Author: eatinbrixton

Elephant

~ eatinbrixton ~ Leave a comment

Elephantaddress: 55 Granville Arcade, Brixton Village Market, Coldharbour Lane, Brixton SW9 8PS

Telephone: 07590 389684

website: www.elephantcafe.co.uk

This bills itself as Pakistani street food – halal but not too spicy. I suspect it is an anglicised version but nonetheless tasty. Get there early, as with most restaurants in Brixton Village, as it opens at 6.30pm and by 7.30 its is full but that’s ok. You get put on a stool, told it is only 10 minutes to wait for a table and even if it was a little longer you get to see what everyone else is eating. This is a restaurant which lives in the aisle of the market and has little space inside with the usual mismatched chairs and stools surrounding this small pop up cafe.

The menu is very short. Starters are pakoras, chaat and samosas. The mains are thalis – vetable, chicken or keema which all come with daal, raita, salad and naan. There are, of course, curries but as we waited we noticed that most people were having thalis so they were our choices with pakora and samosa to start. That was probably our mistake – always assuming we can finish what was a relatively large portion with raita and salad before heading into the thalis.

Both the starters were delicately spiced with just enough heat for my own taste. The samosa’s lived up to their reputation with the delicate pastry while the pakora’s were just plain yummy. Again the keema and chicken curries were delicately spiced but really interesting but the best part of the thali was the daal. I have heard he makes his own garam masala and if this is what is in the daal then I want the recipe. It was so good that we asked for a box to take the remains away for the next day’s lunch. They were very obliging and gave us a plastic lunch box to take it away as they don’t actually do takeaway. We wanted to try the chai or a dessert but no room was left to even consider it for research purposes. Elephant also offer a variety of non-alcoholic hot and cold drinks but we chose a simple glass of tap water and mango lassi.

This is a charming restaurant where the service was helpful and jolly. The noise and the busy comings and goings in the alleyway may be reminiscent of Pakistani streets but probably the cold isn’t. Like all restaurants that have tables in the alleys in the market they will suffer in the winter so wear a coat scarf and possibly gloves. We thought we would pay further visits to this unpretentious cafe but perhaps during the day or when spring sets in. This is also a BYO restaurant so don’t forget your beer or wine.

It all came to about £25 for the two of us with two sets of starters, mains and mango lassi’s.

Cornercopia

~ eatinbrixton ~ Leave a comment

Cornercopiaaddress: 65 Brixton Village Market, Coldharbour lane, London, SW9 8PS

telephone: 07919542233

emailt: Brixtoncornercopia@googlemail.com

http://brixtoncornercopia.ning.com/

This was a small restaurant but it has grown and grown into the surrounding shops and now has more than 30 spaces. Also acting as a deli, Cornercopia uses locally sourced products not just including buying from the market but also foraged from local allotments. Even the honey comes from South London bees although we have no idea how they can be certain they haven’t made it across the river.

We chose to sit inside the main restaurant rather than the aisles of the market as the winter chill has obviously settled in at the market (bring a coat!). All the seating is meant to be shared but they do ask for permission before seating extra people. The walls were covered in pictures but unusually I didn’t take much notice as I was drawn to investigating the food and drink menus both proving to be interesting enough to keep us talking until the first course arrived.

As it was a Sunday lunchtime they were only serving two or three course meals from a blessedly short menu. Our two courses were  a starter and main course and all three of us chose the sweet potato and squash soup with hazelnuts and truffle oil. It was served in a blue and white enamel bowl as was the whole meal. The truffle oil on the soup was delicious but there were mixed comments about the hazelnuts. It also came with a piece of sourdough bread from Peckham. This whole course was really filling and I made the mistake of eating the bread which was very good but left little room for the immense main courses.

We chose pork, a shallot and Blackstick blue cheese tart and a fillet of grey mullet. The pork was succulent and came with a very large faggot and there was no remote chance of finishing it. The faggot was made of all things pork and was wrapped in caul fat (don’t ask just believe it is delicious). It was the size of a tennis ball. The mullet was served on a bed of capers, saffron and smoky vinegar and was perfectly cooked and although the contrast of hot and cold was surprising, it too was designated a success. The tart had immense roasted shallots on top of a cheesy base of flaky pastry.  But in addition to the large portions there was also a big bowl of roast vegetables. This was a meal for three in itself. There were roast carrots (black, white and orange), kale, huge roast parsnips as well as roast potatoes. This course was a definite hit and as we had no space to put the vegetables we asked for boxes to take the food away for heating up for the next day. They were delivered to the table by the chef who said he was so glad he didn’t have to throw anything away.

Ultra-local food also includes ultra-local beers from Kernel’s micro-brewery in Bermondsey and we chose pale ale which although as bitter as pale ale also smelled and tasted fruity. Wine is English which we can’t vouch for and, very surprisingly, they offer an organic gin and tonic. The gin is also local and is distilled in Clapham. You can now see why we spent so long reading and not looking at our surroundings.

The meal was a little on the pricey side for the market – £18.00 per person for two course and three course for £21.00 without drinks –  but it was certainly well worth it for the quality of the food. Next time I might try the main course and dessert. because I am never going to be able to work my way through the gargantuan three courses, particularly when the desserts are sticky date pudding and spotted dick. Even after turning off the hyperbole key on my computer I can say that this is the best restaurant in the market and….it is certainly value for money.

ps  There is a deli attached to the restaurant which has a selection of chutneys and jams made by local people with the furthest being from Croydon. But it also sells more exotic fare.

Breads Etcetera

~ eatinbrixton ~ Leave a comment

Address: 88 Brixton Village Market, Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8PS

telephone: 07717 642812

www.breadsetceterabakery.com/

This is a bread shop with a difference. It isn’t exactly a restaurant but you can eat so we decided to review anyway. It is a small offshoot of a place in Clapham so they do have some experience which was lacking in many of the restaurants in Brixton Village.

The inside of Breads Etcetera allows about two people room to breathe and a third means you have to shuffle around to see the breads on sale. It is essentially a bakery with a couple of ovens. But you can sit down – outside the shop on a few tables.  As you can imagine that means it is a bit chilly in the aisles of the Village so they thoughtfully provide a blanket which is definitely needed in all months except a sunny day in July. So is your coat.

Food is, of course, bread based but you can get eggs (soft or hard boiled) and side orders of ham or cheese. The staff are really very helpful and cheerful which you need first thing in the morning. Coffee is very good and comes with a design on top to make you smile. But the main deal is the DIY breakfast with toasters on the table and butter and spreads provided. You can go for English breakfast with sausages etc. and at the moment this is only on Sundays but that can change. The charm is in the toast, always hot and ready to take the melting butter, and the coffee. So what about the bread. It’s sourdough – wheat or rye .

This is a good product but…… we usually save discussions of cost to the end of the review but I have moved it forward as this is its drawback. It is expensive. We would eat breakfast here as but we wouldn’t go back for the bread and I really like sourdough.

Breakfast is about £5 to £6 per person if you have side orders.

Brixton Village Grill

~ eatinbrixton ~ Leave a comment

Brixton Village Grilladdress: 43-44 Brixton Market; Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, London SW9 8PR

telephone: 07894353561

http://www.brixtonvillagegrill.co.uk

This is a fusion of Portuguese and English cuisine – so says the trendy website which also has funky music. We decided to write this review after our second visit as the first was early on when they were just learning the ropes. It was a Saturday and we were worried that we wouldn’t find a table anywhere in Brixton Village but on this Saturday we got lucky with an inside table at BVG. This allowed us to investigate the banksyesque pictures- Winston Churchill with a mohican hairstyle, Thomas the Tank Engine being grafittied and a cute take off of Bart Simpson (but we’ll let you see for yourself). The decor is plain (I’ve given up on the word minimalist) apart from the pictures and the two extra large black chandeliers.  On our first visit we missed all this because we decided to sit outside as the atmosphere inside the restaurant caught at the back of your throat –  burnt fat. But we are glad to report that they seem to have sorted out their kitchen extractor and it was absolutely fine inside this time.

The service was very helpful and pleasant from all the waiters and waitresses as they seem to share responsibilities. This meant we never had to try to attract someone’s attention as someone was always on hand. When we arrived they checked whether we wanted a leisurely meal or to cut and run to our next appointment and then chose a place for us – that made us feel they were taking an interest but also means they can turn over tables quickly.

The food – a short menu which is always a blessing –  is a fish and meat paradise but not much except olives and one main course for vegetarian.It is after all a grill and exactly what you would expect from a Portuguese/English restaurant. There’s steaks, chicken, ribs, and fish – relatively plain but there is peri peri chicken as a starter which may be spicy but we didn’t try it on either of our visits. So for starters we had the rock salt sardines which were good but perhaps could have done with a bit more salt. For main courses we had the ribs,and the fish of he day which was whole sea bream both with chips and salad. The bream was delicious and worth negotiating the bones. The ribs were tasty but a bit chewy. They were washed down with Sagres beer. We asked another table for their views of the red wine and they were in favour of the middle one on the menu – Casa Antiga. For dessert we shared a dime bar cheesecake – a good decision as they don’t go in for meager portions.

Overall we would visit again despite the wealth of choices in Brixton Village. It offers simple well cooked food which they can turn out quickly to a good standard and the relaxed ambiance where you can talk without shouting but still feel a buzz means we will take more friends next time. Later reports suggest that the vegetarian dish was very disappointing so perhaps they need to work on extending their menu to attract all types of customers.

The price per person is probably around £15 – 20 without too much alcohol but a welcome addition is their loyalty card which means that your 6th meal will have a 50%  discount –  so you can save yourself for the future blowout.

Franco Manca

~ eatinbrixton ~ Leave a comment

Address:

Unit 4 Market Row,

Brixton Market,

Brixton, SW9 8LD

telephone: 020 7738 3021

website:   http://francomanca.co.uk/

Franco Manca is in a spot where there has always (as far as I remember) been a pizza restaurant. Previously run by an Italian family, their pizzas were delicious and there was always a good crowd at lunchtime. This is similar but definitely not the same. The restaurant has now expanded, so it is has an extension across from the cosy place with the ovens and it has opened out into the main market thoroughfare. This is not where the difference stops.

This is not just a pizza restaurant – it is a sourdough pizza restaurant and that is not where the differences between these pizzas and ones served in most pizza restarants stop. The toppings are culturally eclectic too with Gloucester Old Spot ham and Spanish chorizo to choose from. There is an organis label to many of the ingredients and I also heard our waitress advising on the addition of other toppings to the number 1 to 6 list of pizzas. She was definitely against adding tomato to one of them and said it really spoiled the taste of the mushrooms (and she was probably right).

Continue reading →

Khamsa

~ eatinbrixton ~ Leave a comment

KhamsaAddress: 140 Acre Lane, Brixton, London, SW2 5UT

Telephone: (020) 7733 3150

Khamsa resides in a little oasis of shops and restaurants in the middle of Acre Lane opposite Upstairs (french) and a coffee shop. It still looks like a corner shop but inside it has turned into a warm dining area with wooden floor, ceiling and Algerian knick knacks over the walls. We visited this restaurant in the evening as part of our plan to visit restaurants from countries around the world. We thought it wouldn’t last as it is in a place without too much passing trade. But it has lasted and that must be because it has a following in the local area.

North African food is pretty easy to get hold of in London but it is mainly from Morocco so it was a treat to visit something rarer and so close to home.  All the food is made on site and include as starters selections of Algerian salads. The names are definitely confusing but consist of vegetables e.g. carrots with lots of cumin and coriander. There is the usual merguez (spicy sausages) and more familiar things such as houmus. The main courses you may think you have seen in a Moroccan restaurant such as tajines and couscous but there are definitely some differences with more roast vegetables and unusual ingredients such as salmon or with sauces thickened with ground almonds. But after all these choices you really need to leave room for the pastries. For instance the dried figs dipped in chocolate and filled with almond or the pistachio macaroon-style biscuits. If you are too full to consider then consider taking home a sample for later. The chef originally trained as a pastry chef and so you really shouldn’t leave without trying something.

It doesn’t have a drink license but the mint tea is cheap and delicious and they also make their own juices – like pear and basil. I had the apple and mint which went down all too easily. If you really want to bring a bottle they are happy for you to do so and do not as yet charge a corkage fee.

The reason that we thought it would fail early is that the nearest thing pulling in likely passing trade customers was Lidl on the other side of the street. That went with our view of how they had pitched the prices – about £25 per person for 3 courses. That is reasonable but we thought might be a bit steep next to the fish and chip restaurants and the take away Chinese. Clearly the word is now out and perhaps Khamsa is here to stay.

Restaurante Santafereño

~ eatinbrixton ~ 1 Comment

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.

Curry Ono

~ eatinbrixton ~ 1 Comment

Curry OnoAddress: 14BC Market Row, London SW9 8LD

Contact: curryono@yahoo.com

Web: www.curryono.com

I really, really like Curry Ono, which describes itself as a “Japanese Kitchen” and as providing “healthy, home-made Japanese food”. So it’s not really clear to me why there always seems to be so few people eating there, particularly compared with other places in the market. Partly, I guess, is that the Japanese food it serves isn’t trendy, i.e. no sushi and few noodle dishes. Instead, as the name suggests, it focuses on Japanese versions of curry, which it describes as being based on the curries that British sailors introduced to Japan in the nineteenth century. I guess that part of the problem is that this is a description that is unlikely to get people excited. The only solution is to go there and actually eat the stuff.

The place itself is a bit like a works canteen but not unwelcoming. As mentioned, there’s always plenty of room and you get personal service. There are non-curry starters, and we enjoyed edamame (green soya beans) and seaweed salad. Other starters include tebasaki (sweet soya sauce marinated fried chicken wings) and niku-jaga (slow cooked pork belly with potatoes in a sweet soya sauce).

But the mains are what it is really about, with nine different sorts of curry. All of them come with steamed rice, pickles and the same deeply flavoured but relatively mild curry sauce that we are told has been made from a mix of up to 20 different natural spices and has been simmered for more than 12 hours to provide “a truly authentic taste of Japan”. We’ve had the katsu (breaded pork escalope), the menchi katsu (breaded minced beef croquette) and the kara-age (Japanese fried chicken) and enjoyed them all. Other choices available include roast vegetable and prawn, with the latter being an exception in that it also comes with yuzo-koshu (Japanese chilli paste). The only real non-curry option is cold udon noodle, which is a favourite of mine, particularly when served with seaweed salad. Desserts are limited to a choice between green tea, red bean and vanilla ice creams.

The prices are reasonable compared with other places in the market. And unlike the places in Brixton Village it is fully licensed. I will keep going back and urge other people to go there, if only to ensure that it stays open.

Etta’s Seafood Kitchen

~ eatinbrixton ~ Leave a comment

Etta's Seafood KitchenAddress: Unit 46 Brixton, Village, Coldharbour Lane, London SW9

Contact:  sheryldon1@yahoo.co.uk

We are always glad to give restaurants a second chance and this certainly saved Etta’s. We first visited when it had just opened and things were a bit chaotic and the food wasn’t really that good – lots of bones to work around and the curry sauce was the same on everything. So what has changed? The tables and chairs are the same (beware of some chairs as they are a bit
rickety). But it is all brighter and flowers have appeared on the tables and some are even outside in the middle of the alley. They are as helpful and as laid back as before but now they seem to know what they are doing.

It still looks a like a work in progress but perhaps that is what a pop-up restaurant has to feel like. The interior is bright and cheerful with a new mural of giant fishes. We think the menu has changed a bit and the food has certainly improved. We chose the fish and chips, fish curry and a large crab. The fish was definitely in Etta’s tasty batter (light, squidgy and
with something like chives or cayenne) and all the chips were crispy. The fish curry said it was “mild” – curry isn’t supposed to be bland but it did have a chilli bite to it. The crab choice was not for the faint hearted and probably not for someone with little patience and a lot of hunger but it was tasty and again had curry sauce lingering. Only rice and peas give away that
this is a Caribbean restaurant.

It was all rather jolly – even a large birthday party on the day we went. There is no alcohol but they offer fresh sorrel or fresh ginger beer. There is a one pound cover charge for BYO and they do provide appropriate glasses so wine doesn’t need to come from a tumbler. Again remember to bring it from home.

The price is right about £10 to £20 per person

Honest Burgers

~ eatinbrixton ~ Leave a comment

Honest BurgersHonest Burgers: Unit 12, Brixton Village, London SW9 8PR

Having heard so many good things about Honest Burgers a friend and I decided to check it out for ourselves this Thursday lunchtime. Surprised to get a table as usually when you pass there is often a queue, (HINT: perhaps lunchtimes are a good time to go). We were met with a smile by the staff and much like the rest of Brixton village the chefs are on show so you can see your burgers being assembled in front of your very eyes.

The menu is short but sweet with chicken, vegetarian option (cauliflower fritter), a special and then three types of beef burger. Thrice cooked chips with rosemary salt come with every burger but can also be ordered as an extra for those who are greedy. Limited drinks menu (they don’t have a license, although I’m sure comply with the byob system that most of the market adheres to) but the homemade lemonade was delicious.

We opted for the beef burger options, the standard cheese filled with cheddar or stilton, lettuce and extra yummy onion relish and the house favourite ‘the honest burger’ with bacon, pickled cucumber, cheese and the same delicious onion relish. The meat comes medium rare and melts in the mouth and every extra, such as the pickled cucumbers and glazed bun, gives them that special something. Good portion sizes ensure that you can use your hands without too much mess, something they appear to suggest by only supplying you with a knife. Personally the icing on the cake was the thrice cooked and rosemary salt chips. Crunchy on the outside and with a fluffy centre these are like your grandmas best roast potatoes in chip form.

With such a hype surrounding it we were not disappointed with our visit. Cost was around the same as the rest of the market (£17 for two burgers, chips and a lemonade). This place knows what it wants to be, so if its variety you’re looking for this may not be the place for you however this is by far the best burger I have had south of the river.

http://www.honestburgers.co.uk/