Category Archives: Stuffing your face

The Best Places to Eat in Greater Kennington #5

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+ One Sunday Roast

Didi and Franc

And the number 5 spot is nailed by posh deli and restaurant Didi and Franc. The review below is from a gastronomic visit undertaken in November, 2023.

It’s been long overdue but we’ve finally paid visit to the little restaurant at Didi and Franc in Kennington Cross. For those not in the know, D&F is an upmarket deli/cheese/bread/wine shop that generally sells gorgeous foodie things that you have no practical use for but still want. The cheese section being particularly good. Didi and Franc are real people and usually on hand and possess a forensic knowledge of the food they sell and the items on the menu as they’re the ones who ordered and cook the stuff. The short and precisely primed dinner menu is Italian.

Karen from finance loves a mackerel, so we shared a smoked mackerel mousse which was light in texture but punchy in flavour, served with some of the delicious sourdough bread sold in the deli. Karen chose to follow this with a vegetarian (possibly vegan) option of mushroom and chestnut tortellini with pesto rosso, cavolo nero and chestnuts. Chestnut feels wonderfully autumnal so it’s nice to see this feature. The generously filled homemade tortellini having a rich nutty taste that went beautifully with a red pepper flavoured pesto and a bit of green hit from the cavolo nero. Karen got so excited that while in the midst of chewing she yelled out, to a shocked room,  ‘this dish a triumph’! Or words to that effect. 

  • Beef
  • Mackerel

Your scribe consumed beef shin and red wine tortellini with tomato sauce. This was next level cheffy stuff with a very rich, wine based tomato sauce and seven tortellini stuffed with beef shin so delicate that it melted before hitting the back of my palate. My tortellini was perfectly al dente with a touch of parmesan. Pumpkin pie was a surprise dessert not originally on the menu but that had just been rustled up by Franc himself. An American who later joined us declared it to be a world apart from Wal-Mart (we have no idea what this means but is probably a good thing): warming spices blending with the pumpkin puree and with a top-notch sweet pastry crust. Probably not too different to the pecan pie on the menu. 

More experienced readers might recall that the premises now held by D&F was formerly  an Oddbins and a place of sacred refuge after many a fraught team meeting here at Runoff towers. So when it first opened we were disappointed at the pearl clutchingly high price of their wines. Well can we confirm that either Didi or Franc got the message as the prices are now a bit more reasonable (but still high). And with a certain gift giving holiday just around the corner, D&F could be the perfect destination for your foodie friends. And they also do ‘make your own’ hampers. 

The restaurant at D&F is open during the second half of the week and we strongly advise that you book as the first time we couldn’t get a seat.

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The Best Places to Eat in Greater Kennington #6

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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. 

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The Best Places to Eat in Greater Kennington # 7

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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. 

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Ten Best Places to Eat in Greater Kennington #8

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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….

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Ten Best Places to Eat in Greater Kennington # 9

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The Jolly Gardeners

If this looks familiar then you’re correct, as we posted this a month ago. The Gardeners are the second best Sunday Roast and have popped in at number nine. But who’s on top?

For purposes relating to our very scientific yet hugely subjective top ten list of best places to eat in Greater Kennington, we recently paid an overdue visit to Jolly Gardeners pub in Black Prince Road after Karen from Finance kept banging on about their Sunday roast. 

Karen opted for the silverside beef and it was very full flavoured but at the chewier end of roast beef options, so not to all tastes. The real success of her meal was the varied and abundant sides. Had more than one person been having a roast plate then these would have been served family-style for sharing. In Karen’s case, she simply had a very full plate. The accompaniments were totally top notch: mixed colour carrots, parsnips, savoy cabbage, sweet potato mash, and decent roasties. The Yorkshire pudding was plump and homemade (we looked for Aunt Bessie under the table and she was nowhere to be found). We were pleased to see that the Gardeners no longer serve beef from retired cows. While more ethical, we felt bad for those poor bovines who managed to spend their entire lives not being turned into a juicy steak or decorative belt, only for THIS TO HAPPEN. 

Your scribe decided to go vegetarian and have a wild mushroom, sweet potato, and Guinness pie. The Guinness took the sweetness edge off the potatoes, which was desired, and a little nicked gravy from Karen was an added addition. It was served in a little jug that was very appealing. This pleasing portion had notes of thyme and of course the added nuttiness of the mushroom. All told, it was plenty of food and carefully prepared. These are high end roasts, which at £21 – £24 they should be. Sometimes it is worth paying for quality.

The Gardeners also operate the petite upmarket food shop Ginger Provisions next door, in addition to great lunch spot Simply Bread which we reviewed in 2022. When we asked the 25 year old sandwich barista if he was aware that the shop name rhymes with a washed up 80’s pop band, he stared at us with a mix of confusion and pity, but we’ll ignore that.

Ten Best Places to Eat in Greater Kennington # 10

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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.

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Conuco

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Venezuela is one of those places that’s in the news for all the wrong reasons, but not due to their cuisine. We recently emerged from our subterranean KR offices under Kennington Cross to revisit ‘Conuco’ in Oval and we’re here to give you the score. The specialities of Conuco are arepas and empanadas. And unless you’ve been working in a subterranean office yourself, you’ll be aware that they are all the rage at the minute. 

For newcomers, an arepa is a kind of one handed sandwich made of ground maize dough filled with meat or veg, and at Conuco stuffed with cheese. Empanadas are more well known in the UK and are fried turnovers stuffed with a variety of items such as cheese, chorizo, chicken or shredded beef. On our visit we had an arepa with pulled beef and a white cheese called ‘costeno’. As you can see, the sandwich was rammed with dripping, shredded beef and towards the end we had to deploy the use of a fork. The sandwich came with two sauces….a creamy mint flavoured offering and another other so hot you’ll be running into Brixton Road crying to be put out of your misery. 

To complement the meal we enjoyed the national soft drink of Venezuela, Frescolita. It tasted a bit like bubblegum mixed with Red Bull, which had us chatting nonstop when we were back underground. The total came to just over £11, and filled us up until dinner. Conuco has wifi and a good relaxing vibe and very friendly staff. The demographic is a visually pleasing mix of young, hair flicking 20 somethings who likely work at Kennington Business Park across the road. But don’t worry you’ll still fit in. After all, we did. 

Don’t worry, the guy at that bottom isn’t saying ‘but I’m not a hair flicking 20 something and I don’t FIT IN!’

My Chaii..The Anti Pret

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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! 

The Dragon Castle Experience

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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！
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Ever Tried Laotian?

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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.

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