cooking

Bunsik

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490 Brixton Road SW9 8EQ

https://www.bunsik.co.uk

This is a new Korean Street Food restaurant selling hot dogs on sticks as well as real meals and chips. You can’t miss it on the high street as it is the only one with a bright yellow façade. Although we are trying to big up those independent restaurants we still think there is a bit of space for the franchised. There are now at least seven outlets in London and probably more by the time this post is published. It is cheap food and we went and picked it up, although did peek at the menu before the visit.

There are 9 types of Korean hot dogs on a stick (a couple are vegetarian) with 10 sauces to add. Tteokbokki – chewy rice cakes simmered in a savoury, sweet and spicy sauce. Three of those differing in the sauce they are simmered in and you can add cheese or boiled egg. Then there are kimbap (rice with meat or veg in a seaweed roll) – there is a whole lot more but look at the website.

We chose: Tteokbokki in rose sauce, Sweet and savoury Cup Bap, a Kimmari (glass noodles wrapped in dried seaweed, coated in batter, and deep-fried) and chips. The Kimmari is not on the online menu so we were glad to have visited. You can see the array below:

Overall the food was sweet and not really spicy at all so if you want to turn up the heat then add your own hot sauce. The food was filling and the best of the bunch was the Cup Bap with soft rice on the bottom, crunchy chicken on the top with scrambled egg (?) some edamame and a bit of salad.

It was filling and the cheapest meal we have had in Brixton – for two people it came to £22.40.

The Birds Nest

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International House
6 Canterbury Crescent
Brixton
SW9 7QD

https://birdsnestbrixton.com

This restaurant is at the top of International House and is an adventure to find. First find the door, ring the bell and you are inside the building but not near the restaurant yet. Walk through a very unprepossessing yard full of rubbish and bikes to reach another door, ring the bell and enter the hallway. Find the list and make your way to the 8th Floor….and it is worth the meandering route – the views are spectacular. Sit inside with views or outside in the fresh air. It was a little breezy so we sat inside but still had the view, sitting on soft sofas around a large table – this is definitely the place for groups.

The menu is easy – they do pizzas and puddings with some minor snacks like crisps but also have vegan and gluten free options. There are nine pizza options but we went for just two between the three of us as we wanted to leave room for pudding. We chose truffle and mushroom (mixed mushroom, mushroom and truffle puree and fior di latte) and Napoli (anchovies, olives, fior di latte, tomatoes (San Marzano kind) oregano and topped with rocket). The mushroom tasted just how it smelt – delicious. The Napoli was also lovely and felt like we had enough of our five a day.

We did have room for dessert – a choice of ice cream sandwich or tiramisu. We chose two of the sandwiches – a Naughty one (miso, salt caramel parfait and Guinness chocolate cake) its the square one. The other was our preference – the Malty one (malted milk parfait, oat biscuit with chocolate) – the round one. The Naughty one was smaller but it needed to be as it was very rich and sweet. The Malty one was malty and delicious.

This evening was a present, so we celebrated with cocktails – the SW9, a long drink with white rum pineapple and sage reduction, orange juice and aquafaba – definitely contributing to my 5-a-day and we also chose a non-alcoholic Golden and a Frozen passionfruit Margarita. They served us cocktails on a Tuesday up to 8.00pm and then only had wine, beer and soft drinks available after that. It is closed Sunday and Monday.

The bill came to £83 and they let you choose the tip. If we hadn’t ordered the cocktails, it would only have been £50. Do book as the outside gets full. We were just a group of three and arrived, literally hot foot, from the Rooftop Spa that’s on the same floor and has the same views from your little private cabin. They are completely used to red faces in the restaurant.