Month: April 2017

Morrocan Food

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morrocan01

Brixton Station Road – near to Brixton Road

Opening hours – most days

The changes to the arches on Brixton Station Road has meant the loss of many of the cafes and shops – but not the Moroccan Cafe. We reviewed the Cafe back in 2014 – see here – but we a pleased to report that it lives on in the form of the catering truck section, with tables and chairs nearby. The vegetable stews and soups have gone but the grilled meat dishes live on with a short menu of sandwiches and plates with a choice of baguette or wrap for the sandwich.

I chose the beef kofta in baguette which comes with salad (no surprise) but then there is a sprinkling of chips on the top. A choice of chili sauce or no chili sauce so not really a choice at all – chili is essential.

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It was HUGE. Even half was a bit of a challenge and the other half is still in my fridge until there is space in my stomach. Next time I will be brave enough to ask for even more chili sauce as it tends to sink into the bread but it was delicious, hit the spot and again, given that I was on my way back from the gym, put on the calories I had worked hard to burn off.

At only a fiver it was a bargain.

Vera Cruz

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veracruz01Address: Arlington Parade, Brixton Hill, Brixton, London SW2 1RH

Telephone: 020 7733 4810

Website: http://www.vera-cruz.co.uk/home

Email:  Vera.Cruz.Brixton@gmail.com

Opening times:

  • Monday to Saturday: 7am to 6pm
  • Sunday: 8am to 4pm

Brixton isn’t all about the new places. There are plenty of relatively unassuming cafes and restaurants, where the newer Brixtonians will rarely be seen. These places will never be reviewed in Time Out or the Guardian and Vera Cruz is just one of those local places and it has been in our sights for a while. It’s in the small row of shops just at the beginning of Brixton Hill but isn’t looking its best at the moment covered with scaffolding that mean you can easily miss it. We went on the off chance but we guessed that it would have a long stretch at lunchtime – we were right.

The decor consists of red vinyl chairs and Formica tables, walls covered with plastic covered pictures of Madeira. The menu echoes these routes and is much too long to explain. We chose the special (creamy chicken curry and rice or bravas) and picado (pieces of tender sirloin steak cooked in garlic, gravy and red wine sauce).

As you can see from the photo, the chicken curry was creamy and lurid but had little flavour. A bit of salt might have helped. I was worried about the rice but it was good with separated grains.

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The picado did not live up to its name – it was good exercise for the jaw and certainly took more than 15 chews. The sauce was ok although had a bit too much cornflour. The best bit one either plate was the chips. Homemade, golden brown and crispy and went well dipped in the gravy.

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The really interesting part of this eatery was the choice of reading material on the bar – The Journal of Psychological Studies sounds pretty mainstream but not when it comes from the spiritist psychological society. This is a society that link philosophy and religion to the spirits with three main protagonists God, Jesus and someone called Alan Kardec. I might return just to flick through the pages but this time I will not roam from the egg and chips menu.

The meal for two cost was around £14 including one Coca Cola.

 

 

 

Half Moon

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hm01Address: 10 Half Moon Lane, Herne Hill, London, SE24 9HU
Telephone: 020 7616 5276

Pizza Brixton

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bp02

105 Brixton Hill, SW2 1AA

phone: 020 3417 0471

website: http://www.pizzabrixton.co.uk/

Opening times:

Sun – Sat 12:00 – 23:00

Another week, another relatively new pizzeria, opening earlier this year. This time it’s on Brixton Hill, halfway up on the stretch that the New York Times, no less, has described as “successfully eschewing the onslaught of gentrification and proving that cool doesn’t have to come with a high price tag” (see here). There’s quite a lot of journalistic licence here but if you want a friendly neighbourhood eating place without any great pretensions, this might save you the walk down to central Brixton. One thing that was noticeable when we ate there was a distinct shift in the customers, compared to places in the centre of Brixton, in that it was more family orientated, and rather less ‘hipsterish’. Continue reading →

500 Degrees

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500D01

192 Ferndale Road, SW9 8BA

email: Brixton@500degrees.co

phone: 020 3302 8106

website: www.500degrees.co/brixton-dashboard/

Opening times:

Monday – Friday 12.00 noon till 11.00 pm

Saturday 11:30 am till 11.00pm

Sunday 11:30am to 10.00pm

I really would like this relatively new pizza place, part of a small chain mainly across south-east London, to do well. It’s conveniently located on Ferndale Road, at the Brixton Road end, just opposite the new Post Office. Unfortunately, on our first visit it fell a little short, particularly when up against the tough competition in the world of Brixton pizza. Continue reading →