Category Archives: Elephant and Castle

Strike! At Southwark Playhouse

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We recently popped into our much loved Southwark Playhouse to review their latest offering ‘Strike’ and we’re here to tell you rebellious souls all about it. Those of you lucky enough to be Runoff regulars will be aware that the Playhouse now has two locations. Strike is staged at the original-but-soon-to-be-extinct venue in Newington Causeway. The new, more flashy venue is much closer to Kennington in Newington Butts at the base of curiously named high rise Uncle. 

Strike is a true story set in Dunne’s department store in Dublin circa 1984. When a worker follows through with directives from her union and refuses to sell an item made in South Africa, she is suspended from her role. However, she takes 10 like minded colleagues with her and the story evolves into life on the picket line. As their movement grows the group learn lessons from South African exile Nimrod, who had been incarcerated at Robben Island with Nelson Mandela and gives insight into daily life under Apartheid.  

In spite of opposition from Dunnes, the Catholic Church, the government and even union bosses themselves, the strikers persevere and their profile grows and they begin to spread their message as far as the United Nations and beyond. After 2 ½ years Ireland becomes the first western nation to ban South African agricultural goods, contributing to the fall of Apartheid two years later. Although the subject matter is bleak and serious, the play is at times funny, touching, and even has a few musical numbers thrown in. 

Strike is about justice, rebellion, and the right to stand up for what you believe in, which more or less sums up most Greater Kenningtonians. The only thing we could fault about this play was that it didn’t celebrate the fact that almost all of the strikers were female and had to make great sacrifices to pursue what they felt passionately about. However, with all of the strong ensemble female roles this will become evident to everyone in the audience. 

Strike is on now and runs until 6 May at the old venue. For some strange reason there are still tickets available and they can be purchased here. 

The Walworth Farce @ Southwark Playhouse

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If you’re a committed Runoff reader (and when you think about it, why not?), you’ll be aware that we’ve been closely monitoring the opening of the new Kennington facing Southwark Theatre and we toured the place last summer. It’s now open for business with the geographically appropriate dark comedy ‘The Walworth Farce’ and we’ve just checked it out for you. 

Set in three claustrophobic rooms in a council block in Walworth Road, Irish brothers Blake and Sean live with their father Dinny and spend their day recreating a script of their previous life in Cork. In some scenes Blake and Sean play younger versions of themselves. In other scenes they depict older members of their family in various scenarios primarily centred on murder and inheritance, to an audience of no one. As the older sibling, Sean vaguely remembers what actually happened to his family in Cork and presents this to Dinny, who has an vested interest in reinterpreting the narrative. 

Sean is the only member of the household allowed to leave the flat, and in his daily visit to Walworth Tesco he befriends Hayley, who turns up to drop off some shopping. Seemingly obvious to her presence, the trio continue to depict their series of tragic events and struggle to bring Hayley into the narrative. We won’t tell you if the arrival of Hayley becomes an existential threat to their endless play or if she can liberate Sean to safety. The play’s theme of physically and emotionally trapped characters, compelled to act out narratives in an endless loop, certainly reminded us our lives in 2020 and 2021. 

The Walworth Farce is on now until 18 March and £15 tickets can be purchased here. Or you could just sit at home and watch a programme about Katie Price doing her house up. The choice is yours. 

And only five days to go until we unveil our Ten Best Places to Eat in Greater Kennington (+ One Sunday Roast)!

Faking it at Southwark Playhouse

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Are you at that point in January where there isn’t much to do but you’re nevertheless scratching to get out of the house or office? So are we, so to address the scratch we just checked out the intriguing and timely show ‘Fake News’ at Southwark Playhouse. Not the new Playhouse in Kennington that we visited last summer (it’s a thing), but the original in Newington Causeway. 

Originally presented to a sold out crowd at the Edinburgh Fringe, Fake News revolves around a budding journalist who’s just landed a plumb internship at the country’s foremost news organisation. With the audience acting as younger interns, Millennial Times is described to us as ‘the most lucrative and therefore respected media company on earth’ (we thought that was Kennington Runoff, but moving on). Given this, what the Times value most is the pursuit of clicks and money above ethics. But as long as people remain entertained, is this such a bad thing? 

As our budding journalist finds himself increasing enmeshed in a hilarious and distressing workplace with Angus and Debbie, he struggles to find a story that will launch his career and prove that he deserves to be there. Eventually he stumbles across a story that might not only make his career, but might disprove one of the biggest news stories since 9/11. But is his revelation itself fake news and if so, does it matter if it makes people happy and shareholders richer? Of course we’re not going to tell you.

Fake News is on now and runs until 28 January and tickets can be booked here. A delicious irony is that it’s received rave reviews from some of the same news outlets that it bashes. Below is the writer appearing on Sky News. The running time is one hour so you can toddle on home and still make it an early night. 

We here at the Runoff will be taking a break for the next month. But before you fall into apoplectic fits of anguish, don’t worry as we will be spoon feeding you with highlights from our history archives. We’re offering you these stories purely because they had the most hits give Greater Kenningtonians much more depth and context into our anointed patch. Enjoy!

Call the Doctor!

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Since the demise of Elephant and Castle shopping centre a few years ago, we’ve been telling you how the small businesses that were there have adapted to other premises. Two sterling examples are the great Black Cowboy Coffee and critically acclaimed Kaieteur Kitchen. As it’s January and we’re now expected *eats doughnut* to lead much more healthy lifestyles, we’re here to tell you about another of these ventures; ‘Dr. Juice’.

Dr. Juice is the brainchild of Colombian born entrepreneur John Parra. In 2015 he was working for M&S and he and his friends noticed a distinct lack of healthy food options around Elephant and Castle. Given that healthy juices are a feature of most Colombian tables, the gap in the market seemed obvious and John tasked himself with addressing the issue. According to John ‘I just wanted to make the community become healthier’.

On our stopover, my juicy companion had the ‘Dirty Passion’ smoothie, comprised of mango, passion fruit, orange and pineapple. Your scribe had the ‘Dr. Classic’ juice drink consisting of carrot, apple, orange and ginger. All of the ingredients worked powerfully when whizzed together. These drinks are made before your very eyes and there are no artificial additives, but you can add items such as chia seeds and protein. Dr. Juice also sells acai bowls and fruit bowls 

We remember John’s petite pop up juice bar in the shopping centre fondly as they were located across from the erotic electric massage chairs. The new location is much more spacious and benefits from being in an area full of students. However, as we know post pandemic, every food establishment is at risk and benefits from our patronage. 

Lenos & Carbon

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We recently paid a long overdue visit to Colombian staple Lenos and Carbon in Elephant Street in Elephant and Castle. If you’ve never been to Elephant Street, it’s a delightful little strip of earth full of northern South American restaurants, shops and cafes which nourishes us with the diversity of our anointed patch. 

Hidden behind a tiny door next to the entrance to the station, the first impressions of L&C is that it’s beguilingly large. The walls are adorned with handicrafts that can be purchased, and on our visit the majority of the punters were speaking Spanish – two big ticks from the very outset. We started by trying their empanada, which had a pastry thicker and softer than what we are accustomed to from Argentine restaurants, and was overall more corn based. A tasty and filling bargain at £1.70. We also indulged on a shredded beef arepa. It left us feeling a bit bland but was rescued by some very zingy salsas. 

For the mains, Phil from accounts had the Bandeja Paisa, which rather resembled a greatest hits mixed grill meets breakfast buffet dish. The Colombian style chorizo was less paprika flavoured than its Spanish cousin, but still tasty. Around these were an assortment of shredded beef, cereal, corn bread and beans. And both of our plates extended two second plates containing fried plantain, rice and salad. Whew. 

Your scribe had the Mojarra Marinera with plantains and rice. Mojarra is a tropical fish and this one was served as a whole, head and all. This mind bogglingly large dish was accompanied by mussels, tiny calamari, prawns, and baby octopus. It was sprinkled with parsley to accompany the very creamy and succulent sauce. Both of these dishes were washed down with Corona on tap, but wine and cocktails are also available. 

Colombian food will probably never rise to the dizzying heights of Colombia’s other great export*, but what we love about L&C is the overall experience and vibe. With the Colombian staff and punters it transported us to a place much further south, far removed from train strikes and melting snow. 

*We’re talking about Shakira, so please get your mind out of the gutter.  

The Murger Han Experience

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We experienced a small gust of thrill when we saw the sign for new Chinese in Elephant called ‘Murger Han’. As it rhymes with ‘Burger Van’, we envisioned delicacies such hamburger egg rolls. As it turns out, it’s billed as ‘London’s first authentic Xi’ian restaurant ‘, which provided us with another gust, as two of us at KR towers have actually been to Xi’an on the very street where this food is made. The food is a wonderful departure from the Cantonese gloop that we’ve been spoon fed for decades, and comes from an area of China where wheat replaces rice and the food becomes infused with spices such as cumin.

Murger Han promotes itself as Chinese street food, and  murgers themselves are meat filled sandwiches. They looked hearty, but the thing to order here is the speciality of the house, and that is biang biang noodles. These noodles get their name from being stretched and slapped into long slinky bands until they’re thin and chewy. Your scribe  had the noodle with shredded beef and black fungus, with the compulsory Chinese black vinegar sauce and added garlic oil.

  • Believe it or not, this was not taken by a professional food photographer

Alice from Finance had her noodles with spicy pork, tomato, egg and vegetables (the variations being endless). She reported the dish as having ‘quite big flavours and spicy but not overwhelmingly – really rich and flavourful, served in a beautiful big bowl’. The noodles have a long and almost intestinal look to them but don’t let that put you off as they result in a joyous slurp. The mains are between £12-£14 which without booze (rare for us) is pretty reasonable. They also serve noodle and dumpling based soups. 

We visited Murger Han on a rainy Saturday, which proved almost fatal as the floor is totally marble and patrons were sliding all over the place. The marble extends up the wall, giving the place the appearance of a 90’s strip club, softened somewhat by the presence of cute emoji throw cushions, which we found curiously appealing.  But if the atmosphere doesn’t arouse you’ll find the food absurdly satisfying, and is a great, slurpy and slippy way to spend an afternoon or an evening. 

Gardening Fun in Walworth

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We were overcome with giddy thrill when we saw a range of free gardening related courses had just been announced over at Walworth Garden. We weren’t so thrilled to discover that they’re only free to our lucky readers in Southwark. But you can still attend if you have a spare £85 or so kicking around. And if you do then, well, congratulations. And even if you don’t book a course, the Garden is a fine place to visit. 

These courses are aimed for people who have gardens and also those who garden from a window. There are courses on composting, herbal medicines, soap making, houseplants, terrariums, how to lay out a garden, and many more. Imagine all the pleasure you can give your loved ones at Christmas by saying ‘look aunty Claire, I made you a bar of soap with some thyme stuck in it’! Or by taking the moral high road with your flat mates when they complain that your bedroom smells like a decomposing rat, by saying  ‘excuse me, but I’m HOME COMPOSTING’! 

For those of you not aware of Walworth Garden, it is a small, green, urban oasis our not so green patch of land. Their motto is ‘if it isn’t in the ground then its for sale’. So you can buy plants (including loads of cacti), soil, herbs, and even a few pots. It is also a very relaxing place to just wander and sit on the many benches. The Garden also has an apiary, which got us very excited at first as we thought it had something to do with actual apes. It is in fact a place where bees are kept and they even offer a course on bee keeping.  

So, you lucky folks in Walworth, Elephant, or wealthy people in Lambeth, click here to book those courses! 

The Rosy Hue

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On its opening night we paid a clandestine visit to Elephant Square’s newest baby, The Rosy Hue pub. The Hue is the seventh offering of independent chain Livelyhood, all being based in south London. The pub is modern and airy, in the ‘exposed ducts and wires’ manner that’s all the rage at the moment. The eating side is divided by the pub side by a useful screen. And the place is so deliciously on trend that they even brag about their MISMATCHED and RECLAIMED cutlery! And they even show you just where in south London their beers and spirits come from ON A MAP! 

The draught beers and ciders on offer are diverse and all come in at around £6, which seems surreally normal nowadays. The usual complement of spirits line the bar and wine list not too damaging on the pocket, and we had a Spanish white. The menu is short but interesting, featuring veg and vegan options. For starters, we enjoyed brisket croquettes (£8) and were presented with five two-bite croquettes that had a lovely smooth and soft Spanish quality to them with a meaty brisket twist. 

For the mains, your scribe had a crab & haddock fishcake (£15.5) which was thickly breaded and very generous with the meat. A well poached egg mounted the cake. The real zinger came with the sauce, which was lobster and champagne. Fancy! Karen from finance had the bavette steak (£18.50) which was cooked perfectly rare as requested, sliced and served with a chimichurri sauce with pomegranate. That added sweetness was unexpected but worked. Rosemary fries alongside were crisp and plentiful. Any more details escaped Karen as she’d had too much Spanish white. 

As for the vibe, as we went the night the Queen died we couldn’t actually describe it as ‘zany and upbeat’, but it certainly tried. The crowd was predominantly white 30 somethings with nice teeth who probably reside in those new Elephant flats with geographically bizarre names such as ‘Central Park West’. But those who do not fit that demographic (like us) are welcome. There were also a curious number of dogs. 

The service staff at the Hue were surprisingly knowledgeable about the joint considering they’d only worked there for about five minutes, but be warned. The place also has huge, looming TV screens. So you’re forever at risk of the horrifying spectacle of, in the middle of your burger, the screens switching over to Sky Sports.  But those looming screens will also be showing the Queen’s funeral on Monday morning which sounds a bit morbid. We’ll be there.

Rarebit

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We recently attended the soft launch (incognito, of course) of new Elephant establishment ‘Rarebit’. Rarebit is located at the end of foodie avenue Sayer Street in the mind bending ‘Millennials only’ playground that is Elephant Park. While Rarebit is primarily a restaurant, it has joined the current wave of joints also selling upmarket food items and wine. The wine you can purchase and drink at your table for a corkage fee of £15(!). Beers and cocktails are also available, and we started with a cooling Negroni. 

  • Sausage Rolls
  • Broccoli

As this was opening night, what was on offer was a half price taster of what they plan to serve going forward, plus a few freebies.  We were served by a precise and professionally drilled service staff who knew quite a bit about what they were serving, especially considering it was their first day. Also on deck was a much more proprietorial looking gentlemen who offered helpful suggestions. The broccoli with harissa yoghurt was the most delicious dish and the best value. It came nicely cooked and great savoury creamy slickness, and a medium sized portion was £3.25. Next best was the sausage roll, a freebie sampler with great pastry and a flavourful herbed sausage. Deep fried rarebit balls were naughty but nice, also freebies. Scallops with pea purée and black pudding were good but we’d have felt let down paying full price (£13?) for two small scallops that you can inhale in two minutes. For drinks we chose a wine suggested to us and it was moderately good value. 

  • Scallops and black pudding
  • Rarebit balls

Rarebit is an independent restaurant which prides itself on working with fine British producers and the menu features breed meats (whatever that is) and also plenty of veggie options. They are also available for a coffee, pastry or a quick drink. And apparently soon a Sunday brunch. A fun evening and an affordable one too if you can catch them during their soft launch. 

Pros – Chripy serving staff and doors sweeping out onto Elephant and Castle 

Cons – Chripy serving staff and doors sweeping out onto Elephant and Castle 

Cherry Tiger

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Suffer as we do for our readers, we just checked out Elephant and Castle’s very first cocktail bar, Cherry Tiger, which opened last week. It’s perched at the top of Elephant Square, incongruously set amongst shops selling wigs, figure shaping garments and costume jewellery. The location affords nice views towards our newly created little patch of green, Elephant Park. 

James on the left, 75 on the right

Cherry Tiger is owned by the highly regarded and ‘oh my god does that pint really cost 9 quid’ Vauxhall taproom Mother Kellys, so it comes with a fine pedigree. Having said that, most of the cocktails at CT come in at £8 here, which is pretty reasonable for London. Julie from our accounts team likes a nice cocktail, and she had the ‘French 75’ with gin and sparkling wine. It was semi dry, zesty and lemony. Your scribe had the very sweet ‘James Brown’ featuring bourbon, amaretto and sugar. In addition to the inventive drinks below, CT can also mix up more traditional cocktails and also have a beer and wine list. 

As you can see, the design aesthetic of Cherry Tiger is a kind of mashup of fancy wallpaper meets weekend project following a B&Q visit. The highly energetic staff explained that it is still early days at CT, and the look will change over the next few weeks. While it might not be an evening destination per se, Cherry Tiger is a fine way to either start or finish your evening. But if you do spend your whole evening there, if the stairs prove too daunting there is a lift.