Kebab

Le Bab

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408 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LF

Book online – https://www.eatlebab.com/lebabbrixton

If you thought this was just a drop-by following a night out that involved too many cocktails and beers, then think again. This is definitely an upmarket kebab house in what was the vegan cupcake establishment. There’s a wall of glass bricks hiding some of the kitchen, with tables (some very rickety) and chairs spilling out into the side entrance to Market Row.

You probably need to book, as we had to beg for a table at 6.30pm and only had 40 minutes to order and eat. The menu has starters or sharers, mains and potentially a dessert, but we were not hungry enough to even look. It’s one of a small chain (5 currently) but the menus differ between locations. The paper menu did not reflect everything on offer and offered drinks that were unavailable. So don’t be too downhearted there are likely to be surprises, if your chosen tipple has run out.

We concentrated on main courses, but the starters/sharing plates were salads, breads and a variety of chips with a cheesy fondue to dip them in. Most main courses are meat, with a couple of veggie dishes (paneer and aubergine). We chose from the pork and chicken varieties – I had a Dirty Bab (menu description was almost an essay – a very naughty Pork Ribeye Shawarma, slow-cooked for 15 hours with chilli pork jus, sweet pickled cucumbers, fries, chermoula mayo & our signature fondue sauce).

My companion had a Free-Range Fried Chicken Shish Kebab – with no description at all!

Meals come in a wooden box with wooden cutlery, which you definitely need if you are lining your stomach for a good night out and wearing your party best. Trying to put the bread around the filling is clearly a skill that we have yet to fully master, at least until you have eaten some of the insides. Each layer of the kebab was a surprise including the hidden fries inside the Dirty Bab. The sweet pickled cucumber provided a bit of bite and the pork was definitely a step up from most kebabs, soft and a little sweet from the mayo. The fries were (I suppose) to be dipped into the little tub of fondue, but by the time I had thought of it most of them had disappeared (again a good bit of bite if you eat reasonably quickly). So I spooned out the cheesy sauce – it was delicious and full of… calories.

The free-range chicken kebab was equally stuffed and required careful manipulation to make it manageable. Not totally sure what was in there but red onion and fresh coriander were spotted, which helps any dish. No chips with this choice, but there was enough to share with the Dirty Bab.

We drank a beer and a lemon and cucumber drink that was refreshing but sweet – maybe a touch too sweet. The whole meal came to just under £40, so definitely not a cheap eat.

Mikos

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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.

 

Red Onion

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address: 133 Stockwell Road, SW9 9TN

tel: 020 7737 7577

This is a Turkish Grill and Restaurant which serves Halal. It also describes itself as a coffee shop and ice cream parlour. We really hadn’t noticed it until we went for a brisk Sunday walk past the Portuguese restaurants near the skateboard park. Although unprepossessing and relatively small at first glance, this is one of those restaurants that has a large back room with a very high ceiling. Given the number of balloons it is no doubt used for parties but it would be a bit impersonal for dining, particularly as we were the only ones eating in – the take-out trade was quite brisk however.

Decor consists of high and heavy wooden tables and solid wooden chairs. There are silver lamps over the counter where you order takeaway and the other wall is covered with silver doors and a long row of electrical sockets. We sat in the front part but as far away from the door as possible, given that it was one of the coldest nights of the year. The waitress put a fan heater next to us for which we were grateful. It gave us a good view of a tv screen with revolving photos bizarrely of kittens in cups before it moved on to capitals of the world and enabled us to test our general knowledge while we waited for our order.

This a classic Turkish food, or at least the version you get presented in London. The menu is divided into cold and hot starters, steak, charcoal grills, casseroles and specials including pide which is the traditional turkish pizza. Much of the menu had been crudely crossed out, including many of the more interesting items. So for a starter we chose Imam Bayildi, a staple and long time favourite, to test the cooking but they didn’t even have that. Consequently we stuck to mains and went for a Lamb Shish Iskender and an Adana Kofte. But before they arrived a bowl of warm bread and a large mixed salad (onions, red cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, …. the works) with a spicy tomato sauce and mint yogourt dressing in side bowls were presented. So we would almost certainly have over-ordered if we had included a starter.

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The Lamb Iskender has a base of chopped and probably fried bread, tomato and butter sauce with yogourt. A substantial portion and not at all part of a calorie controlled diet but was really good.ro04

The Adana Kofte was described as “chargrilled spicy minced lamb serviced with rice”. It’s like a long sausage and not the prettiest thing you’ve seen on a plate but it was tasty.ro05

They do not serve alcohol but are happy for you to nip across the road and buy a beer and bring it back. It was too cold for that so we ordered a bottle of water which turned out to be Turkish as well.. Although other on-line reviews we read after our visit suggested that this was a hit or miss affair, that was not our experience. We were served promptly, although we were their only customers so we really counted as a diversion.

Our meal (two large main meals, salad, bread and water) came to £20.48.