True Flavours – The Takeaway

101 Acre Lane, SW2 5TU

Phone 0207 737 7063 / 0207 924 0421

Opening times MON – SAT: 9-11, SUN: 11-9

Website: http://true-flavours.co.uk/

True Flavours has been around for quite a while and was recommended by a Jamaican friend. They offer a wide variety of dishes – see the pictures in the front windows – although all are subject to availability. It is a small place that usually has people queuing and in these Covid-19 pandemic times, the line is a little longer and mostly physically distanced. Their website warns “In busy periods you may have to wait up until half an hour to be served and and hour for your order”, but our experience wasn’t that bad. Continue reading

New Tings – The takeaway

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Address: 112 Acre Ln, Ferndale, London SW2 5RA

Phone: 020 7095 1517

Opening hours:
Monday              8am–8pm
Tuesday              8am–8pm
Wednesday        8am–9pm
Thursday            8am–9pm
Friday                  8am–9pm
Saturday             10:30am–9pm
Sunday               Closed

We are continuing our takeaways via Black-owned businesses and we came across New Tings on our walks down Acre Lane. It’s relatively new but it’s popularity was clear as the queue is always long. The service is a little slow but that is to your advantage as it leaves longer to consider the menu options, which are manifold. There are main meals with hard food, main meals with boiled food and when inside there are many options including obviously jerk chicken or lamb, ackee and saltfish, callaloo and the list is endless. You can get an idea by looking at uber eats – see here – but don’t rely on getting it from uber eats, just phone if you want to skip the queue and they will have it waiting for you. They are also so popular that they do sell out of some dishes; so ackee and saltfish was running out by the time the queue had moved inside.

The queue is pretty well ordered and, while we waited, a crying child was offered a lollipop to keep her quiet. Most people had face masks but not all and, although it is a bit difficult to space yourselves out, it was an orderly queue.

We ordered jerk chicken, curry goat and as only a little ackee and saltfish was left, they topped it up with callaloo. All came with rice or rice and peas and some plantain or banana. You can get the food heated up or cold so you can put it in the microwave or oven yourself. We chose cold and we had plenty not just for that evening, but also for an extra lunch later in the week. Interestingly, the spicing tasted hotter the second time around.

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We can definitely say we will be returning. The jerk was subtly spiced, so you could taste everything, without having just that big dose of chili. The plantain was nicely caramelized and the rice and peas …. well we have already identified the best, but this one is certainly a close second.

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We didn’t order the meals with food but we would have had a lot more left over, as they include more starchy vegetables. They also have a selection of sweet drinks like Tru Juice. The whole three dishes came to £22.59 and we will certainly be going back to soak up the atmosphere of a slow queue and to provide us with at least two full meals. The pepper prawns looked a must and we might even try the fruitcake next time.

 

 

 

 

Sam’s Cafe

Sams01Address: 85 Acre Lane, Brixton, London SW2 5TN

Telephone: 020 7274 4215

Opening times:
Monday to Friday – 6.00am to 4:30 pm
Saturday – 7:00am to 3:30pm
Sunday – Closed

Some of us might remember and miss the Goya, here in Acre Lane. But now it’s one of closest things Brixton now has to what’s called a greasy spoon, with formica tables and plastic chairs. Definitely for early risers and those wanting a hearty lunch, as it opens around 6.00 am most days and closes at 4.30 pm. The menu is on the wall and is a mixture of breakfast and lunch dishes, with a focus on carbs and fat. Just right for a wicked interlude in an otherwise blameless dietary intake. There is a daily special but we missed it and instead ordered liver and bacon with chips and peas, and sausage, mash and peas.

The portions are huge and the sausage was fatty and salty as you would expect. But the liver was a bit of a let down – a bit too much like cardboard. The bacon was great, however. The mashed potato and gravy were also a hit and better than some in high end restaurants. We both left most of the peas – all we can say is that they looked like peas.

sams03sams02It was all very great value, as the bill came to only £17, including a cup of tea and a Coca Cola. Next time we go we will order a bacon sandwich – see our review here.

Beb’s Kitchen

Address: 126 Acre Ln, Brixton, London SW2 5RJ

Phone: 074 4882 8139

Google Maps Link: https://goo.gl/maps/oPTGNrnJayj

Opening hours: ring for details

This restaurant is closed in the evening and we discovered the hard way that it is closed all day Monday as well. So we iterated to a Friday lunchtime and were surprised and very pleased we made the effort. It’s a bit hidden behind the bus shelter half way along Acre Lane and is an Indian which serves Goanese food. So plenty of coconut, as well as the usual chili and coriander. We only went in for a snack but ended up with a feast. Continue reading

blank. brixton

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144 Acre Lane Brixton SW25UT
email blankbrixton@gmail.com
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Blankbrixton/
Phone: 077 8860 2119
Open: 08:30 – 17:30

This a good local coffee shop with excellent light meals. Half way along Acre Lane, it’s a bit cramped but, so long as the weather permits, it spills out onto the pavement on the sunny side of the street. Obviously it serves coffee but there are sandwiches, closed and open, plus some brilliant cakes. It’s not part of a chain and is run by the owners, who are obviously enthusiasts and community minded. Continue reading

Bacon Sandwich

Here at eatinbrixton we are devotees of a good bacon sandwich. They are a guilty pleasure for many; even for some vegetarians. So we’ve set out to check what’s on offer in Brixton. The best place to get a bacon sandwich is, of course, a proper ‘greasy spoon’, or what used to be called a working man’s caff. These are now an endangered species in Brixton, but they can be found. We also checked out what was on offer from one of the newer more foodie options, as well as simply making one at home. Continue reading

Mikos

mikos01

128 Acre Land, SW2 5RJ

Phone: 020 7733 0697

Web: http://www.mikossouvlaki.co.uk

Opening times:

Monday: Closed

Tuesday & Wednesday: 6-10 pm

Thursday to Saturday: 12–3pm, 6–10pm

Sunday: 12–3pm, 6–10pm

Souvlaki has suddenly become a thing but how does it differ from a kebab. Wikipedia defines it as “a popular Greek fast food consisting of small pieces of meat and sometimes vegetables grilled on a skewer. It is usually served with grilled bread, or in a pita wrap with garnishes and sauces, or on a dinner plate, often with fried potatoes.” So it’s a kebab, but trendier and not from something that announces itself as a kebab shop for those needing a protein boost in between pubs.

Anyway, Mikos Souvlaki has recently opened in the busy part of Acre Lane. Painted a bright pink it’s hard to miss, even though it’s partly hidden by the bus shelter. Inside it’s minimalist with basic tables and chairs and little on the walls. It also has a minimalist menu, with just four main dishes, the classic, i.e. pork, the chicken, the vegetarian – cheese, (Cypriot halloumi) and the mushroom.

Despite not having had a kebab for many years we had read good things about this restaurant and swung by early one weekday evening. We chose a classic and a mushroom with added chips. We really enjoyed both but were not convinced that having the chips inside the wrap is  a great idea, unless it’s for the convenience of a takeaway. With the salsa and tomatoes they are bound to end up soggy. The mushroom souvlaki had not only a good taste but also some texture.

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There’s also a few shared plates on the menu, including some olives (which  were great) and oregano-salted fries (OK, except the oregano seemed to be a bit lacking). There’s also “Aegean slaw” and extra tzatziki but we were not brave enough.

As well as the soft drinks there’s are two types of beer and four types of wine (2 red, 2 white); all Greek. But as it was a school night we opted for tap water.

Unfortunately I’ve lost the bill but it cost around £15 altogether and was great value.

 

Best restaurant in Brixton 2016 – Top 5 Shortlist

Britain’s Favourite Restaurant 2016 – Top 5 Shortlist

So after around a week and a half of voting we have our shortlist. Click on the below to see what we thought of them.

Again we will be giving around seven days for you to pick your next favourite before the big unveiling next Wednesday. Share and get voting!

Ultimate Caribbean Buffet

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 16 Acre Lane, Brixton, London SW2 5SG

020 3302 6390

Usually we do not review chains but this is so small – only a couple of outlets – that we decided to make an exception. We also wanted to cover different types and prices of meals. This is a green, white and black Jamaican restaurant which looks like a café with melamine tables and chairs. There is a bar on the left, with a limited selection of drinks, and a line of hot and cold dishes to the left. The line of dishes is important as this is a buffet. All you can eat within 90 minutes.

There is choice but it is hard to discern what each dish is as there is rarely a label and often dishes look alike. So this is a real voyage of discovery. We think there was jerk chicken (several varieties), fried chicken, curry goat, potentially lamb in a sauce, rice and peas, salads, plantain and callaloo (or could have been spinach). There are also some desserts – fruit and a pudding (we weren’t sure what it was).

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We had a bit of several of the dishes and the chicken was hot and spicy – the kind that has your lips tingling for several hours. The rice and peas were my favourite. The plantain my least as it looked really delicious but had only been caramelized and was hard at the centre. We went back a few times and all the food was hot (temperature) and they did keep refilling the containers when it looked too low so there was always enough to choose from.

For a Caribbean cheap fast meal for the very hungry this is a good outlet. We wouldn’t choose it for a night out. It costs £7.50 per person and you can choose a soft drink, water or alcohol and they allow BYO.

Brixton’s Rock

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.

Continue reading