by all reports, pretty tasty. As is probably clear from the sheer quantity of components, the portions were huge, and could quite easily have been shared.

Dessert was super sweet figs, a semi solid serving of caramel and a white Colombian Cheese. The saltiness of the cheese worked well with the sweetness of the figs and the caramel bound the two together perfectly.

El Rancho de Lalo is a simple restaurant serving simple, well executed food. If you’re a big fan of meat, looking to fill yourself up, and not willing to spend more than a tenner when doing so, this is probably the place for you.

Opening Hours Mon – Wed: 09:00 – 19:00 Thurs: 09:00 – 22:00 Fri – Sat: 09:00 – 19:00

Restaurante Santafereño

11 Nov

SantaferinoAddress: Brixton Village Market, Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8PR

contact:

Santafereño is the name of a soup in Colombia made up of some broth and then bits of egg, meat etc. It is more like a stew than a soup and when it comes as only the first course of three you know you’ll never reach the end of the meal. This is the ideal place for lunch if you are very very hungry and want to fill up on the cheap. But it is not gourmet food but it is definitely authentic – many people don’t even speak English and the menu is in Spanish. Eating on tables surrounded mostly by families and friends who are definitely part of the local Colombians provided colour and confidence in its authenticity – the tourists I noticed are now swelling the crowd sitting outside. There are a couple of rooms and a spillover in the market itself and it is certainly the largest restaurant in Brixton Market with a capacity for about 40 inside and probably the same outside. The decor is basic – in fact I think the word decor is out of place. There are unmatched chairs and tables, plastic table cloths on most of them and an unfinished air about the place. This is despite this being one of the old school restaurants with a much longer history than the newer places after Brixton Village was founded.

When we were perusing the menu we decided to have just a little something and we thought we had ordered a bowl of soup but what we hadn’t realised was that this was the appetiser. It was huge with a choice of various meats in it – I had pork. Then came the main course lots of meat again as well as rice and peas and a vegetable. Either course alone would have been enough to prevent most people from doing anything afterwards but doze off.  We decided to deny ourselves and didn’t even attempt the pudding which was a small jelly or a flan. Our Sunday lunch meant we were unable to move for the rest of the afternoon and slothlfully walked home to digest.

Restaurante Santafereño is open throughout the day and I have heard good news about the breakfast – but can anyone start the day with eggs, meat, rice, peas and plantain followed by coffee and cake. If you can it is the place for you.

The service is orderly and very friendly. They showed us the fresh green salsa to eat with the main course and even tried to press us to have a taste of the pudding but we were firm. The whole three courses came to about £7.00 per person and we even had a soft drink thrown in. No wonder it always has customers.

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