Category Archives: Stuffing your face

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.

Casa Madeira

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If you’ve ever strolled through Vauxhall you’ve certainly walked past Casa Madeira multiple times. Madeira is the restaurant in a quartet of Portuguese establishments in Albert Embankment and is flanked by a cafe, supermarket  and further down by a further bar/café called ‘Pico’. Outside you can usually find clusters of folk drinking Sagres under umbrellas and chatting in Portuguese, which makes you feel as if you’ve just stumbled across a delightful bar in Lisbon as opposed to a railway arch in Vauxhall next to a petrol station. 

We chose to sit outside on what was a balmy, lovely evening and without a reservation, which was fine. The space was large and well set up, with some high octane background muzak and screens and plants which provided helpful sensory deprivation from the road and aforementioned petrol station. The service staff were friendly, efficient and drilled to near perfection about the food on offer — with our waiter’s specific knowledge of the fish market in Funchal leaving just this side of aroused. We therefore started our journey with deep fried whitebait which were nicely plump, breaded, and plentiful. Served with lemon and tartare sauce, their little silvery tails popping out to remind us of the goodness inside. 

Portuguese mains are more or less variations on a theme, and this is the case at Madeira. We saw whizzing across the pavement chorizo, lamb cutlets, and chicken escalopes. However, we came here for the fish and seafood and to satisfy you, dear reader, we splashed out on the fish grill for two. This huge dish consisted of two chargrilled pieces of seabass, blackened salmon, black scabbard fish, and this was topped by two enormous butterflied king prawns and a scattering of calamari rings. All soaking in olive oil with sides of carrot, beans and new potato. Delicious and grilled by a person who knew what they were doing. This was perfectly matched with a Portuguese white (wines start at £26)

Prices at Madeira are reasonable, and at times remarkable, based on what they are serving and given the joint’s proximity to the West End.  We paid £41 for the seafood but you can blow the bank on turbot for two (£75) or just pop in for a pint and pastal de nada (£1.50). We recommend the fish and seafood and also the meats on offer. Pizza and burgers also make an appearance for some surreal reason but if the spirit takes you there then go for it. And if you’re wondering just what the hell scabbard fish is, lets just say that it resembles one of those deep sea creatures that washes up on beaches every few years that people assumed was extinct.   

Lightnin’ Hot Things @ Orbit

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We recently paid a visit to Greater Kennington’s (Walworth) own local brewery ‘Orbit’ on a hot sunny day to inspect their Sunday roast offerings. The roast and indeed all the food on offer at Orbit are provided by the chefs of ‘Lightnin Hot Things’ (below) who run a very experimental kitchen in one corner of the brewery. It’s actually quite remarkable that they produce such a range of food in such a proscribed space.  We sampled some of their other offerings a few months ago and you can read about them and the beers here. 

There were four of us on our visit but it was almost three, as Doug from IT was pretty sure the guy in the middle of this photo was the same person who mugged him in Soho in 2018. When we convinced him that this was pretty unlikely we had enough people to enjoy a variety of the roasts on offer.  Our booked table was initially outside, but when we pointed out that we’d rather not end our meal resembling their acclaimed pickled beetroot, the chipper barman moved us indoors and with its makeshift plywood seating created a distinct elbows on tables experience. 

Doug opted for the lamb shoulder which was generous, soft, flavourful and dolloped with mint sauce. All roasts come with an enormous Yorkshire pudding, and owing to its juicy and crispy quality it hadn’t been anywhere near Aunt Bessie. Other sides were great too – its always good to see Savoy cabbage, tasty roast carrots too and caramelised onions on a plate. And the confit garlic was a nice surprise touch. 

  • Chicken
  • Beef
  • Lamb

Your scribe indulged in the herb fed chicken topped with two chunks of chicken crackling. The chicken was moist and bountiful- just about cooked perfectly.  From the gravy I received a distinct hit of rosemary and garlic,  and  given its meaty and flavourful nature obviously owed none of its heritage to Bisto and a kettle. The sides were the same as Doug’s with the addition of what seemed like a very nutty butter puree. Another of our party had the rump of beef roast, which had obviously been slow cooked and melted in the mouth. Overall these were well worth the £18.50 price. 

If you don’t fancy the Sunday roasts, the Lightnin’ Hot Things boys offer up some pretty avant garde fair during the week such as octopus salad and curried coconut. We’ve commented on the beers in previous posts, but as its summer the current favourite at the moment is, hang on……tzatziki flavoured beer. We tried some and it had zesty, cucumber notes and it rather reminded us of cider. With this observation the chipper barman became slightly less chipper, saying ‘no, this is not cider’. 

North Lambeth Parish Fete

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The North Lambeth Parish Fete is coming up on Saturday and if we weren’t on a team building retreat (more on that later) we wouldn’t miss it. It’s  the new incarnation of the dearly departed Cleaver Square Festival. Fortunately it’s now much larger thanks to the intervention of Daniel Cobb and none other than Jesus Christ himself. 

While we may have never been to this Fete, we have been to the gardens of Lambeth Palace and they are stunning, extensive and almost never open to the public. The price of the ticket itself (£4) justifies a wander around.   According to our sources, the Fete is more kid friendly than its Cleaver processor and is known for its dog show and features prizes, including fastest sausage eater and least obedient (we assume these prizes are for the dogs and not humans). There is also face painting, live music, and races for the kids. And if you don’t like kids there’s a Pimms tent to keep you sane. And if you do have kids there’s a Pimms tent to keep you sane. And there are a number of local food stalls available looking pretty delish to us. 

The Fete is this Saturday, (25 June) from 12-5. To whet your appetite we found this totally manic video on YouTube. Did somebody say ‘free coffee mugs’?

And we would be absolutely thrilled to join you for this event but, alas, we will be on a team building long weekend at Glastonbury which will prove memorable. Or perhaps unrememberable. Look out for our pics on social media and please don’t hate us. *drops mic and leaves the room*

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 

Cricket for the Cricketless

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If you’re a regular Runoff reader (and if you are, congratulations) then you might be aware that we are not the sportiest of offices. Just last summer during our staff picnic in Kennington Park, a young man asked Phil from accounts to kick his ball back and Phil suffered a panic attack requiring medical intervention. Having said that, we know there is a world class Oval pitch in beloved patch and we recently checked it out for you. Sort of. 

Our overall mission at Kia Oval was to see if cricket was a fun event for people who aren’t actually that interested in the game, in case someone invites you. The demographic was an eclectic mix of white middle class thirty somethings who apparently had just come from work, and usually in small groups. That doesn’t define us but we fit in nevertheless. There are a number of activates to busy yourself other than watching the game such as a raffle, catching a ball to win £1000, or finding the best looking player and simply Googling ‘shirtless’ after their name. For the uninitiated it is also interesting to notice the huge amount of security on the pitch, perhaps anticipating the moment when Tarquin flings an orange slice out of his Pimms. 

What surprised us most about our trip to the Oval was the vast selection of quality food and drink available. The street food stalls were organised by the uber on trend street food specialists ‘KERB’, and we saw stalls selling souvalki (which we recommend), pizza, curry, pies, venison burgers, jerk chicken and other fare. On the drinks front there was a vast array of lagers and ciders available, in addition to wines and even a cocktail bar. As you might expect from a sports venue this stuff doesn’t come cheap, with a wrap costing £9 and a pint coming in at £7. However, you can bring you own food (but not booze). 

The event we attended was T20 cricket and there are future dates listed here. It was on a weekday evening and was all over by 9:15. While you might not want to attend with a group of people who don’t know what they are looking at, if invited by a fan it’s a fun to learn more about the sport. 

And through all of the excitement, Phil finally overcame his phobia of objects being hurled at him by catching a T-shirt thrown from the boot of a Kia Sportage. 

Kennington Lane Kebab

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A few weeks ago an adorable little kebab shop popped up at the top of Kennington Lane in Vauxhall (where it meets Harleyford Road) and it’s been on our radar ever since. It’s cleverly carved out of the back of the ever popular greasy spoon Kennington Lane Café and you can even use their outside tables for your lunch if don’t mind your lamb doner mixed with a few bus fumes.  

As our Runoff identities are top secret, I’ll call my dining partner ‘Donna Kebab’, and Donna joined your scribe for the special offer at lunchtime. She had a lamb doner wrap for £6 , and I had a £5 chicken doner wrap. Donna’s was filled with tasty lamb kebab slices with some lettuce, tomato, onion and cucumber and a good slosh of chilli sauce. Mine was similar, and with the added kick of saltiness that is essential to a chicken kebab. They were slightly shrunken and encased by a tortilla wrap rather than a pitta bread which makes takeaway and eating on the run easier. Veggie kebabs are also on offer in addition to falafel. Overall much better than your average kebab, and Donna agreed. 

  • Lamb. And please don’t judge us. Photographing food is hard
  • Chicken

If you don’t have the fortune to live in Vauxhall, on Walworth Rd. there exists another of our of kebab favourites, Shawarma Hut. This is more of a Lebanese fast food affair serving up mezze, kofta, falafel, and all varieties of delicious shawarma (even Mexican). Also offered is that Lebanese staple,. Chicken wings. All very cheap and filling And on our visit this was accompanied by unnerving yet invigorating house music. 

Both are available on Deliveroo and Uber Eats

The Tupi Brunch Experience

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Brunch is something not generally covered on the Runoff, and we recently checked  out ‘Tupi’ in Elephant Park. We had given Tupi a wide berth as from the outside the joint looks quite soulless and we still feel guilty about liking Elephant Park.  But inside it’s a bright affair with a giant and colourful mural of a Tupi Indian and loads of plants. When we entered the establishment they asked if we had a reservation and by the time we completed it was full, so the word is certainly out there. 

It was mobbed by the time we left

Tupi’s styles itself as Brazilian fusion and its dinner menu does contain some staples from Brazil such as Feijoada and Muqueca. However, this was brunch and we tried to refrain from the more traditional brunch fare of eggs and pancakes (of which there many) to try things more exotic.  My guest chose huevos rancheros and this was a variation on the Mexican version, with poached egg instead of fried and sourdough instead of tortilla. It was delicious: a well sized portion of black beans, warm tomato and onion salsa, some guacamole and sour cream topped off with two poached eggs and a slice of toasted sourdough. This felt like a filling and pretty healthy way to start the day.

Your sturdy scribe had that great Brazilian delicacy, a burrito. It consisted of coriander, lime rice, black beans, sour cream, pico  de gallo, sweet corn. It was dominated by cheese and a generous amount of chicken. I would recommend this in addition to other more interesting items such as Turkish eggs or chorizo hash. Given that our little Brunch overlapped with lunch we also say punters tucking into some pretty hefty looking burgers and truffle gnocchi. 

And of course Tupi’s has a bottomless brunch as we’re pretty sure it’s illegal now not to have one. Details below – 

The Ten Best Restaurants in Greater Kennington #4

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(+ One Sunday Roast)

THE CORIANDER

Greater Kenningtontonians are almost as opinionated about their curry as their Sunday roast, but we find that the best hands down to be 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.

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 (above) 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.

Honourable mention in for Indian food goes to proper old school curry joint Gandhis in Kennington Cross which just missed our list. As you can see by celebrity strewn pictures in the window, if it’s good enough for Richard and Judy, Neil and Christine Hamilton, and some lady who’s a dead ringer for Hyacinth Bucket then it has to be good enough for us mere mortals and deserves second Indian place.

The Best Sunday Roast in Greater Kennington

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24 THE OVAL

We would like to take a pause from the nail biting and profoundly moving Top 10 list to announce that the best Sunday Roast in Greater Kennington can be found at the very cheffy ’24 The Oval’. The runner up is new kid on the Vauxhall block ‘Jolly Gardeners’ which almost knocked off ’24’ for reasons petulantly outlined at the end of this post. 

What immediately strikes you about 24 is that it is truly a temple to good food and quality ingredients. The wait staff know about the food they’re serving, and the open kitchen is a symbol of their honest approach to food. During lockdown, 24 transformed itself into a farm shop with a sideline in craft bottled beers. We were very pleased to see that this little tradition continues selling everything from Cava to carrots. 

As an ‘amuse-bouche’ each table of two is served with four miniature Yorkies served with a delicious gravy probably made with beef drippings (vegan options abound, however). My dining partner and Sunday Roast connoisseur had the pork belly which was generous and nicely soft and sticky in all the right places. Your scribe had the lamb and the shoulder was served shredded, with the leg served in pink and fatty strips.  As it is one of their specialities, the Yorkshire puddings were large and just the right side of crispy. Both roasts were served with more hearty gravy served from a saucepan.  Also evidenced was pea puree with a pleasing consistency not unlike that of baby food. 

What strikes you about 24 is that they have none of that ‘small sharing plates’ BS.  The real star of the show here is the very well cooked veg. In addition to those served with the roast, you are presented with so many additional veg items that they almost fall off the table. This included cauliflower cheese and roast potatoes which were perfectly crispy but with a soft centre. The carrots possessed an intense roasted flavour and savoy cabbage also popped in for a visit. An unexpected mystery guest for us were Jerusalem artichokes. The mains run between £19 and £23 which ain’t cheap, but we feel is worth it. 

24, if you are a KR reader (and if not you’re really missing out) we need to talk about something. You stand guilty of committing a crime pervasive in London restaurants at the moment. Namely, selling hugely overpriced wine. Your cheapest bottle is a not very cheap £29, which was almost 300% above the retail price. We are letting you off the hook as times have been tough but we’re watching you *wags finger*! Otherwise you make a mighty fine roast and you know it.