Category Archives: cafes and restaurants

The Best Places to Eat in Greater Kennington #6

Posted on by
Reply

+ One Sunday Roast

Brunswick House Restaurant

If money were no object then Brunwisck House would nab the top spot, but as money DOES matter they’ve bagged the still respectable six slot. Please note that restaurants on this scale have menus that change almost daily. So what you read below (from 2023) might not still be available.

If you’ve ever noticed a large Georgian mansion which appears to be on the precipice of getting inhaled by skyscrapers in the Vauxhall gyratory, it is called Brunswick House (and we’ve written about it here) and for several years they have run a critically acclaimed restaurant, in addition to its main hustle of selling (very) high end architectural salvage.

The dining room sits effortlessly in a large space in Brunswick House selling mostly chandeliers, light fittings and other gorgeous things. For an upmarket restaurant, the clientele was surprisingly young in a kind of ‘please come to my book launch next week’ kind of way. And no sooner do we sit down than we are joined at the next table by no other than TV presenter Miquita Oliver and a gaggle of her gorgeous, hair flicking friends. They were a nice complement to our botanical and creative cocktails, the favourite being their house eucalyptus martini. 

The menu at Brunswick House often requires a diction course or at least a dictionary. But fear not, the drilled to perfection serving staff can help you differentiate between a chicharron and a tardivo. And there is the very modern dilemma of trying to decipher a sharing plate from a mains. Highlights among the snack or starter sizes were the salt cod croquettes, the roasted leeks and the devilled eggs. The croquettes oozed with creamy salty fishiness, while the roasted leeks were winning for an innovative combination with a tangy sauce derived from red peppers and pecans. The devilled eggs had a seventies retro quality but the trout roe filling gave it a more on trend feel.

For the mains, your scribe had the roast cod with sea greens and spring vegetable chowder. The meaty and flaky cod was set off well with what appeared to be a tureen of well matched veg with an aniseed hit.  A big hit on the main size dishes was the fresh maccheroni (note proper Italian spelling). This packed a big flavour hit with the curious sounding combination of roast chicken butter, wild garlic and bottarga (translation: grey mullet roe). Curious it was but definitely lovely – rich and satisfying. 

  • Fancy Macaroi
  • Cod

And then, after a night spent with Maquita and her chums set amongst glittering chandiliers  and food we couldn’t pronounce, our night was over and we were deposited into a bus fumed traffic gyratory in Vauxhall. But the wonderful food made it worthwhile. This kind of food is by no means cheap, but one of the few glories of sharing portions is that you can just pop in for a snack of two £5 plates and they’re fine with that. 

[jetpack_subscription_form show_only_email_and_button=”true” custom_background_button_color=”#cf2e2e” custom_text_button_color=”undefined” submit_button_text=”Subscribe” submit_button_classes=”wp-block-button__link has-text-color has-background has-vivid-red-background-button-color” show_subscribers_total=”false” ]

The Best Places to Eat in Greater Kennington # 7

Posted on by
Reply

+ One Sunday Roast

Kachori

We visited Kachori last summer and it is still going strong. But is it the best Indian in Greater Kennington?

We recently inspected swishy looking new Indian restaurant Kachori in Elephant Park which has opened with some buzz. From the outside it resembles a second rate Dishoom, but inside gives way to low lighting, dark woods, and a very inviting bar. So tempted were we by the bar that two of us kicked off the fun by ordering Indian espresso martinis. When they arrived the upbeat proprietor informed us that we could eat the cups that they were being served in. As edible crockery is a new and, frankly, groundbreaking proposition at Runoff Towers, we took him up on the offer. More on this later.

The proprietor we speak of is Brindar Narula, former executive chef of Michelin starred Gymkhana, but here offering much more affordable fare. We started with two sets of nibbles: methi namkeen and nan chips. An interesting alternative to poppadums, the methi are little strips of fenugreek flavoured crisps similar in appearance to an earthworm, offered with a dip. The nan chips are fried bread strips with another dip which looked not unlike pleasing shoe leather. Both were delicious with the nan chips being the particular hit with the table. Two portions were good for four people. 

  • This is a very dark restaurant
  • Lamb

One of our group had the lamb biryani, and it  arrived encased in a crust to seal in the flavour and juices. With an excellent balance of spices, this was rich and gorgeous with meltingly soft pieces of lamb. Your scribe had the west coast prawn masa swimming in a pool of mangosteen, coconut milk, and palm vinegar. Huge, juicy prawns with a powerful aniseedy note. A side of palak paneer (spinach with cheese) was warm and satisfying as was the methi tadka dal (yellow lentils) rounded off the meal as sides. 

Brinder  explained to our little group that while he is from Mumbai, the flavours at Kachori focus on dishes from the Northwest of India. This is modern Indian at its best, with ingredients popping up (Jalapenos! Truffle oil!) not encountered in most Indian joints. Towards the end of the meal Brinder added that our rice based cups would have dissolved after 40 minutes if we hadn’t drunk the contents and then eaten the cups. Right, like that was gonna happen. 

[jetpack_subscription_form show_only_email_and_button=”true” custom_background_button_color=”undefined” custom_text_button_color=”undefined” submit_button_text=”Subscribe” submit_button_classes=”undefined” show_subscribers_total=”false” ]

Ten Best Places to Eat in Greater Kennington #8

Posted on by
Reply

+ One Sunday Roast

Amici

Amici in Kennington Cross is a great survivor and has bagged the #8 spot. We feel for them, as first they were hit by the small issue of a pandemic (remember that?), then a flood in their basement closed the place for even longer. Then they went through a frankly bizarre ‘car boot phase’ where they sold everything from jewellery to tins of food. Luckily all three have passed and in its it’s latest incarnation Amici matches the classics from their (RIP) Persian restaurant Doost with the Mediterranean offerings of Amici. For a split second we had a nightmare vision of pomegranate pizza, but owner Houman explained that it’s just the greatest hits of each place. Whew.

Phil from IT had one of the specials, a meatball dish from the northern, Caspian region of Iran. It was markedly tart with a pomegranate and herb-based sauce, so a bit different from what we think of as “standard” Persian. It was served with fluffy basmati rice. Your scribe had a long grain rice dish with spicy squid. And of course, served with loads of dill. It was light and had a slightly nutty tone to it. 

The mandarins at Runoff Towers usually yell at us if we order starters (which is now referred to as small plate), but co owner Sethi was able to tell us not only from where each dish originated and how it’s made, but even offered insight as how her family members have been making them for years. So we caved in and had a kind of Persian roasted bruschetta topped with aubergine, and a delightfully tomatoey aranchi rice bowls. 

On a subsequent visit we indulged in some of the Italian offerings at Amici. We think their strengths lie in Persian fare, but if it’s Italian that you crave we can reccommend the lamb ragu tagliatelle and lasagne. Namaste….

[jetpack_subscription_form show_only_email_and_button=”true” custom_background_button_color=”#cf2e2e” custom_text_button_color=”undefined” submit_button_text=”Subscribe” submit_button_classes=”wp-block-button__link has-text-color has-background has-vivid-red-background-button-color” show_subscribers_total=”false” ]

Ten Best Places to Eat in Greater Kennington # 10

Posted on by
Reply

+ One Sunday Roast

TARO

The number ten spot has been grabbed by the Japanese canteen Taro at the bottom of Kennington Road. Part of the Greater Kennington firmament for over five years now, Taro consistently delivers 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 reams above the lot, and militantly avoids fusion cuisine. 

  • `Taro 2022
  • Taro 2024, still consistent!

Some Runoff staff have been to Japan and on a previous Taro visit we took KR freelance journalist 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.

And if you’re lucky, Taro himself will be on hand to guide you through his dishes and can remind us all that sushi should never be served cold. And yes, Tesco have been tagged in this post.

[jetpack_subscription_form show_only_email_and_button=”true” custom_background_button_color=”#cf2e2e” custom_text_button_color=”undefined” submit_button_text=”Subscribe” submit_button_classes=”wp-block-button__link has-text-color has-background has-vivid-red-background-button-color” show_subscribers_total=”false” ]

My Chaii..The Anti Pret

Posted on by
Reply

We hope all of you people had a lovely Christmas and have now returned all the gifts you didn’t want. We were unsure how to spend our Christmas bonus, but when the bonus amounted to a handful of Milk Tray being thrown into our cubicle by the CFO, that decision was more or less taken out of our hands. 

We recently paid a visit to the adorable community café ‘My Chaii’, which is located in Opal Street just off Kennington Lane. My Chaii is Halal, with a menu to veers toward Indian, which is just fine with us. The extremely friendly server walked us through all of the options and your scribe settled on the kebab wrap. It seemed a bit more like a hoisin duck but was very tasty and well proportioned with a good meat to veg ratio. Perfectly lunch sized.

  • Yes, I nicked Brenda’s samosas

Brenda from the mailroom chose the chicken biryani. This was nicely homemade, moderately spicy with pieces of marinated chicken tikka throughout. The generous portion came served with a small lettuce salad on the plate, and at £5 this was the bargain worth going for. Brenda also took a side order of vegetable samosas. These again tasted homemade, with a very light and crisp pastry. An array of sauces were offered and we opted for a chilli chutney (blow your head off spicy) and a sweet kebab sauce.

All of the food outlined above, with two Coke Zeros, came to the grand total of £12.50. And from 5 to 7pm My Chaii has their Happy Hour, which means you get a free chaii with every main. Of course when we were talking about happy hour, Phil once again fell out of this chair and exclaimed ‘happy hour? What? Where? Can I come?’. Calm down Phil, this only involves a cup of tea. So if you want to give back to our community as opposed to the multinational that owns Pret, here you go! 

Our New Neighbour

Posted on by
1

Eagle eyed and long term readers aware that for several years we’ve taken a keen interest in the developments in an around the newly created Oval Village, which we call ‘UptownKenVo’, and here’s the latest. 

The Applegreen petrol station in Kennington Lane has now gone to that giant, fossil fuel cloud in the sky and is no more. Also sadly departed is our only Greggs, which is now on an adjacent, probably sausage roll shaped cloud.  They are to be replaced by a nine storey, 185 bed block of student accommodation. There will be commercial space on the ground floor.

We took particular interest in the press release stating that there will be a ‘fantastic rooftop garden with amazing views’ as when we were students the best view we had was looking out of a dirty window in a pub that smelled of wet cat hair. But times change…

The Dragon Castle Experience

Posted on by
Reply

Whoever said that dining can’t be fun? If you’re looking for a group Christmas meal or just for two of you, we love Dragon Castle in Elephant because it reminds us of the kind of mega restaurants that you actually see in Beijing. If what you want from a dining experience is Chandeliers! Plastic plants! Sullen staff! Lazy Susans! A water feature! Then Dragon Castle can deliver the immersive fun that might be missing in your life. Its also a nice escape from the impending dreary winter nights in Greater Kennington. 

On the food front, it isn’t better than any other Chinese out there so we haven’t photographed the dishes but  we can recommend their dumplings, which are a speciality. Chinese beers are on offer in addition to wines and spirits and this is a good thing, as it helps to be not entirely sober during your Dragon Castle experience. But with Christmas around the corner that should be rather easy. 

On a weekend expect a chaotic yet endearing mix of Chinese families, people on dates, kids running around, and locals all with a great deal of mirth. A trip to Dragon Castle is as close as you can get to the sights and smells of a Beijing mega restaurant. The only letdown is that when its done you’re face with the sights and smells of Walworth Road. 

用餐愉快！
[jetpack_subscription_form show_only_email_and_button=”true” custom_background_button_color=”undefined” custom_text_button_color=”undefined” submit_button_text=”Subscribe” submit_button_classes=”undefined” show_subscribers_total=”false” ]

The New Gallery at IWM

Posted on by
1

Last week we attended the gala opening* of the spanking new Blavatnik Art, Film and Photography Galleries at the best museum we bet you’ve never been to, our very own Imperial War Museum. This permanent gallery is a valued addition to the Greater Kennington cultural landscape (it’s a thing, trust us) and includes works by Henry Moore, John Singer Sargent, Walter Sickert, Cecil Beaton, and Wyndham Lewis to name but a few. 

The galleries are laid out by themes and are chronological, from WW1 to 21st century conflicts. As with the other display areas at IWM, these new galleries don’t seek to glorify war but rather to explain it and how it can be avoided. This is achieved by a captivating mix of propaganda posters, photographs (the gallery own 12 million),  armaments, film clips, cameras, and first hand accounts. But the great achievement here are the paintings, with the highlight being the recently restored work ‘Gassed’ by Sargent (below). We could have probably spent several days in the gallery’s two screening rooms but the Runoff overlords would have none of it. The reel of clips range from footage of the D-day landings to advice about how to make a wartime compost heap. 

Gassed

Rather than being a historical record, the galleries include current work showcasing the conspicuous talent of artists such as Steve McQueen (the Oscar winning artist, not the formerly living action hero). He’s represented here by his artwork ‘Queen and Country’. Also in the mix are descriptions of anti war protests, marches, and attempts to avoid war. This is interesting in its own right, but especially when  considering the complex dynamics of what is transpiring in Gaza and Israel at the moment. But a celebration of war artists and photographers is the beating heart of these expansive and well thought out galleries.

You might be reading this and thinking that the IWM is nationalistic and not your cup of chai. We get that, but we are duly challenging you to get your Guardian reading, tofu buying  selves over to the IWM when you have a spare hour of two.  And as you’ll be in the neighbourhood anyway, why not check out the fascinating exhibit about spies and deception that we wrote about a few weeks ago? Did we mention that they have a stonking café with pretty cakes and sarnies? 

*We coincidently pitched up the day it opened 

[jetpack_subscription_form show_only_email_and_button=”true” custom_background_button_color=”undefined” custom_text_button_color=”undefined” submit_button_text=”Subscribe” submit_button_classes=”undefined” show_subscribers_total=”false” ]

Ever Tried Laotian?

Posted on by
Reply

Poised at the northern precipice of the KR catchment area, we recently paid a visit to PSV café near Lambeth North tube. The café serves Laotian and Thai food but, as we’ve all had Thai a million times, we came ready to inspect the Lao food, which is a very hard to come by option in London. PSV is located above a delightful, down to earth local pub called the Crown and Cushion which is well worth a visit in its own right. The punters at PSV café were a mix of locals and perplexed  tourists who, when they booked their hotel around the corner, could have sworn the website said it was in Waterloo.  

Gunther from our graphic design department chose the Laab Ped, a spicy duck dish. This was marked on the menu as “two chillies” hot which he thought was fair: spicy, not burning. Interestingly, the duck was almost minced in very small pieces and apparently contained liver and gizzard. It had an earthiness from these, paired with the chilli garlic kick and garlic. The inclusion of ground roasted rice created a surprising, but fun, crunch element. All of this came with some salad and raw vegetables. Gunther thought it a hit, especially for lovers of chicken liver (even if this was duck!), even if his gratitude for being given as free meal was a bit, shall we say, paltry. 

  • Beef
  • Salmon

Your scribe consumed Goi Pa, which consisted of sweet and sour raw salmon cured and briefly marinated and served as a very spicy salad. It was seasoned with the magic of chili powder and added to the mix was mint, coriander, spring onions, roasted rice, red onion, and lifted up with the addition of fish sauce and lemon juice. The mix of mint and fish sauce was particularly interesting, as was the heat of the overall dish. If you’re unfamiliar with Laotian fare, think of it as a hybrid of Chinese and Vietnamese. Both dishes included sticky rice served in a fetching basket/handbag contraption.

On the drinks front, Singha beer is the only option which is perfectly understandable. The cheery and well drilled staff pointed out that drinks can be purchased at the bar and brought upstairs. Of course, we will allow you to have Thai at PSV if you insist (but don’t) but we suspect that serving Thai food is more of a side hustle to get people in the door, and their real passion lives in their Lao food which is hearty, healthy and spice tastic.

[jetpack_subscription_form show_only_email_and_button=”true” custom_background_button_color=”undefined” custom_text_button_color=”undefined” submit_button_text=”Subscribe” submit_button_classes=”undefined” show_subscribers_total=”false” ]

Kennington Tandoori v. Ghandis?

Posted on by
Reply

The lively debate throughout Runoff Towers is frequently ‘when in Kennington Cross is it Kennington Tandoori or Ghandi’s’? While we do enjoy the retro kitchness of Ghandis with window photos of celebrities from a different era (Richard! Judy!), we equally appreciate the low lights, dark wood and high server to diner ratio on offer at KT. But we’re here for the food, so purely for our Top Ten list © research purposes, we recently paid KT a long overdue visit. 

New recruit Gaz from the tech team chose the biryani for his mains and was pleased to see this arrive with an intact thin pastry top. Keen to impart knowledge in the real world, he noted that the pasty wasn’t really for eating (although can be) but instead for sealing the flavour during a gentle cooking process, giving it a super delicious taste. Gaz opted for the lamb version (chicken or vegetable also available). As his mouth was full of rice and Cobra beer, he proffered a thumbs up to the generous chunks of lamb in amongst the rice, vegetables and spices. When he was able to speak Gaz encouraged folks to add a serving of dahl for that rice-and-lentil magic. 

Your scribe opted for the Bombay parsi chicken dansak. It was a spicy and sweet balanced chicken, cooked very slowly and mixed with jaggery (Indian cane sugar), lentils, garlic, roasted cumin and sprinkled with kaffir lime leaves. A good degree of spice warmth came through as did the tang of yoghurt for a soft, fragrant dish. Overall very warming and pleasing for a rainy autumnal evening. And we started the affair with chicken stuffed momos. As they are from Nepal they have nothing to do with Indian but as what KT serves is north Indian food we thought ‘close enough’. And Gaz was in agreement as he was getting a free meal out of the equation. 

As frequent readers are aware we often complain about the (first world problem alert) extortionate price of wine in restaurants. At KT you can bring your own for a £10 corkage fee, which isn’t great but if you can stand a £6 bottle from Tesco you’ll find yourself quids in. As for the KT versus Ghandi’s debate, in order to ascertain our pick we’re afraid you’ll need to wait until our highly subjective yet totally scientific Top Ten list © is unveiled in February. 

[jetpack_subscription_form show_only_email_and_button=”true” custom_background_button_color=”#cf2e2e” custom_text_button_color=”undefined” submit_button_text=”Subscribe” submit_button_classes=”wp-block-button__link has-text-color has-background has-vivid-red-background-button-color” show_subscribers_total=”false” ]