We wandered down Market Row on a Saturday lunchtime and kept seeing restaurants we loved closed or changed, as is always happening. Some have gone to warmer climes in central London, some were just a pipedream and came to a sticky end. Then we came across Club Mexicana which is bright and inviting on a lacklustre November day. In fact, so bright you might consider sunglasses. This is the second site in London, the other one in hip Shoreditch.
Although the bar stools looked inviting with their view of the chefs, we took seats in the main area. It is clearly a place for a cocktail or three and a group were doing that even at 1.30pm. The food with its delicate little mouthfuls is clearly something that can soak up the alcohol. So, we followed in their footsteps.
The menu consists of Nachos, Tacos, Burritos and Empanadas together with “sides”. Up to this moment I didn’t realise it was vegan. How could you when the menu suggests BBQ short rib taco and To-Fish and Chips Taco, and finally a “beef brisket”. When I tasted our choices, I was still uncertain.
We chose a top of the range Brixton burrito (flour tortilla around “beef” mince, “cheese”, rice and a whole lot more), Empanadas (a pocket with stuff and “cheese”), and BBQ rib tacos (sticky glazed “ribs” and more).
The burrito was very large as you can see and almost defeated a very hungry man, but he was helped out by his lunch companion.
The empanadas were small and crispy and we devoured them all.
The BBQ rib tacos were really sticky and tasty – was it really plant-based…..
It was pretty and pretty good too. Not too hot but if you need extra then get a hit of the salsa picante on the table.
There is a large drinks menu with cocktails, frozen cocktails, mocktails, beer (Mexican and from Brixton) and natural wine as well as 5 different tequilas. But there are also drinks like “soda” and there is water on the table. We drank a Modelo (Mexican beer) and a classic margarita. We enjoyed the alcohol as we rolled into Saturday night. But we really loved the food too and definitely a go to place for all the carnivores during Vegan January – but don’t miss out for the Christmas treat. You can order takeaway and delivery but also they have sharing feasts, but there were only two of us so we will return with a lot of friends. The bill was £46.69 including the alcohol and 12.5% service charge.
It isn’t often that we wander round Brixton Village and find space in any of the food outlets but on this occasion we were lucky. Then we discovered that we were not really lucky as House of Momo is open 7 days a week – so no baked bean Mondays. The restaurant is inside and outside. We chose inside, one of the few tables available, as it was a bit cool in the Village corridor. Decor is limited – wooden benches and tables but little on the walls as most is window.
A Momo is a steamed and filled dumpling from Nepal or Tibet. It is usually served with a sauce called Achar. They offer steamed and steamed and fried momos filled with Chicken, Veg, Cheese & veg or Beef, but also there are Thalis, curry, fried rice and noodles or a combination (Combo) of rice or chow mein together with momos.
We chose two “combos” – fried rice and chicken steamed momos covered with sweet, hot and spicy sauce and steamed and fried momos filled with beef on top of chow mein with that same sauce.
We liked the steamed dumplings but the fried ones when cooler were a bit tough so we recommend sticking to the steamed ones – alternatively order the fried ones separately as a starter, so you can definitely eat them while they’re hot. We liked the noodles and the fried rice – both were very big portions and spicy, the rice a little more than the noodles. The veg additions gave them some texture and a bit of a bite.
They were very large portions, so we were too full for dessert.
There were soft drinks, juices, beers, wine, whiskey (Hibiki and Nikka!) and mixers like gin and tonic as well as a tea selection. We washed everything down with water, a mango lassi and a beer.
The bill was £36.00 and we were full. Service was fast and we could easily have made it to the Ritzy for a later show, but we returned to lolling on the sofa while we digested all this food. We will return when we are not on a calorie-controlled diet.
Llewelyn’s has been through many iterations but is still going strong as shown by the clientele on Friday lunchtime. This was a business/pleasure luncheon, so we were prepared to do some serious eating and drinking. We ate inside as the weather was inclement and to cheer ourselves up had a cocktail. Both of us chose a blackberry martini which was small and sweet with hidden depths (no idea what they were but it was definitely alcoholic).
Despite the reviews about the speed of the service (too fast) ours wasn’t slow but was not at the breakneck speed others have commented on. It was also not too loud, but there were no big groups celebrating on Friday lunchtime. We were able to have a civilized conversation and swap gossip! The lunchtime menu is not long, which is a blessing. It has vegetarian options, but we are omnivores. We chose a couple of the nibbles to share – boquerones (anchovies in oil and vinegar) and coppa (dry cured pork neck fillet, similar to prosciutto but that comes from the hind leg). Given the relatively small offering, the coppa was expensive but delicious.
Then we missed the starter section which has three vegetarian offers as well as chicken livers and sardines and all looked interesting. There were five mains on the menu with one veggie option, two fish and two meat. Again, we headed into the carnivore section with pork belly (with boudin noir (black pudding), celeriac and apple sauce) and the roast mallard (with quince, water cress and bread sauce). We had a side order of crispy potatoes and aoli. The pork belly looked very inviting, crispy skin and a delicious centre. This dish had an additional part not mentioned on the menu – roasted red cabbage. Some was left on the plate as it was a little hard to cut and chew on.
I loved the accompaniments to the duck – the bread sauce and quince. I was warned about “shot” appearing in the mallard and to be careful when chewing. In the end shot was absent. I would have liked the duck to have been rested as blood ran out and it was a bit tough, but I almost finished it, so it was clearly tasty.
The crispy potatoes were crispy and the aoili delicious – we didn’t finish them all – a sacrilege but I was leaving room for pudding.
There are three desserts to choose from and I had the Clementine Choux bun with sea buckthorn. I still don’t really know what the sea buckthorn tastes of – I guess it is tart, but the orange flavour either overwhelmed or complimented the cream and the choux. Anyway, we were so engaged in our conversation that I ate it (with help) before we realised that we hadn’t taken a photo. I would order again as it was delicious and not too sweet. My lunch companion had a sweet wine to finish – Szlachetny Zbior which he reported was good. We think it is Polish.
We were both full and not hassled about the table (despite the information on their website), so had a leisurely lunch with alcohol. As well as the cocktail and the sweet wine, we also had a bottle of Bergerac rouge and a single small glass of Cauzon Tinto – neither were the most but certainly not the least expensive on the menu. This is not a cheap restaurant but we did spend £83 on alcohol so you could make the bill much lower – ours came to £211.39 including 12.5% service. The food only came to £105.00. We may go again when we have made our New Year resolutions and will try to stick to them.
S38, Pop Brixton, 49 Brixton Station Road, Brixton, SW9 8PQ
Batanga is a cocktail made from Tequila, lime juice and coke and also gave its name to a tequila/mescal bar on the top floor of Pop Brixton. It’s not far from the other bar we have frequented (see here for our review of ABV). You can sit inside the tight fitting bar, but on our visit we sat listening to the music and in the open air that had cooled a little by 6.30pm. There are several long picnic tables and benches and most people were sharing (as we were).
The two of us ordered a drink each from the extensive menu, so we can’t claim to have carried out a comprehensive investigation. One of us wasn’t drinking, but they happily provided a non-alcoholic version, i.e. a cocktail without the tequila.
One classic Margherita and an apple soda type thing. Most of the other customers had long drinks, which was probably a good choice on what was a hot evening. There was a bit of nostalgia as the Margherita came in an original Babycham glass, which might mean more to our older readers.
The bill came to £14.63 including service with the soda being £2.00 and the alcoholic drink £11.00.
This is styled as a Apericena Bar – a cross between an aperitif and dinner. It is a close relation of the restaurant Maremma round the corner in Brixton Water Lane. We’ve been there a number of times, with the most recent review here. They both serve regional specialties from the Maremma in southern Tuscany and the offer is similar. Maremanno is aimed more at what’s known as casual dining. You can sit inside or in a small courtyard at the back. It is a squeeze, so you definitely need to book, especially if the weather is fine.
They have Stuzzicini (bread, nuts, parmesan biscuits etc), Crostini (chicken liver and truffle, green anchovy, or peppers and courgette), Taglieri (a meat or cheese board) and Pizzette (small or very small pizza with tuna etc or mushrooms). Of course this all comes with cocktails, wine or beer.
We were three people so indulged ourselves at least one dish from each category. So we had Nduja arancini, green anchovy arancini, the cheese board, a vegetable bagna cauda, and a four cheese pizzette.
We finished with a gelato scoop
We washed it down with a Spritz classic, a glass of frizzante wine and crodino spritz, and then had further wine and beer.
The bill came to £100.30 without service. We were full but we might have lingered and chosen a little better.
Surprisingly this our first review visit to Tsunami in Clapham North. We had a home delivery during lockdown (see here) although we have visited several times. It might be a “short bus ride” entry, but, for us at least, buses don’t go that way.
This is a restaurant that has survived and grown in size. Not only does it have a covered area outside but is now twice as big as when it started so they must be doing something right. As with most restaurants, alcohol looms large with pages of cocktails to choose but we are in a sober period so only ordered tea. What was a surprise is that they only have it in tea bags and only three kinds given that it is a Japanese restaurant.
They have an extensive menu with appetizers like edamame beans to nibble with your cocktails, appetizers, salad, nigiri and sashimi, sushi, tempura, and mains including teriyaki. Then they have side orders and desserts.
We decided on sushi and a couple of mains to leave room for dessert. We ordered Dragon rolls – which are a sort of inside out sort of sushi with shrimp tempura and scallion with eel and avocado outside served with an Eel sauce. Not really traditional but definitely not a problem, and we also ordered Japanese pickles to cut the sweetness of the sauce in the Dragon rolls. This was definitely a good choice. The Dragon rolls have the nori sheet wrapped around the inside ingredients and the sushi rice is still on the outside, but then spotted with sauce. They were a little sweet but warmed up with wasabi, and the ginger in-between cleared the palate. If you want them much warmer they have Volcano Dragon Rolls. We love pickles so these maki were delightful.
We also ordered boa buns with chicken Katsu and coleslaw and spicy morillo mayo – a sort of global recipe not usually in Japanese restaurants but we were enthusiastic. You can pick it up and as long as you can keep the sauce inside you only need to lick your fingers. Finally we chose something from the appetiser section – scallops in a sauce (sorry we didnt take notes) that arrived flaming to the table – with whisky. This did give it a smoky flavour and the scallops although a little lost were still noticeable although more are needed so the sauce doesn’t wash away the flavours.
Then we have dessert. A yuzu panna cotta and mochi (vanilla and mango). Unfortunately the panna cotta didn’t have enough yuzu and it was large so I didn’t finish it. I was glad I ordered the green tea ice cream to go with it as it cut through the richness of the panna cotta (set cream). The mochi were cut in half and although were good they were very soft. Both the desserts were very pretty and came with delightfully shaved fruit so a great end to the meal.
We were glad to eventually visit this restaurant that filled up pretty quickly as we hit 7.30. It wasn’t cheap even without the cocktails (tea was £5.00 for a small pot). The total came to about £70 odd as we lost the bill. We will visit again as it has a long menu to discover.
We don’t buy much meat but on occasion we just want to tuck in. This was that occasion on a trip round Brixton Village on a Friday with few places to spare – even though early. We have reviewed this restaurant before and on this occasion went inside out of the clamour of the hallways. As always we ordered a lot, but not as much as our neighbours, who were definitely flagging. They say on the website that this is not fine dining and they are right, it is meat and a sauce so be prepared to get your hands sticky.
The offer is wings, pulled pork, burgers and ribs and for the faint-hearted a halloumi burger or tacos without the meat. Luckily only three sauces to choose from – BBQ, Spicy, Korean. There are also sides, the usual fries or the sweet potato or cheesy variety. Neither of us went for the deep fried mac and cheese bites and we disowned any salad – we wanted to concentrate.
First up there was a large order of BBQ wings – large means large and I was probably ok with the children’s version. They were as they suggest, luscious, sticky and eaten with fingers although they do provide a dainty fork.
Then there was the large portion of ribs – Korean sauce accompanying it just to get a sweat on. Again these are hard to handle and need some delicate cutting to get it finger sized. But it was as promised hot and meaty and very, very large.
Of course we couldn’t eat without fries, but we were conservative and chose the chips that come with salt and are just the right crunch.
The bill for Joint came to £33.75 inclusive of one beer and service. The large sized meat orders are £10.00 each and we suggest sharing.
We did think that we were full but wandered past Kaspas Desserts in Rushcroft Road and had two of their cornets – there must be a second stomach for desserts. We cannot remember what they cost, but it was very little, and we cannot remember what flavour we chose, but they were both delicious.
This is a relatively new Italian restaurant in Camberwell with a great offer for lunch – 3 courses for £20.00 – which we couldn’t resist. It is on a corner and has taken over the premises of a previous tapas restaurant. Camberwell has certainly added to the culinary fare recently with many new offerings. We chose a Thursday lunchtime and that may be a busy time as it was buzzing (as were many of the other restaurants and cafes).
For starters we chose sourdough foccacia with garlic (lots of garlic) that we forgot to photograph but take it from us the portion was huge. The other two chose the same dish – mushroom fritti with fennel and chili mayonnaise. This was spicy so the fennel rather passed us by, but again the portion was huge – this photo just shows one of them.
Next on to the pasta – again two of us chose the same dish – linguine with crab, datterini and capers – the other member of our group, daring to be different, chose spaghetti, roasted tomatoes and parmesan, lots of parmesan. It turns out that datterini are actually tomatoes which you can see in the photo. The literal translation is “little dates” as they are small, elongated and very sweet. All plates were licked clean – not because we were that hungry after the huge starters, but because it was delicious.
Finally, we had two different puddings – a chocolate pot with caramel that was hidden at the bottom and a “custardo” (quotes are theirs) which essentially is an affogato with the ice-cream element served hot so it is sweet and thick and for sipping. All were delighted with the choices even if we needed to wake up mid-afternoon to do a bit more work.
The bill was £66 with service. If you have wine then it is about £35.00 a bottle.
We have been saving up our trips to cocktail bars around Brixton, so this list is not a hangover-inducing single night out. They were spread across several weeks, often on a bleak Friday night after a very long week. Brixton as a cocktail destination is becoming a bit of a thing, with proper restaurants finding life a bit of a struggle, most notably shown by the sad closure of Nanban.
First trip was to a bar in Pop Brixton, ABV, sister to Wood and Water in Coldharbour Lane. It is only open Wed to Saturday but they do have happy hour 5.00pm to 7.00pm. Slide into the dark shipping container and sit at a dinky table to escape from the loud crowds deciding whether to watch football, eat a hot dog or just mooch. It is a lovely haven with the hum of conversation to allow a slow unwind. Cocktails are named eclectically with no clue to the array of ingredients, but the waiters are really helpful so you don’t jump at one that would definitely challenge the palate.
Our two choices – a philosopher and an Alphonse – came in lovely little delicate glasses – a glass heavy or light makes all the difference to the taste. the drinks were around £11-£12 and we lingered over ours. The bill was £25.31 with service and we will definitely return again to try some of the other amazing cocktails that were on neighbouring tables.
Escape to Tulum is a bar you reach by some very steep steps. It is Mexican-themed bar (Agaveria) so expect a lot of tequila and mescal. It has a bar with tall stools with tall tables which are challenging at the best of times but definitely after one or two cocktails. But thankfully it also has comfy sofas. Rattan and metal are the main material with a sprinkling of plants and for some reason a full-length painting of the back of stark naked women. Not really to my taste – they should have gone for an adornment with a more vibrant Mexican theme. We booked (a necessity) and soon filled our little coffee table with drinks and food as the service is swift.
We ordered Mirror Margheritas – the house specialty has won awards including being voted 7th in the world by Timeout and the top cocktail in 2020 by CLASS Bar Awards. We chose a classic which has Patron Silver Tequila, Hacha sour mix, cane syrup and grapefruit zest and the Mescal Mirror Margherita which has the same ingredients except for The Lost Explorer Mezcal, kaffir lime, salt and eucalyptus. There is a reason why the classic won the awards and we will stick to that one in the future as it was our favourite.
We were a bit peckish, so we also ordered guacamole and elotitos (sweet corn served with cream and cheese). The sweetcorn was hot and went down well although requires a lot of finger licking. The guacamole was smooth and made a good lining for our next round of drinks – a Mole espresso Martini and Yucatan Sunset. Both were sweet and the martini was weird as of course it had a dose of bitter chocolate and enough sugar and caffeine to keep you going all night. The sunset was much more delicate although again very sweet. Take our advice before you order the second drink – the first should definitely be their Mirror Margherita and the second could be one of their other award-winning drinks like the Midas which has coconut infused Vivir Silver Tequila.
Drinks are around £10.00. Our bill with service was £63.00 so a dent at the beginning of a Friday night. We will go back with friends to introduce them to our favourite tipple, but perhaps only one.
Sea Garden is in Market Row and we have visited twice and both times had something to eat. The first is reviewed here when we sat down to eat a hearty meal but got thirsty waiting. So we ordered two drinks that came with a slice of dried fruit and an oyster. On the left is a Spiced Pineapple Margherita which is based on El Tequiuleno Blanco and a secret pineapple reduction topped with dried pineapple. The one on the right is a Sea Dog Martini – described as a dry Tarquins martini, stirred with Vermouth & complimented with an oyster and citrus – and that was exactly what it was. Both came with dry ice and in darkness that provided added mystery and sparked our taste buds. See the previous review for the bill.
Sea Garden – Market Row: visit 2
Our second visit to Sea Garden was because we hadn’t booked anything and all the ones we tried on a Friday evening were full. Luckily Sea Garden have a bar as well as a restaurant so we sat in the other half and watched the chef at the grill …..and didn’t regret a second visit. We ordered two gin and tonics that came with straws which was very lucky as they were hefty critters and required hands-free drinking.
The difference you might ask – we honestly cannot remember that far back (or it might be one of those amnesia-producing infusions). We do remember the names “Gin Mare” and “Manly Sea and T”, but except that one was saltier than the other and had some samphire ……… Both were delicious, refreshing, long and icy – what more could you want from a G&T. We also got a bit peckish and despite not intending to eat so early (6.30 pm-ish) we ordered some anchovies and bread. The bill came to £35.44 and there was a 20% service charge. So again this was a place for a treat.
We hit 384 at about 7.00 and promised not to spend more than 30 minutes – who were we kidding! They did move us from our bar table as we waited for the rain to stop – it never did so we kept drinking. Another Margherita, a Roku Gin Martini (Japanese Gin which appears more and more frequently and whose virtues are extolled by bartenders). The options for cocktails are totally dependent on the bartender who asks about the type of spirit and your tastes – ours were for salt around and in everything. The dried lemon in the Margherita we thought was a waste of space, but we were told to let it stew for a bit and then twist and break it to release a sharp tang to the drink and your tongue. Otherwise, it is just like a piece of floating bark. Not satisfied with these drinks we moved tables and order two more – a Vesper just as James Bond would have made it (you do get a choice of Vermouth, but Lillet is the classic) and a Buffalo Trace Old Fashioned.
We did get peckish, very peckish when we saw the menu. We ordered Houmous (with homemade rose harissa, pimenton roasted chickpeas & pickled courgette), warm flatbread (with garlic & fenugreek oil, nigella seeds & parsley), and finally a bowl of really tasty aubergine fries with pomegranate molasses, soy yoghurt, mint & pomegranate. This was not a small amount despite being all on the starter menu. We demolished all this with our second drink and wound down for the weekend.
384 also sponsor good deeds and charities, and celebrate significant events with signature cocktails – I wonder what the Coronation will be like? In March and April, they are raising funds for Bloody Good Period and IMECE Women’s Centre with 50p from each cocktail going towards these charities. They are also celebrating women for International Women’s Day with three cocktails where they highlight a marketer, a whisky blender and a distillery owner and manager – all women. Cocktails are about £12.50 each (less before 8.00pm). So despite the bill coming to £77.06 (12.5% service and that was well worth it), we felt good about the evening having contributed to a good cause while sitting in the convivial company of the bartenders and in the warm and dry. Do book if you are thinking of joining them – we were just very lucky.
This is a relatively new restaurant, whose website says it is in Brixton Village but it isn’t. It’s in Market Row. The map is also confusing as the links for the Tooting Market outlet lead you to Brixton and vice versa. They are not very wordy on their website but they describe themselves as a modern British seafood restaurant and add “innovative”, fish “delivered fresh daily from St Ives” and meat sourced locally. They are No. 8 in the Timeout top 20 sea food restaurants – but this is the Tooting outlet. The Brixton branch has a connected, but separate bar with cocktails that you enter through a different door. We will tell you more later. Decor is darkish with candles and small tables for two, but they were also setting up for a large party. We missed that as we went very early on a Friday.
The menu varies and they offer everything on their QR code menu but the internet was very slow so we opted for a paper one. Most dishes are expensive, so be prepared to share – they do expect that. Fish of course pervades the menu (oysters, battered fish, salmon, squid, prawns and crab) but they also have some vegetables and a surf and turf option. We ordered a crab bun (tempura soft shell crab, pickled carrot, kohlrabi, spiced mayo and oyster dressing), and creamed mussels (with bacon, cider, thyme and cream) and a portion of chips.
The crab bun arrived first, cut in half so it wasn’t just easy to eat but with an expectation of sharing. We wolfed it down. The chips were triple-cooked and seasoned with vinegar salt (who knew?), so we could eat them with the bun or later for dipping into the cream sauce of the mussels. A hearty bowl of mussels they were too and at the end of the meal we had no room for dessert.
Before eating we glanced at the cocktails and couldn’t resist the Seadog Martini (“dry Tarquins martini, stirred with Vermouth & complimented with an oyster and citrus”) – dirty with an extra canape. It came with lots of theatre, including dry ice. We also chose a Spiced Pineapple Margarita (A Classic margarita, based on El Tequiuleno Blanco plus a pineapple reduction and a piece of dried pineapple that was pretty but inedible) again lots of theatre, and an interesting way to start a meal.
The bill came to £68.06 but £26.00 was the cost of the cocktails. It is a bit steep but without alcohol that is a large reduction and if you work for the NHS you get 15% off. They also have specials every day that are cheaper. The food was really good and we will definitely be putting this on our return soon list.
EATINBRIXTON 