Author: eatinbrixton

Mama Lan

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Address: Unit 18, Brixton Village Market SW9 8PR

As dumplings are fast becoming one of my favourite foods the news that a dumpling restaurant was to open in Brixton Arcade came with much excitement.  With our first visit at prime time for lunch we were worried that due to it only opening a few days before we would be out of luck however we were surprised to see that we had a whole bench to ourselves free.

With minimalistic decor and straightforward menu this place knows what it’s about and doesn’t seem ashamed by it. With three different types of dumplings (Beef and carrot, Pork and Chinese leaf and Dill and spiced tofu) , chilli oil chicken, slow cooked beef with Chinese herbs and spices as well as a smattering of vegetarian options the fact that you can pick 2-3 dishes brings variety to your meal. We chose a few dumplings, the seaweed salad and the chilli chicken between two of us. Although the salad was lacking in flavour, the abundance of it found in our other choices more than made up for it.

Aside from the food the cosy atmosphere created by sharing your meal with both your neighbours and the chefs brings me back to the backstreet dumpling houses I experienced during my time in Beijing . You can watch as ‘mama lan’ creates her dumplings with quick fingered precision as well as spy on your fellow diner’s food to see what looks good. Service was great and came with a smile.

Price came in at just over a tenner each, a little pricier than some of the other places in the arcade. However we left with satisfied and full tummy’s. Will definitely be visiting again.

They also run a supper club: http://www.mamalan.co.uk/index.php

Casa Marita

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address:Unit 9, Market Row, Brixton Market, SW9 8LB

This is a new restaurant in Market Row serving Mexican food. It is a hole in the wall with little decoration, just a cupboard piled high with tins and some pictures on bare walls with seemingly schoolroom castoff tables and chairs. But it all adds to the sense that it could actually be in a relatively salubrious part of a large Mexican town. There is an open kitchen with a large, shiny extractor and everything is on show – as there is little really to see. We speculated on where, if they had any, was their stock.

We went at 7.00pm and got a table relatively quickly but by 7.30 the place was full with even the tables set out in market row being full. The big rush was hard for the two waitresses who raced from table to table trying to ensure everyone had drinks  – you can pick from beer, wine and Mexican inspired soft drinks. The staffing issue is also a problem as we waited a time for the desert – well worth the wait but perhaps they need to consider their shift system.

There are all the usuals – tacos with fish or meat or vegetables and mole negro – a black sauce made from “30 ingredients” which was poured over chicken.  I thought that mexican food was really like tex-mex ….. hefty on chilli, refried beans  and guacamole and sour cream on the side. However this was not on the menu, a fact which we were quite pleased with as it allowed for experimentation.

The food was light and not overly hot as they serve hot sauce on every table so you can make it to taste. Beware of the odd mouthful of sauce as one bottle of beer disappeared trying to sooth the tastebuds. The mole negro was served lukewarm (not my favourite way of eating) and was not as tasty as I thought it might be. Perhaps warmer temperatures might bring out the chocolate and spices. It was served with what was described as rice and sweetcorn and as I hadn’t had any vegetables or fruit that day I thought this was a good option. However, they really fell foul of the trades description act as there were barely one or two kernels of corn in each plateful. The quesadilla and the pescadilla (with fish) came with a side salad. We had both kinds of sorbet – lime and passionfruit and there were thumbs up for both.

Defintely one to recommend for the things with fillings – I was not that keen on the mole negro which at £12.00 was a bit steep.  Portions are smaller than average but actually we eat too much and the portions are probably the right size for the cost (about £7.00). An excellent addition to the market.

Asmara

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Address: 386 Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8LF

telephone: 020 7737 4144

 

This is an Eritrean restaurant on Coldharbour Lane with a very unprepossessing entrance. Peeping in through the window you can see a couple of low circular basket weave tables and then the usual more cafe like seating in the remainder of the restaurant. The walls have a few african adornments but it is not overwhelming cultural. But this is an experience place where you effectively eat the tablecloth so if you want the whole feel try for the low circular”ethnic”  tables. The menu is heavy on meat although there are vegetarian options. The reason for the reference to the tablecloth is the food comes on the bread that you eat with. It is called injera and it is a large circular  sourdough pancake. This is fine when warm but as it rapidly cools becomes more like trying to eat a large piece of felt.  If you don’t like sourdough you can choose rice or cracked wheat.

This is a meat heavy cuisine with spicy or not so spicy choices like kulwa ( lamb with tomatoes) and derho alicha (mild chicken stew).  There is an option for the Royal feast but actually this looked far too much for a mid-week evening meal so we didn’t venture that far. The portions for each option are not large so you need to share a few. Our companions on the most recent visit found it all a bit too much but they were teenage girls – one of whom was a recent reformed vegetarian.

The prices for a  neighbourhood restaurant were surprisingly high and although we have been several times we think that these need to be widely spaced. We do, however, recommend sitting on low stools for any first visit and to try the delicious flavoured coffee which is delivered in a surprising way – we don’t want to give this away but just to say that the smell is wonderful

Kaosarn

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KaosarnAddress: Granville Arcade (Brixton Village), Coldharbour Lane Brixton, London

Telephone: 020 7095 8922

This is a new Thai restaurant named after the bustling street in Bangkok and it has made a name for itself in Brixton Village with reviews by Jay Rayner in the  Observer (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/may/01/jay-rayner-restaurant-review-kaosan) and Time Out (http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/venue/2:30398/kaosarn).  This is a tiny family run restaurant and with all this attention is full every evening and mostly during the day so book well in advance.  When we say tiny we really mean – only a few tables inside supplemented by five to seven outside. With autumn soon making it chilly these outside tables are likely to be difficult to fill unless they come with a blanket and hot water bottle.

The menu is short and cheap (about £15.00 per person for a full meal) with most main dishes costing less than £8. They serve all the usual Thai specialities – curries, salads and pastries filled with varieties of prawn or minced meat. There are not many vegetarian meals but the staff are willing to cook some up on request with tofu and vegetables. We used this restaurant before the Observer review. It is good but it isn’t great  – the Phad Thai was tasty with all the different flavours and with chunky prawns and a good blast of lime.  It is unlicensed so bring your own alcohol – remember this in advance as the options for buying it near to the restaurant are not that varied unless you just want beer. We would return there – if only we could get a table.

Under £20.00 for dinner and the portions are good so probably much less if you are not too greedy.

Laboratorio Artigianale del Buon Gelato – Lab G

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Lab GAddress: 6 Granville Arcade, Coldharbour Lane, Brixton Village, London SW9 8PR

I know you are not meant to eat ice cream for a whole meal but this place is really tempting so for a finale to any meal in Brixton go to Lab G. Here is a tiny temple to gelato, a tempting centre for high calory ice cream with plenty of cream like the salted caramel, or one of your five a day with mango sorbet or even something a little different. On one occasion we tried their liquorice and although in small quantities was delightful, in a hefty cone is a little hard to get through. The flavours are various – chocolate sorbet, real vanilla with flecks of vanilla pod, hazelnut, cherry and the usual flavours of Italian gelato like stracciatella. Flavours change all the time, so don’t depend on trying that odd flavour on your next visit.

It is not cheap at 1.50-2.50 a cone but with the large amount of ice cream it is well worth the cost.  We have seen mums hovering at the door and then, after seeing the prices, scurrying away with disappointed children so it would be useful for them to offer a small size just for kids which wouldn’t break the bank.

This place is not open mostly on Monday or Tuesday but that is by demand and I suspect that they will open later and later as the winter months encroach.

Ichiban Sushi

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Address: 58a Atlantic Rd, Brixton, London, SW9 8PY

Telephone: 020 7738 7006

This small Japanese restaurant serves the best sushi in Brixton and rivals Kulu Kulu as our favourite Japanese restaurant in London .  The decor of wooden benches and tables are simple but do not accommodate  large groups. There is a rather odd green colour on the walls with, also odd, pictures of something japanesey which were a bit offputting. When it is heaving you really didn’t notice the decor but tonight as it was relatively empty it seems a bit on the bleak side.

The sushi though are fantastic, with a  wide variety of different types. We ventured into unknown territory this evening with the addition of vegetable tempura and gingery dipping sauce which made a change from the maki. The Phad Thai was one of the best I have eaten. Lots of different flavours with an edge of heat and lime and not too many noodles. It is definitely cheaper and much, much better than your average Yo Sushi. Most of the occasions we have visited have been in the evening when it has been heaving and we have to literally squeeze in, but tonight (Thursday) it was relatively quiet so perhaps Brixton Village is pulling away its custom. It also used to be open during the day but now only in the evening.

Ichiban sushi has been a family favourite and now we have extended our menu choices I think for us it will still be able to hold its own against Brixton Village down the road. I just hope others don’t desert this gem of old Brixton.

Casa Sibilla

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Address 67 – 68 Granville Arcade, Coldharbour Lane (Brixton Village) London, SW9 8PS

Telephone number –

http://www.casa-sibilla.com/

Closed Monday, open Tuesday, Wed until 5.00pm, Thursday-Satruday until 10.00 and Sunday until 5.00pm

Casa Sibilla is an Italian restaurant in the buzzy new heart of Brixton in the Granville Arcade. We used to know this enclave of Brixton as a covered market that was full of sharks and fish of varying colours and vegetables that had to be boiled for days and then still seemed uncooked. However now it is a dazzling array of restaurants. The market is open on most nights (except Monday) to people browsing for food in the many different restaurants.

Casa Sibilla is determinedly Italian – short menu, speciality cocktail (ours was pink, raspberries and prosecco I think). It is in the heart of the Village and we highly recommend choosing an outside table in the wide  and lofty passageway lit by bizarre lights (do look as it seems they are different kinds of lampshades all put together to provide a souk-like atmosphere.  I expect they are “vintage” because they look like ones my grandmother had)

I admit I chose badly – everyone knows that gnocchi can never be that great – but my companions chose well with a plate of mixed meats, plenty of bread and the best mixed olives that I have for quite a while. The octopus and mussel stew looked pretty meaty and was demolished. Partly this was because we did wait rather a long time for the food so we were ravenous and a little drunk as seconds of cocktails were called for. But we were warned about the likely slowness – due they said to a lack of staff. This was very surprising as there didn’t seem to be enough room for any more staff in the main restaurant which has an open kitchen smaller than the one in my own house. There was a clear system of movement so that Paola Sibilla (the chef) could manage the large saucepans and sizzling gnocchi so they didn’t collide with soup bowls. On price it was fair but definitely more than the usual Brixton fare but you do get what you pay for and I would recommend this place as long as the short menu changes enough to hold our interest.

P.S there is a deli that sells good olive oil and I hope the olives and you can also buy their ravioli and other sweeter goodies.

Fujiyama

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FujiyamaAddress: 5-7 Vining Street, Brixton, SW9 8QA

Telephone: 020 7737 2369 (booking)   020 7737 6583 (take away orders)

http://www.newfujiyama.com

This is an old Brixton favourite and always full in the evening.  It is tucked away in a road – well little more than an alleyway – off Atlantic Road in the heart of Brixton. It describes itself as a Japanese noodle and sushi bar but so far we have not tasted the sushi as there is such a good sushi bar just round the corner in Atlantic Road (Ichiban, see above for a review).

The restaurant consists of two rooms filled with benches and rough wood tables and sharing is a must. It also give you the opportunity to decide what you might like from the menu as you ogle the other dinner companion’s choices. The menu is extensive, so a bit of help in making choices is essential. There is a series of all in one meals – Bento boxes, Don Buri (rice with toppings, miso soup on the side), rice dishes including curry and vegetarian options, Ramen (noodles in the miso soup with toppings – beware the temperature!), fried noodles including Yaki soba (thin ones) and Yaki Udon (thick ones) and various curry noodles – and that’s just the top-level categories so you probably see the choice problem. There are ten Bento boxes so a pin might be a good accompaniment to a meal here.

As well as an extensive food menu it also has an extensive choice of drinks. As well as the usual Asahi and Kirin there is also wine (including Japanese wine) and a list of soft drinks which they make up on the spot. We saw carrot and apple, mango and other healthy looking five of the day type things being concocted while we were there. We stuck to beer which is an ideal accompaniment to the Ramen with roast salmon and Oyako Don  (chicken on top of the rice).

All that we tried was lovely with the proviso of being aware that any noodles in soup will be very, very hot. The ambience is buzzy and it is open every day for lunch and dinner although all our trips have been for dinner.  The service is friendly and swift. They want to get you moving so it is not a place of rest but fast food Japanese style served efficiently. We would definitely recommend this for before or after the Ritzy when you are working to a timetable.

Rosie’s Cafe

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Address:

14e Market Row,

Brixton Market, SW9

Telephone: 07807 505397

http://rosielovell.co.uk/

booking: rosie@delicafe.com

Rosie’s is one of the older venue’s in Market Row. It is a very small cafe during the day and will do dinner in the evening in the latter part of the week but only if you book. During the day Rosie’s offer’s sandwiches, wraps and limited hot food.  The excellent sandwiches are not cheap but worth it. The addition of a small amount of salad though doesn’t justify the hike in cost particularly when the salad promised so much but in the end they had run out of stuff.

This is a small perfectly formed cafe/deli – about eight tables closely packed with a mixture of old school tables and chairs. You insert yourself into a space and almost everyone needs to move when you need to get out again. It is styled in the 50s with things you might want to buy but unless you have been sitting there for a while you don’t notice they have them as its part of the background.

So you go to Rosie’s for some good food (probably organic) or more likely to hang out with a coffee and a cake. The menu changes regularly and the website hadn’t been updated for many months but based on my last visit I recommend their hot salt beef sandwiches mainly because it is difficult nowadays to get one so cheap yet so tasty!

You can go to the “supper club” starting at 7.00pm on Thursday and costing £30 per head. AN UPDATE – Rosie’s is now opening late on Thursday and Friday and you don’t need to book although it is advisable.

This is BYO so make sure that you bring some along as there isn’t much wine nearby on Coldharbour Lane but plenty of beer. On our night it was lamb ragou and couscous with pickled lemon followed by earl grey rice pudding -both delicious. We also had scented chocolate truffles that came with tea (our choice instead of masala coffee) at the end of the meal. The tea (and the rice pudding) was served in lovely delicate cups. Of the truffles there were some that were very, very good and some were more of an experiment you might not repeat.

Rosie has already produced one cookery book and she is now writing her second.

Upstairs

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UpstairsAddress: 89B Acre Lane, entrance on Branksome Road, SW2 5TN

Telephone: 020 7733 8855

http://www.upstairslondon.com/web/index.html

Finding and getting in to Upstairs is a feat in itself. Although the restaurant overlooks Acre Lane the door is in Branksome Road and even with these instructions it can be missed. There is a doorbell just round the corner of Acre Lane and a discreet notice. After ringing, the door mysteriously opens and you enter a two up two down house – although in fact it is three floors. The first floor is a bar area where you might stop for an aperitif next to the fire or continue “upstairs” to the main dining  room –  minute but not seemingly crowded.

Who would believe that such a secretive restaurant would be so good. Although the secret is out and we definitely can’t now appear without a booking. This is an Anglo-French restaurant with a good but blessedly short menu of fish, meat and vegetarian courses. All are wonderful and last time I couldn’t make up my mind so we had the tasting menu.  Never a bum note in the list. Lots of interest and changes not too drastic between courses. Wine is good and not expensive.

Everything on the menu changes by the season so there is always something of interest. This is not cheap eating establishment but is a place for celebration or a quiet dinner for two or four. Conversation is easy to make and the service good and not at all intrusive.

You definitely need to book as it is only open for dinner and not then on every night. You can book direct or through toptable.