Author: eatinbrixton

A short bus ride away No. 4 – Jimmy’s Secret Garden

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address: 409 Clapham Park Road, Clapham SW9 9BT

telephone: 020 7737 0722

email: bookings@jimmyspopup.com

http://www.jimmyspopup.com/

LAST CHANCE TO BOOK THIS MONTH This is another incarnation of Jimmy Garcia’s pop-ups and it is only around until 31st August and it is very popular so you do need to book ahead (if more than 9 people you need to phone). There is a small wooden door across the road from Clapham North tube station which leads up amongst a great mix of artificial and real plants to an indoors and outdoors space which absolutely suits the name of “The Secret Garden”. Botanical cocktails abound and it is open on Sundays for a slow waking up or relaxing run down of the weekend.

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As I said it is busy and on the night we visited there was a party of 12 in the private dining room which explained much … but read on. The menu is short and we chose salmon tortellini, lamb neck and peas and love for starters, and roast belly pork and chorizo and guinea fowl for the main course. Everything took a long time to arrive apart from the alcohol (a couple of bottles of Crianza). There was a large party upstairs that took a lot of attention and several of the main course choices were now off the menu. But when they arrived they were all interesting although the chorizo and guinea fowl were not up to the same standard as the other dishes.

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When I say we waited an age it was a very long time, so dinner stretched out. But as some compensation we were given a mixture of desserts to choose from to complete the meal. There were doughnuts (or perhaps churros) and chocolate, small pots of creamy pudding and some cheesecake type thing. We are writing this trying to remember exactly what they were and have no record of them.

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Shhh Burger Club and Bar

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address: 424 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, London SW9 8LF

telephone: 02072748888

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shhh-Burger-Club-Bar/926667227365416#_=_

Up to now, whenever we wanted a burger, there has been only one place to go – Honest Burger (see here) – but as part of our quest to keep pace with all the recent openings in Brixton, we decided to see if this had changed. So we visited Shhh one weekday evening when there was little in the cupboard and we wanted some quality family time. This is a comfortable restaurant with mis-matched, but stylish, chairs in the former Duck Egg Café (see here) site. You can sit outside or inside and there is a bar with high stools at the window for peering at the passing scene. A word of WARNING … watch yourself as you go inside. There is a step where you least expect it and two people in our party tripped, as did the next lot.

The menu is short and has three burgers, two beef and one chicken. There are also a couple of snacks as well as a few side dishes. We over-ordered as usual, covering the complete range of burgers, which means the classic beef (Dry aged, pasture raised Yorkshire chuck, brisket and bone marrow with lettuce, pickled cucumber, chili jam and the rest); the chicken burger (chopped breast, watercress, creamy leek sauce, onions) and the Honey Burger (paprika smoked beef, honey mustard mayo, rocket and goat’s cheese). All the burgers are in a “homemade” bun and come with hand cut, triple cooked chips.
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The three side dishes were chosen mostly for the inclusion of some veg: coleslaw (apple, celeriac, cabbage, raisins) – we couldn’t taste the apple -, baby gem lettuce (with crispy bacon, Stilton, pickles and green goddess dressing) – absolutely delicious and we wished we had ordered more –  and something called “so Corny” which turned out to be two pieces of corn on the cob covered in chipotle cream and some chilli – watch out for the chilli as one member of our party didn’t and although she likes chilli this really put a stop to conversation.

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We liked all the burgers – perhaps the classic more than the others. The fries were ok but slightly sweet and not all were as crispy as we would have liked.

The meal cost £54.00, including two large glasses of wine and the free bottle of tap water. The service was attentive and friendly. We were the only customers for a while and that did give us the opportunity for conversation and a relaxed dining experience. Much as we love Honest Burgers (and their burgers are pretty spectacular) it is now so popular for most of the day that you feel very rushed, understandably as they have so few tables. This restaurant provides a more relaxed and spacious alternative. The food isn’t too fast, even with few competing customers. Maybe the food is not yet up to the standard of Honest Burger but if you do not want to queue and do want relaxation then this is a good place to go.

A short bus ride away – 3. The Dairy

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Address: 15 The Pavement, London, Clapham SW4 0HY
Telephone: 020 7622 4165

http://the-dairy.co.uk/

We had heard so much about this restaurant that we really wanted to try it but you need to be determined as booking is tough. We decided to celebrate and event – a friend leaving his job for pastures new and so this was booked a long time in advance. This is a small restaurant spilling out onto the pavement (in two ways). There is a narrow bar that opens to a small set of tables and an open kitchen. The waiters are helpful when you catch their eye but it is loud so for a conversation you need to lean into the table. It’s also a bit dark, so apologies for the photographs.

To reduce the decision making we went for the tasting menu. There are four main courses (snacks, sea, land and dessert) and an optional cheese course. It is all too long to explain in any detail. Snacks come in the form of olives, eel and crispy anchovy but of special note is the smoked bone marrow butter and soughdough which comes hot in a little hessian bag.dairy02

The sea was skate in a dashi sauce with lemon and smoked eel with black garlic and onions. The descriptions are much better than this! We were really impressed by this course both were really different and even though we are not great fans of skate we finished every bit.dairy03

The land course was blackface lamb rump, smoked aubergine, pressed shoulder and miso. In this case whether it had a black face or not didn’t seem relevant and we were glad that they didn’t give it a name as well. But it was delicious.dairy04

At the dessert course we had choices – we chose apricot kernel panna cotta with green almonds and salted caramel with malted barley ice cream. The salted caramel was lovely.dairy05

We did enjoy the meal and the company. If it is an intimate dinner for two then go somewhere else. To impress a first date then this is definitely the place to go. Lots going on and lots to discuss. The bill was large – the tasting menu is £45.00. For four people the whole bill came to £313.30 including a couple of bottles of more expensive wine, an extra cheese course for three of us and 12.5% service charge …. so this is definitely somewhere special for a celebration.

Brixton’s Rock

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Address: 118 Acre Lane, SW2 5RA https://twitter.com/brixtonsrock IMG_3043

A decent fish and chip take away is something that has been lacking in Brixton for a while. Don’t’ want to mention Olly’s in Herne Hill (oops) but it’s been our favourite for years. Only problem is it’s a bit of a trek away if you fancy a fish supper on a whim. Introducing Brixton’s Rock. With a branch already in Brockley this one is situated half way up Acre Lane, opposite Lidl. So last Friday, with Nan and Grandad paying us a visit, we decided it was time for a family take away. To be honest there isn’t much point describing the inside. It’s like any other fish and chip shop, although much more welcoming and attractive than some of the other take away joints on Acre Lane. It’s very silver and shiny.

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Granville Market Space

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Coldharbour Lane, (corner of Somerleyton Road)

Brixton, London, SW9 8Q

Open: every Saturday & Sunday

This market lies just opposite Brixton Village and the erstwhile laundry. It is hard to miss as it is in the open space in Coldharbour Lane with the famous anti-nuclear missile mural. It seems to be run by the same people as the night market and so isn’t so much a market as a set of food stalls, extending the offering of Brixton at the weekend.

gm05We visited on both a Saturday lunchtime and Sunday afternoon. There were about 6 food stall and two selling local beers and a lot of tables and chairs – a much better option than outside the Ritzy where there was nowhere to perch except some steps. It was of course sunny on our visit and all these open air venues look different under a grey sky but it was pleasant and well used. But we can’t say what food stall you will get as they changed between each visit.

gm04I ate an Aloo Roti (the veggie option of potatoes with a minty yoghourt dressing and one chili and coriander which was very hot). This came from the No 53 stall which has a bus on its logo. While I was waiting I learned a lot about skill development as one of the customers was receiving good advice from the chef about local options of courses. My partner chose lots of meat and some vegetables from another stall.

gm12There was another roti stall and on one visit tried the pulled pork roti – which was slightly sweet (as most of the food was). Beware the sauce gathers at the bottom and squirts as you get down to the last mouthfuls. Paella, a staple for Sunday lunch in Andalucía, was available, and on the same stall pasta and sauces. This one looked good but it we were too full to try.

gm13Definitely the best food came from the caravan selling burgers and other meat dishes. I chose belly pork with rocket and onion marmalade in an olive ciabatta. Not only was this enough for two but was a cut above everything else on offer. All meals are cooked to order and your Monterey jack on the burger is flamed to make it melt. They offer bacon and chili sauce as well as tomato. We will definitely revisit and, as the burger truck was around on both our visits, our readers should try it too.

gm14The beers on offer are mostly local with alcohol from 4% to 8% so buyer beware. We are sure that given the popularity of Brixton as a go to venue this place is going to be a godsend to those groups who can’t decide which restaurant to go to. This way all your mates can still sit together but try different cuisines. The cost is about £5.00 to £7.00 for a meal and a little less for alcohol depending on what type and which stall.

Lunch at the Satay Bar

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447 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, London SW9 8LP

Telephone: 0844 474 6080

http://www.sataybar.co.uk/

I’m the member of the eatinbrixton team that works and lives in Brixton. For nigh on 25 years I’ve broken up my working day, two or three times a week, by having lunch out in the town centre. Originally the decision was straightforward. The places I liked were the original pizza place pre-Franco Manca, Gyoza, or Ichiban Sushi and, in various guises, there was the Satay Bar.

Now, of course, we are almost overwhelmed with good choices. From the favourites, Gyoza has just closed; Ichiban opens rarely for lunch and, while Franco Manca goes from strength to strength, I now find the calorie count too high except for an occasional treat. But the Satay Bar is still there and, despite the competition, it has now definitely become my favourite lunch spot. The food is seriously good; it’s comfortable with reasonable Wi-Fi to keep up with work. It is also great value for money.

I’m just writing about lunch at the Satay Bar. Evenings when it becomes a serious nightspot are totally different. Not bad, just different – see our report on their cocktails here. There’s a special lunchtime menu with all the south-east Asian favourites – see it here. My top choice is the Laksa, a spicy coconut and noodle based soup, offering a large bowl of tangy broth containing the right amount of heat (two chilli symbol on the menu).sg06

I would happily have the laksa on each visit but I’m pleased to report that the Thai Beef Salad, (again two chillies) is also excellent. Another highly rated dish is the Chicken version of the Sambal Jawa, which is an Indonesian stir fry with coconut, coriander, lemon grass, vegetables, sambal ulek and other spices.sg07

My only disappointment is Big Belly Phad Thai that I found a bit claggy. Maybe I hit a bad day but there are other places in Brixton where Phad Thai addicts can  do better.sg10

So I can strongly recommend the Satay Bar as the top choice for a good value lunch. I tend to drink tap water so the bill comes in at less than £10 for a substantial meal. Another notable distinction is the clientele. At lunchtime, but even more at night, the majority of the other customers have been black. I have often seen comments pointing out how white the diners are in most of the eating places in Brixton Village but the opposite is the case here. There is nothing about the food that explains the sharp difference in clientele – except the fact that they are discerning about good quality food.

Pop Brixton

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49 Brixton Station Road, SW9 8PQ
020 7274 2902

IMG_2652(This was taken just before it opened)

A couple of weeks we were invited down for a taster session at the newly opened Pop Brixton to find out what we can expect from the latest foodie venture in our beloved town.

Described as a “pioneering new space created with the local community in mind to showcase the best and most exciting independent start-ups and businesses from Brixton and Lambeth” this place hasn’t appeared without its criticisms. However in terms of bringing a whole host of new faces to the restaurant community in the now go-to London food destination it is very welcomed by us. And we were actually quite impressed. One thing to note is that even though they had in mind to keep all the vendors local I’m not sure how much of the customers are… For more information on the project, check out their website here.

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A short bus ride away No 2 – Hood (Streatham)

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address: 67 Streatham Hill, London SW2 4TX

Tel: 0.0 36013320

website: hoodrestaurants.com

email: info@hoodrestaurants.com

This is a the second post in our new venture of writing about where to go for that special celebration, a birthday, anniversary or even wedding breakfast. But we still want to make it local and most are only a 20 minute walk from the middle of Brixton, or only a short bus ride if you have already done your 10,000 steps that day.

Hood is a family run restaurant that was crowd funded by family and friends. It serves modern British food from seasonal British ingredients. There is a provenance map on the wall of the restaurant so you can see where the food and drink comes from and it concentrates on very local. The clean and simple interior has matching tables and primary coloured chairs and we can attest to the comfort as we spent a good three hours sitting in them.

The short menu has 4 starters, 6 mains and three desserts and as we were a foursome we could try lots of them. Two of us chose kidneys and cauliflower with raisin and caper sauce which we decided were the best kidneys we had eaten ever. The others chose beetroot and horseradish cured salmon, buttermilk and rye and Crispy pork rillettes with apple, shallots and sage cream – both being delicious and, as you can see just by the description, really interesting with every bite and a pretty picture.

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For the main course we had pan fired sea bream with asparagus, roast rump of lamb with pea and wild garlic croquette and broad bean and feta relish and finally slow roast pork belly with bubble and squeak. We had an extra portion of new potatoes but they were not really needed. All were really good and every plate except mine was wiped clean. I liked every bite of the pork belly but the portion was just too much for my appetite.

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For dessert there was cheese but that seemed too hefty for any of us so we had the lemon posset with shortbread, a dark chocolate tart and strawberry snap, cackle and pop. The lemon possets were small delicate cream pots with a thin layer of strongly flavoured lemon jelly on top – just enough. The dark chocolate tart was slim and shiny and strong and slightly bitter – just as it should be. The strawberries were sandwiched between layers of Rice Krispies which were on top of marshmallow so very sweet and gooey.

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We started the meal with beer and wine. The list of beers is long with bottles from the Brixton Brewery, Partizan, Gypsy Hill Brewery and others. They come with their strength advertised which is important as some are 7.1%. We had a porter which tasted  – just like its description – of caramel, and a Pale Ale which was a good foil – a light and slightly bitter long drink. We interspersed our drinking with tap water  which was freely offered. We also had a French Malbec which was described as  having “a warming & smooth richness and well balanced” which it definitely was. With dessert there was a decaf Americano and a  glass of dessert wine.

We really enjoyed this meal. There was of course the good company but we could talk without having to shout and the waiting staff were helpful and didn’t push us out too quickly. The bill was celebration size (£180) but it was for four people with three courses, wine and sundries. We thought it was better than anything currently in Brixton and we would most certainly return for another celebration meal.

Courtesan – Female Only Wine List

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Check out our update review here

address: 69-73 Atlantic Road, SW9 8PU

telephone: 0208 127 8677

http://www.thecourtesan.co.uk/

Last week we were invited down to one of our dinner staples, Courtesan for a brindisi to celebrate the launch of their first female-only wine list. Through my very hazy memory (there was a lot of alcohol consumption!) their reasoning behind the launch was that they wanted to highlight the rise in female wine makers in the world. Plus apparently a trhird of women are ‘super tasters’, meaning we are the bomb when it comes to pairing up flavours. Plus as dim sum is one world’s oldest cuisines, all about decadence and flavour, what better food to pair it with. It’s also vital to note that a female chef, Fengjuan, took over the kitchen six months ago and has revitalised the dim sum based menu.

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Shrub and Shutter

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address: 336 Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8QH

telephone: 020 7326 0643

info@shrubandshutter.co.uk

http://theshrubandshutter.com/

We have visited Shrub and Shutter a few times now but on this occasion booked a table for 7.00pm on election night to sit and hope that the polls were wrong. They were but at least we were suitably lubricated to face the 10.00pm news. We sat at the back of the bar/restaurant on the last week of their current menu so all may have changed.

Drinks as usual were amazing and we thought they should have tags to ensure some unwitting vegetarian didn’t end up with chicken skin or prawns in their drink. We chose the Wonka bar – essentially a Baileys but nicer – which had gin, ice cream, almond milk, chocolate soil, truffle gold and truffle bitters. it was sweet and I saved some for dessert.

My partner in crime chose an amazing cocktail which came with a plastic tube of scotch bonnet pepper sauce to add to the drink. We were warned of how hot it was however we were far too sensationalist when it came to our pain threshold and squeezed in the lot. So be warned and try it slowly, except for those who like a Vindaloo.

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We ate from the two courses for £18.00 menu and had a glass of wine. They had a Primitivo from Italy and a Spanish white – Verdejo. We both chose duck with gingerbread and shared some asparagus. The duck was amazing, we just wished there was more of it! The asparagus was fantastic with a creamy sauce, which we had to stop ourselves from licking off the plate. Then we chose cod with barley and broccoli and the lamb with carrots.  The cod was a large meaty fillet and was cooked just right. I haven’t had barley before but it tasted bouncy and the sauce gave it a bit of a lift. The young green veg was just enough to make you feel it was contributing to your 5 of the day but only just. The lamb and the Primitivo complimented each other perfectly.

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This place is still pretty pricey, with it all coming to £67 (we got 10% knocked off for living in Brixton) but in terms of the standard of food and drinks this isn’t just another overpriced place in Brixton but one you feel deserves the price tag.