Fox Bar and Chickenshop

Address: Piano House, 9 Brighton Terrace, London SW9 8DJ

Telephone: 0203 859 1130

http://www.chickenshop.com/en/brixton

This is a review mainly about cocktails but it includes the food too. I have relied on my dinner companion and photographer to nudge my memory. I hadn’t seen this friend for a long time, so we decided to celebrate in the Fox Bar before eating. So, as we didn’t want to appear too eager we arrived at 5.10 (it opens at 5). We were the only customers but it was relaxed and the service was fantastic. We have covered here before (see here) so this is more of an update.

After ordering a couple of cocktails (Earl of Gimlet – Gin- Bergamot – Grapes), we were then offered free celebratory glass of Bollinger by one of the bar staff,  as it was his birthday present. Then we had another couple of rounds of cocktails (Reynold Reserve – Tequila – Islay Whisky – Apricot and also a Red Hook – Rye Whisky – Bitter – Maraschino).  We well and truly tested the drinks menu!  – all drinks were great, not too sweet and very aromatic.

Feeling peckish and not being able to make too many choices, we ventured only a few feet away to the restaurant, where surprisingly we were not the only one’s present. We each ordered a Dirty Burger (succulent deep fried chicken in a burger bun) and both of us were converted – deep fried chicken is a real winner. The meat was succulent, not too much sauce and anyway you could ask for more of the hot stuff. We both decided the bun was superfluous but the crunchy greens were really enjoyable and made us feel healthier.

My memory from thereon is more than hazy, we moved onto another of our favourite bars in Brixton (Three Eight Four), where our taste in cocktails diverged with my friend opting for a dry Gin Martini and I went for a classic Vesper.  The mixologist did us proud producing two very good classic cocktails, although by this time I’m not 100% sure either of us were in any fit state to call ourselves a connoisseur   I think two Vespers/Martinis contributed to  a staggering walk home and I have now downloaded the Drink Aware App and trying to stick to 14 units a week. A more purist lifestyle will also help with the credit card bill. The advice from two people who should have known better is, go to Chickenshop but a beer is all you will need for a good night out.

Best Restaurant in Brixton 2017 – Result

After a week of voting we can now officially announce that the winner of our ‘Best Restaurant in Brixton 2017‘ award goes to….Mamma Dough! Congratulations guys.

Check out out review of it here

It was a tough race, with Nanban and Donosita Social Club not far behind.

Here’s to one more year of the blog, and eating delicious food in our beloved Brixton

Top 5 – Best Restaurant in Brixton 2017

So after seven days of voting we have our final five! Congratulations  to Donostia Social Club, Khamsa, Mamma Dough, Nanban and Naughty Piglets!

We will be giving another week for you all to vote for your favourite so go ahead and share, tweet, Instagram, blog, snapchat, whatever….this to make sure your favourite gets the top prize!

Best Restaurant in Brixton 2017

It’s that time again. We are now 7 years old (7?! jeeez). The landscape of food in Brixton has changed since our early beginnings and now it is one of the ultimate foodie destinations in London.

As is tradition, we will be conducting our annual restaurant of the year award. Previous winners include, Donostia Social Club, Nanban and Boqueria – so will any of the newcomers beat them to the crown this year?

This is the long list of places to choose from. The vote will be open for a week, when we will take the top 5 into the shortlist vote. We have only included places we have reviewed, restaurants you can sit down at and none of the ‘bus ride away’ or the pop-ups. Apologies in advance if we have forgotten your fave.

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Wild Caper

address: 11A-13 Market Row

Telephone: 0207 737 4410

http://www.wildcaper.co.uk/

We often buy bread from Wild Caper but rarely visit for a meal. So, surprisingly, despite being one of earliest manifestations of the change in the food available in Brixton, it’s never got a review. But we were hungry, after getting caught up in the Sing Out Streatham choir on Electric Avenue – yes a local choir singing Bowie’s Starman. It was Sunday and everywhere was gearing up for lunch and we wanted breakfast – Wild Caper was still serving and almost empty.

There are various choices all involving eggs and some involving bacon. We chose the Wild Caper special and bacon and eggs on toast. When they arrived the special – despite being a quid cheaper – filled the plate.  I really enjoyed this meal and ate all on the plate. Bacon on smaller plate (see photo) was also very good.

The bill including two coffees came to £17.50. And then, although what we had already eaten quite enough, greed got the better of us and we finished off with a iced doughnut from Dum Dum Donutterie located temptingly opposite in Market Row.

Half Moon

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

Home Delivery Pizza

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Agile Rabbit – Brixton Village – SW9 8PR Link for our full review and details

Mamma Dough – 354 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8QH – Link for our full review and details

Made of Dough – Pop Brixton – SW9 8PQ  Link for our full review and details

Franco Manca – Market Row – SW9 8LD Link for our full review and details

Pizza Oregano – 15 Tulse Hill, SW2 2TH – Link to Pizza Oregano’s website

Domino’s – 114-116 Streatham Hill, SW2 4RS – Link to Domino’s website

Tesco – 13 Acre Lane, SW2 5RS – Link to Tesco’s pizzas

How do you feed 13 people you invite round on a Saturday evening without breaking a sweat. Simple – just order a takeaway. But what takeaway? Brixton is full of Deliveroo and Just Eat partner restaurants but we wanted to focus on pizza. Everyone likes it, except vegans, and we didn’t have one of those. But we also wanted an opportunity for a trial. So we chose six outlets that deliver in Brixton, ranging from local favourites, which we have previously reviewed, to a national chain. We also went to a supermarket, just for comparison. Continue reading

Nando’s

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234-244 Stockwell Rd, Brixton, London SW9 9SP

https://www.nandos.co.uk/eat/restaurants/brixton

Opening times

Monday 11.30am – 11pm
Tuesday 11.30am – 11pm
Wednesday 11.30am – 11pm
Thursday 11.30am – 11pm
Friday 11.30am – 12am
Saturday 11.30am – 12am
Sunday 11.30am – 11pm

First a disclaimer. Nando’s for me has always been a place of comfort and consistency. A visit to Nando’s as a teenager in South London was a rite of passage. Where you would go after the cinema, swimming, or even your first date. I Love Nando’s.

When we started this blog we said that we wouldn’t review chains. But our blog, our rules, and over time they have slowly crept in. After finding out that Nando’s in Brixton is one of the least well known, out of its 339 UK branches, we decided this was reason enough to pay it a visit.

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Brixton Market and Minestrone

mkt01Location: Electric Avenue and Pope’s Road, SW9

Brixton Market Traders Association: http://brixtonmarket.net/

This is another post in our occasional series about food shopping in Brixton. By Brixton Market I mean the more traditional street market; the actual stalls in Electric Avenue and Popes Road (Brixton Station Road deserves it’s own entry). It’s just enjoyed/suffered a makeover but the six or so food stalls, mostly selling fresh produce, amid the others with a mix of hats, hardware and other stuff, are still there. It might even still be recognised as a traditional street market by your genuine costermonger, keeping up the ancient tradition of closing down by 5:30 pm or earlier, as well as observing early closing day on Wednesdays. Continue reading

Silk Road (a short bus ride away)

49 Camberwell Church St.,  SE5 8TR

Telephone: 020 7703 4832

Open:
Monday to Friday – 5pm to 11pm
Saturday & Sunday – 2pm to 11pm

The food scene in Camberwell is now, in some ways, more interesting than that in Brixton. There are a number of top class eating places, rather than  a food court with an increasing number of burger joints. This place, serves food from north-west China and Sichuan, is recognised as one of the best.

This isn’t fine dining. Just a single shop front in Camberwell Church Street, furnished with simple tables and benches, with the cooking all done in full view behind the counter. The simply cooked food comes quickly and without ceremony. The two of us weren’t looking for a big meal and were in and out in less than 45 minutes. But people pack-in to enjoy the authentic flavours. The Time-Out review says the dishes are “fiery, but  also balanced with a plethora of spices” and recommends sticking to the Xinjiang specialities.

This is not your standard Chinese food. The menu is relatively short, concentrating on the regional specialities, many of which are new to us. We ordered the cabbage with lamb noodle, plus portions of home-style aubergine, and shredded kelp. We also had a portion of the egg, leek and shrimp filled dumplings.

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The choice of dumplings was a mistake, as they lacked any clear flavours and, perhaps, were under-cooked. The rest delivered the excitement that we were looking for, even though our waiter advised against the stir-fried lamb shish noodle, when one of us said they didn’t want anything that was too hot. What we ordered, all rated as one chilli on the menu, was hot enough for most. The aubergine dish, one of a number of interesting vegetarian options, was my favourite.

For drinking the choice is simple – House Red Wine, House White Wine, and TsingTao beer. We can’t report on the quality of the wine as we stuck to jasmine tea.

Despite the disappointment with the dumplings, we enjoyed the meal and will certainly be back. The service was brisk and efficient, offering helpful advice when looking at an unusual menu. And the cost was most reasonable, coming in at around £25, including service.