Indian cuisine

En Root – at the Ritzy

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Website: https://www.enrootldn.co.uk/

Address: Ritzy Picturehouse, Brixton Oval, SW2 1JG

En Root is open all week, 12.00—21.00

You don’t need a picture of the Ritzy cinema – you know what and where it is. But you might not know that our old friends En Root, see here and here, have taken over the foyer cafe. They’ve given up the cafe, although not the deli, in Clapham Park Road, although they haven’t yet updated the website.

En Root kept us in fresh food boxes during COVID lockdowns (see review), but unfortunately, this service has stopped. Instead, they have returned to their own roots as a cafe, but based in the Ritzy. We haven’t been out for a while so, after an early showing of Fabelmans, our choice of restaurants was made easy as we walked through and saw an empty table. People do sit here but often for a short period. So it is worth hanging around but make it out of the screen smartish after the end of the film.

En Root is an evolution in cooking. First a little deli, then producing their own hot sauce and then on to restaurants in Brixton and Peckham. This is a vegan restaurant – plant-powered, Indian-inspired goodness. We ordered samosa chaat to share, then the En Root thali and a Don dada platter.

The samosa chat is a crunchy sensation and we would happily have had a larger one for a whole meal. The vegetable samosas are hot (by temperature and really crispy – so a run from the fryer to the table) and they were cut and served with chickpea, onion and pomegranate mixed in with the “spice crispies”, raita and chutney both hot (with spice) so do not think this will alleviate any chilli burn.

The main courses were huge and as you can see from the photos difficult to differentiate. Both had daily dhal, coconut curry, golden rice and rainbow salad but the Thali is the one with the raita and jerk mushroom mix, while the Don Dada had the sag aloo and plantain. They also differed in calories – those on a diet choose the Thali (457kcal) as the Don Dada was 53kcal more. We also added a paratha. The food was good and spicy, but nothing extreme.

We enjoyed everything but couldn’t finish it all – I am sure it is plant-powered goodness but next time we will share a main. There was enough good fibre for a whole day.

We washed it all down with a kombucha (raspberry and hibiscus) and a couple of beers. We estimate that it cost us £33.00 without the beers and a tip (we lost the bill). We will return but this time will be prepared for some serious eating and a tussle over what to share.

Note that there is a lunchtime special available for £6 from noon until 3pm, which looks good value.

Karakana

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Address: 443 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LN

https://www.karakana.co.uk/

A new Indian – or not so Indian – restaurant opened in Brixton in the same building as Market Place. Tim Anderson (Masterchef winner) and Rivaaj Maharaj (both in Nanban – see here for a review) are behind this new venture which provides Indian inspired food with a twist. The inside has changed since it’s reincarnation. The music is the not-too-loud kind so you can have a conversation and you sit opposite each other in booths with high backs (potentially Covid-19 proofing). There is a large centre bar that mixes lovely sounding cocktails like – Apricot Rose and a Pino Co-Lassi – that have sweet ingredients that make them more like desserts and they do go down easily. Below see the Apricot Rose and their signature cocktail Karakana (vodka, amaretto, lassi, mango puree and crushed pistachio – at least three of your five-a-day).

The menu is as it says on the tin – eclectic with small plates, big plates and tandoori and a very small dessert list (ice cream), so just choose another cocktail. Vegetarian is marked on the menu and some vegan options can be made to order. Some dishes look nothing like an Indian – Fish and chips and Currywurst, but a closer look at the ingredients shows them to have an Indian twist.

We chose potato salad chaat (with celery, shallots, lime dressing, coriander, peanuts and tamarind sauce) and lotus blossom onion bhaji with spiced yoghurt dip. The salad was crunchy and pretty heavy so do share and the onion bhaji was a whole onion shaped like a lotus blossom and was, as it should be, crispy and great with the dip. There were three of us and the final person chose from the tandoor menu – the Methi Miso Salmon (eclectic!) that came in a fenugreek and miso glaze with tandoori broccoli (although we thought they switched it on the night). The salmon was soft and definitely cooked well with a slippery caramelised outside. What was described as tandoor broccoli split the table – it was very hot, spicy and crunchy so a good foil for the salmon, but it looked innocuous and it definitely was not. Some liked it and others just wanted a health warning on the heat.

We followed this with choices from the large plates – Mutton bourgignon curry, Madrasi Machli and Aubergine Karahi Parmigiano (!). We complemented these with a couple of bowls of steamed rice, and a naan and roti.

The mutton was in a really rich sauce – it was the leg slowly braised in red wine with carrots, potatoes and picked onion. It was spicy, but not so you couldn’t savour the taste of the lamb. The Madras Machli was actually salmon curry simmered in the “house blend of spices from Southern India” – so giving nothing away. The salmon can be easily overpowered by a curry – this wasn’t and I definitely admire the chef’s delicacy with whatever those South Indians use.

The Aubergine was exactly as you might imagine – breaded and fried in a tomato sauce and topped with parmigiano. But the menu description left off any reference to spices and they were there in abundance in the breading and in the tomato sauce. It was how I like this dish, crispy pieces of aubergine with soft insides, any blandness being banished by the tomato sauce.

The menu notes only one dessert, but when we decided to order and discovered that it was in short supply so we had a couple of Hokey Pokey ice creams and a Masala Chai. They come as two large scoops, so plan to ask for a scoop of each and share – it was a labour we endured so that we covered the whole menu, but we were really too full to finish.

We have noticed blogs and comments suggesting this is an expensive meal, but actually we thought it was reasonable. You can cut down on the many courses and the cocktails (£9.50 or so each). We had two cocktails and 2.5 pints of tiger or Coldharbour beer. The total came to a whopping £95.50 with tip, but after removing everything but the food it was £18.25 per head. We will go back as the menu definitely peaked our interest, but this time knowing that unless very hungry we will try to share some dishes.

Bombay Kitchen – the takeaway

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Address: 48 New Park Road, Brixton, London, SW2 4UN

Phone: 020 8678 1760/020 3645 3742

Website: https://www.bombay-kitchen.co.uk/

We were craving something a bit spicy and if you choose the best hygiene standards on Deliveroo and ask for a nearby curry, you come to Bombay Kitchen. It’s at the top of Brixton Hill, tucked way in New Park Road. And apologies for the pictures below being a little wobbly, but we were a good way through the meal before we thought about taking the photos.

The menu is enormous, which usually puts us off. But we have never tried this establishment before, so as a service to you the reader, we ranged widely. We ended up with: a Tandoori Mixed Grill, Chicken Tikka Massala, Tarka Dhal, Brinjai Bhaji (aubergine), Pilau Rice, two Naans, and two Plain Papadums.

Needless to say we had some left over (see picture below), which was plenty for a subsequent lunch. The empty box is the aubergine dish, reflecting the fact that it was the tastiest. We also enjoyed the dhal, but the chicken in the masala sauce was really tough and its vibrancy would put anyone off. And while the meat in the mixed grill was tasty, any grilling that had been applied was lost under the vegetables. The papadoms were broken when they arrived, but were absolutely fine and the second naan – well we are going to have that as a novel form of toastie with this lot in it.

There was nothing offensive about this meal, but we did have to add salt and we should have been braver and gone for more chilli hotness. So it’s buyer beware – this is anglicised fare, even though the recipes come from all over Indian subcontinent. So take courage – when they say mild they mean it.

The total cost was nearly £50 with the tip, so not a cheap Friday night, although we are still eating it on the Wednesday.

Beb’s Kitchen

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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 →

A short bus ride away – Zumbura

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Address: 36a Old Town, Clapham, London SW4 0LB

Website: http://zumbura.com/

Phone: 0207 720 7902

Opening times:
Sunday to Wednesday  –  6:00-10:00pm
Thursday to Saturday  – 6:00-10:30pm

This is a highly recommended, well staffed Indian restaurant in Clapham which is an offshoot of Mum’s Kitchen. It is a small restaurant that is popular with bar and table service – book at busy times. Tables are small and for two or four, with a couple that can accommodate a larger group.

They claim to offer “light, fresh and healthy meals”, with no butter or cream, so there are several dishes described as vegan. The menu is split into small plates (pakora, chaat, samosa and masala calamari), braised and stewed dishes (curry, dopiaza, masala, muttar – all with meat or fish), grills, vegetables (bindi, daal, aubergine etc cooked in interesting ways) and bread and rice.

Brightly coloured and delightful pickles and mild tomato dip arrive on the table with some assorted poppadoms to start us off while considering the menu.zumbura06We chose Railway Lamb curry, which had lamb that was really well cooked and layers of flavour in the sauce. Ghuggni chickpeas (black chickpeas braised in onion and mango powder), which was not as spiced or flavoursome as we hoped, compared to the khatte baigan-aubergine (baby aubergines spiced with tamarind and cumin), which was a definite hit. Both these small plates were vegan dishes. Then we ordered the chicken biryani (braised basmati rice cooked with chicken morsels in aromatic spices and rose water). This was a disappointment – the chicken was dry and the rose flavour a bit overpowering. To finish off the main dishes we had a chapatti which lived up to its description of wholemeal unleavened bread by being pretty heavy.

To finish we ordered a p[istachio kulfi which comes on a stick and a gajjar ka halwa. The kulfi was great, the warm halwa an interesting very sweet dish that tasted of very little.

So the whole meal was a good experience. A short menu, interesting sounding sets of ingredients, but it fell a little below our expectations. We will certainly return, but we will try a few other places before returning. The bill was £59.06 including service with one strawberry cocktail and an alcoholic lime soda (at £7.00).

Kricket

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address: Pop Brixton, 49 Brixton Station Road, SW9 8PQ

hello@kricket.co.uk

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This is on the second floor of Pop Brixton – the arrangement of storage containers near the Recreation Centre. It is a narrow corridor of a restaurant with just one line of tables with bench seating inside for about 20 covers but there is a bit more space outside in clement weather. When we arrived there was a 40-50 minute wait unless you were prepared to sit outside – we were hungry enough to put up with the bracing evening air.

We have been here before and not much has changed so look here for a full account. You’ll also have to look there for some photographs – on this visit it was too dark to get any thing worth including. We chose four options from the short menu. We chose our favourite Bhel Puri which has raw mango; Samphire Pakoras; Torched mackerel. The Bhel Puri was fantastic and we polished this off really quickly. The idea of Samphire Pakoras is great but we had forgotten that in practice they tend to be a bit woody and, hence, they were not our favourite. Unfortunately, we had ordered two portions and we failed to work work our way through them both. On the other hand the torched mackerel was really tasty and we would definitely try it again.

We washed it all down with a fresh lime soda and a bottle of Curious Brew Lager. The total bill came to £31.35. We didn’t linger and will certainly look up our review next time we come, so we can avoid things that weren’t great. It’s a shame you can’t book but, nevertheless, we will return so that we make our way through the rest of the interesting menu of what is still some of the best food in Brixton.

Booma

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address: 244 Brixton Road, SW9 6AH

telephone:

website: http://booma-brixton.co.uk/

This describes itself as a new concept in “the coming together of delicious Indian food and great craft beer”. It serves northern Indian food using a tandoor oven but then pairs them with different craft beers. This is quite an art, as most Indian food is spicy and would mask the overall flavour of the beer. They solve this by not making the Indian food that spicy – delicate would be the best way of describing it, so don’t go here to get a huge flavour boost. Continue reading →

CLOSED – Kricket

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OPENED PERMANENT SPOT IN SOHO

address: Pop Brixton, 49 Brixton Station Road, SW9 8PQ

hello@kricket.co.uk

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This is on the second floor of Pop Brixton – the arrangement of storage containers near the Recreation Centre. It is a narrow corridor of a restaurant with just one line of tables with bench seating inside for about 20 covers but there is more space outside in clement weather. It is open 6-11pm Monday to Thursday but opens at lunchtime on Friday to Sunday. Kricket offers Indian small plates served with cocktails, so I suspect they do not expect you to stay long.

The menu is short and the expectation is that most people will chose three – but we managed with two each and felt that was sufficient when we left. We chose Bhel Puri which has raw mango; Samphire Pakoras; Keralan Fried Chicken; and Vindaloo Bavette. The Bhel Puri was fantastic and lives up to the one we had at a knowledgeable friend’s house a little while ago. The Samphire Pakoras were not our favourite but we competently crisp. The fried chicken was great and the Vindaloo, while tasty and a good bit of meat, was not hot as the name ought to suggest – even for me.

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We accompanied the food with a couple of cocktails; an Old Narangi made of cardamom bourbon, marmalade and orange; and a Plummaharaja made from cardamom vodka, calvados, plum and  ginger. Both were sweet and interesting with a lot of attention to detail, which might explain how long they took to arrive.

Would we return – probably and to have the same food. The menu is short, so it’s easy for even a couple to try everything in a single visit. It is expensive at £44 before a tip, but that is partly explained by the cocktails. Nevertheless we did enjoy the food and ended up replete with not enough space to even try the Gulab Jamon with clotted cream ice cream, so it felt ok for a Friday night out.  However, it’s not really a place to linger so don’t expect to make it a long night.

 

 

Curry Paradise

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address: 87-89 Brixton Hill SW2 1AA
Tel no:  020 8678 1379

Curry Paradise has been discussed on local blogs for a while but, up to now, it’s one of the handful of restaurants without our review. It describes itself as a premium Indian takeaway but it also has an attached restaurant. The place is small and classy – linen tablecloths but paper napkins. The class is also in the choice of white plates which are indented so the inner square is slightly off centre – fine when sober but I imagine not so much after a couple of beers. But in good taste even the salt and pepper came in white slanting towers. The vase of flowers was a single green spray of chrysanthemums to finish the stylish decor. So how did we know it was an Indian restaurant? The entrance was shaped like a dome, there was a picture of Buddha on the wall together with a wall hanging and a sitar. No flock wallpaper, no dim interior – it was light and airy with interesting lamps hanging over each table.

Continue reading →