Category Archives: cafes and restaurants

The top ten best places to eat in Greater Kennington – no. 4 – The Coriander

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We’re getting closer….And the number 4 prize goes to the best Indian in Greater Kennington, The Coriander in Vauxhall. We are aware that such a bold assertion is controversial and might make you want to hurl tarka dahl our way, but since you don’t actually know who we are that’s not gonna happen.

Of course Coriander isn’t open for diners at the moment, but their menu is still available through Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just-Eat. This is another example of a small chain which needs our support more than ever if it is going to whether these strange times. We just walked by and there were people inside cooking away.

Coriander specialises in North Indian, Bengali and Nepalese cuisine. The garlic naan is just right – not too thick and herbs going through it. For side dishes, the  baingon motor (aubergine) is  a standout treat, and their other starters cover all the bases of North Indian food. For the mains, our favourites are the chicken tikka naga (below) with hints of cloves, cumin and loads of heat.  All the good curry house standards are also in evidence, and we particularly like the handi laze, which is spicy chicken with chillies and fragrant cardamon, given some zing with added lemon. And as with most Indians, there are a range of veg options. There are also a huge range of rice options, and we prefer the good old fashioned pilau.

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One day soon the Coriander will again be open for diners, so put it in your diary. Draft Indian beers wash down the heat and the wine list is pretty reasonable.

 

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The top ten best places to eat in Greater Kennington – no. 5 – Daebak

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We’re going to ramp up our top 10 list in tandem with the almost hourly changes happening in our society. All of these places are now closed,  but put them in your little pocket diary for future reference. Most of these places are small businesses, and without our ongoing support they might become estate agents or barber shops never open again. Most of these places offer takeaway via Deliveroo or Uber Eats.

The number 5 prize goes to yet another new kid on the block, the excellent Korean restaurant Daebak in Vauxhall. Daebak is no stranger to plaudits, having been named one of the best Korean restaurants in London  by Time Out shortly after it opened. The venue slightly maintains  the greasy spoon aesthetic of the joint that was previously there, with the highest accolade being that actual Korean people frequent the place.

Daebak means ‘awesome’ in Korean and the meal we had there last year was just that. Three of us ordered soy garlic chicken (a speciality, below), spicy bibimbap,  Katsu curry, crispy tofu, and gyoza. Let me tell you, reader, we were rolling out of there by the end of it. We could have easily dropped one of the main courses as they were huge. We highly recommend the various kinds of fried chicken on order (crunchy, subtle) and the bibimbap is delicious and comes with two veg. variations. I would also experiment with a starter like octopus balls. They also throw in a few Japanese dishes to mix things up. Great food, and pretty kind on the pocket. If you are going on a weekend it might be a good idea to book, as the word has gotten out.

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Please don’t confuse the awesome ‘Daebak’ with the not so awesome ‘Jihwaja’ across the street.   Unless of course your idea of awesome comes with a hearty dose of blaring K Pop and karaoke.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The top ten best places to eat in Greater Kennington – no. 6 – Kuma

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As  said previously, we’ve decided to plow on, bull like, with our top ten list but not with the intention that you will rush out tonight and put yourselves at risk. Rather, you might consider takeaway or indeed write them down in your bejewelled pocket diary for future attendance. Importantly, these venues are mostly small businesses which are in acute risk without our ongoing support at some time,.

The newest kid on the Greater Kennington block gets the number 6 prize due to its menu of Japanese and Korean fare at good prices. When it opened we had a mild panic that Kuma was going to feature fusion food (imagine the horror of kimchi sushi) but were assuaged when the menu featured a clear distinction between the cuisines. They were also able to pull off the two cuisines in equal degrees, which is no mean feat.

My dining partner had the tonkotsu bento box, the main feature being breaded pork katsu.   Said partner would have liked a bit more slop of the tangy sauce but it was very well proportioned and the sauce even managed to make the bean sprouts better than usual.  Your reporter had prawn gyoza which were grilled well and had definitely not had part of their lives wasted by a freezer. I then had the chicken bulgogi (say it like a pro…..Boo-GOH-gee) which are very thin strips of meat grilled on a BBQ. The chicken had a very good sauce and featured spring  onion. It was billed as ‘hot’ and it certainly was. And so generous that I couldn’t finish it.

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Korean and Japanese restaurants are the new gospel in London and don’t seem to be going anywhere, and Greater Kennington certainly has caught the bug (oops, sorry). Kuma holds its own by giving highlights of both cuisines without being too experimental.  I went downstairs to go to the toilet and ‘accidentally’ walked into the kitchen. I could not see any sign of notorious sous chef Mike(rowave) and it appeared that everything was made on site. The bill, with four beers, came to £50 which was reasonable. When the bill came we tried to pull the ‘but we’re Kennington INFLUENCERS’ trick, but they were having none of it.

 

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The top ten best places to eat in Greater Kennington – no. 7 – Taro

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As habitués to the Runoff are aware, one of our missions is to get people out of the house and live by experience. In our current climate this might not be the best thing to do, but we have chosen to persist with our top ten list nevertheless. With the rest of the list we’ll let you know if they deliver, and we also suggest going for an early or late dinner if possible. And of course, you can always make a note of the venues in your little pocket diary for future reference.

Part of the Greater Kennington firmament for over a year now, Taro has secured the #7 spot by its consistent delivery of authentic ‘Izakaya’, (roughly meaning ‘pub food’) very similar to  the food you get in Japan, and is good value for money. They also have a menu more diverse than most Izakaya places (not always a good thing but it is in this case), which caters to varied tastes.  Believe it or not there are a number of Japanese joints in our area, but this is acres above the lot.

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We were in Japan before our Taro visit last year and went to Taro with our friend Mark, who lived in Japan for years and served as our culinary attaché. We had sushi (both tempura-maki and other maki) which was fresh and generous on the fish side. We also had fried chicken (above), which was crunchy and equally meaty. For a veg angle we also indulged in juicy tofu steak, with a surfeit of ginger and wasabi. For sides we recommend onshinko pickles and gyoza dipped in soy vinegar. Both veg and meat gyozas are great. The salmon teriyaki bento box at the next table also caught our eye.

Taro can be delivered to your door via Deliveroo,  and you can pop in and take it away. They curiously don’t have a website, but are located at 414 Kennington Road, close to the park.

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The top ten best places to eat in Greater Kennington – no. 8 – The Tommyfield

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The number eight position goes to central Kennington stalwart The Tommyfield.* The Tommyfield is the Kennington outpost of swish, small south London chain ‘Three Cheers Pubs’. Most of their other pubs are in Clapham and Battersea and have a similar cohort of punters.

The Tommyfield is the pub of choice here at Runoff HQ as it is just down the road and we have therefore tried just about everything on the menu. This isn’t too difficult, mind you, as we wouldn’t exactly call their menu ‘dynamic’. However, what they stick to they manage to do very well. We like the pies (steak and ale/chicken and leek) which are very rich, heavy on the meat, and the puff pastry flaky and buttery with pureed potatoes. The fish and chips are also to be lauded, and they have a reliable number of veggie options (but not vegan).

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The place is usually pretty full at weekends and they do a mean trade in Sunday lunch. The roasts are huge (we’re talking car tyre huge) and you can see the chefs undertaking their handiwork in the open kitchen (and yes, they make their own Yorkies). The ribeye steak is also something that we’ve had on a Sunday and it’s up there in Michelin star category and seasoned to perfection.

The Tommyfield is one of the few places in our area the accepts Tastecard (but not on Sunday) and they provide two for one mains if you have one. Perfect for those ‘I don’t feel like cooking’ nights or if, at this rate, there is soon to be nothing left on supermaket shelves but cat food.

For dessert we almost always plump for the banoffee pie, which is delicious.

*If you’ve been knocking around SE11 long enough to remember its previous incarnation as ‘La Finca’ you get a prize. Or something.

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Collective in Kennington Park

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The café in Kennington Park has experienced a number of permutations over the years, almost to the point of us assigning the designation of it being a ‘jinxed property’. It was resurrected in July of last year as a  lunchtime pizza place called ‘Collective’. We went for the pizza, but as they open at 10am they also have croissants, coffees, muffins and teas. If the mood takes you, you can even have, umm,  a morning ice cream.

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Pizza seems to be the current vogue in Greater Kennington (with barbershops a close second), supplanting estate agents, which is a good thing. We’ve been meaning to visit Collective since last summer but gave it a miss as it interferes with Loose Women our healthy daytime regime.  It bats above it’s weight from the outset by having a large, wood fired pizza oven.

 

A good pizza is all about the base, and we had a basic marinara  to maximize the experience. The dough is definitely sourdough, and thin almost to the point of being transparent. True to Neopolitain pizzas, it is blistered and slightly charred, but not to the finger blackening gorgeousness of Theo’s in Elephant. The marinara was good but we encourage you to branch out to the ‘spicy boy’ or the several veggie options. Vegan cheese is also available.

The place is especially good for kids as it is spacious and the kiddos can even run outside without the fear of the number 3 bus mowing them down. If you’ve been in a coma for the past 5 months and you’re presently reading this in July,  the outside space is great and even BYOB. In our estimation the only downside is that many people do not want to devour an entire pizza in the middle of the day so it might be bountiful to invite your colleagues or take some home, which is an option. They are also open at weekends. Very good, but will it be in our top 10?*

*The final plug, honestly.

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Lunch Box – Kennington Tandoori

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The street food project at the Dog House has yet to materialise, but as we had our sights set on Kennington Cross today we decided to tick off tick another institution off our list, Kennington Tandoori.

KT has been entertaining the taste buds of local folk and Westminster glitterati since 1985 and we’ve been going for years. You might be aware that they had a foray into breakfast food a few years ago which didn’t go so well, and they are now trying their hand at the very competitive Kennington lunchtime trade with their £7.95 ‘lunch box’. Their dinners are so successful that they might even make our top 10 in a few weeks (last shameless plug alert), so we decided to check it out at noon.

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First off, the reason why KT is undertaking a ‘lunch box’ is pretty apparent when you collect your meal; the place is a ghost town mid day. There are four options (one veg) for the lunch box and we opted for the tamarind chicken. It had a very good balance of sweet and tangy with a bit of spice offset with caramelised onion in a rich tomato sauce. The onion bhaji was very big and tasted more like cauliflower, which was also good. There good have been a bit more rice but that is a small matter.

KT is a very solid and filling lunch option in central Kennington if you are looking for an alternative to sandwiches and quiche. If you find the excessive packaging an issue (and we did) then you can always achieve maximum confidentiality by having a seat with and being the only punters in the room.

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Italo Delicatessen Vauxhall

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This is the first in a series of waistband expanding, tedious and delirious posts about local places to stuff yourself silly. This presages the annual Kennington Runoff ‘Ten Best Places to Eat’ which we will reveal in March. *

 Italo Delicatessen is a locally owned, pint sized breakfast and lunch joint nestled in Bonnington Square and has been an institution since 2008. They serve fresh pasta, salads, and even beer and gelato. They also sell more random products like Italian cheese, wine, and even local honey.

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The breakfast options looked very tasty indeed and primarily involve egg dishes (sorry, vegans) such as fried egg with cheese, with relish, and with ham. We however came for a lunchtime sandwich. As with all of their sandwiches, it was made on the spot and involved artichoke and tomatoes on bread from Kennington Bakery. Ham is a big feature with these hearty offerings, but as the menu changes often you’ll need to leave it to fate as to what’s being sold. The only downside about Italo is the seating situation, which can get a bit cramped inside.

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If you’re a regular reader then you know our unhealthy obsession with  ‘ghost signs’. Italo is very lucky to have one on the back of it’s building, below.

By the way, if you are wondering why the Dog House Pub is closed and looking even more ragged than usual, that’s because they are having a major refit. The kitchen is being converted to accommodate a series of pop up menus, and apparently the first on offer is Mexican. We will be of course on tap with a full review (unless it’s crap, in which you’ll receive no review).

*Shameless plug

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Didi and Franc

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We were frankly devastated when Oddbins Kennington closed last year. Lord knows we tried our best to keep them open, morning, noon and night. Our loss is what’s commonly referred to as a ‘first world problem’.

Courtesy of our friends at Vanilla Black,  the site is about to be reborn Phoenix like as a wine and cheese shop called ‘Didi and Franc’, also billing itself as a ‘deli/wine/bistro’. This information was garnered from Instagram, where they have established a presence.

We contacted Didi and Franc about their opening date and they conservatively replied ‘spring’. We will have a full, in-depth and extremely positive review after we receive an invitation to their launch party*
*This never works
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Winter Interest

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It’s a bit unorthodox to be writing about gardens in the bleak midwinter, but we all need a bit of greenery in our lives, especially when the sky matches the grey Kennington pavements.

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Harleyford Road Community Garden in Vauxhall wsd created by the demolition of a terrace of Georgian properties in the 1970’s which featured inordinately large front gardens. In 1984 the progressive residents of nearby Bonnington Square agreed to work in partnership with Lambeth to turn the site into a place of quiet refuge amongst the nearby smog and snarl.

 

 

 

 

The arboreal product of the partnership  created 36 years ago persists to this day, and even in winter offers a great place for the public to stroll, eat a sandwich, reflect, or just experience an element of silence. The garden is divided into several different areas and includes a children’s play area, lawns, benches, picnic areas, and a mossy green pond. It prides itself on being the only accessible wildlife site in the area.

The Garden is still maintained by volunteers from Bonnington Square,  and it without question possesses the quirky,  ‘planty’. and independent aesthetic of the Square. This is evident in the mosaic wall and paving stones implanted with chipped china  and rocks. In reality the entire layout of the Gardens are the masterwork of Bonnington residents, and well done.

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With no small amount of surreal irony our quiet, pastoral refuge is sponsored by the rather notorious nightclub ‘Fire’. As intrepid and responsible local journalists we approached Runoff management about getting to the bottom of this relationship (in a strictly professional capacity of course) by actually going to Fire at 3am last Saturday. We were rapidly rebuked and informed that this would be ‘inappropriate’ and ‘compromise the ethos of the site’. Well lets see about that and watch this space.

The Gardens are very kid friendly and also placid and safe for people on their own who seek solace and serenity. Enjoy!