One of the joys of going to the Prince of Wales in Cleaver Square is that it gives one the otherworldly feeling of being transported to a rural pub in the Cotswolds. A place populated by people wearing cords in the summer and saying things like ‘well, daddy’s having a bugger of a time housing that second pony’. But when a meal deal is in the offing we don’t mind sticking out a bit
We came to the PoW to enjoy their Fishy Friday meal deal, which entitles diners to two fish and chips for £20, and this great value was definitely the default option for most of the diners we saw. You might think this keen pricing would mean some skimping on portion size but this was not the case. Our fish was beautifully fresh, large and in a crisp batter that had been made in house, and possibly so was the tartare sauce it came with. The chips were serviceable, of the “chunky McCain’s” variety. We do wish more places would offer homemade chips, but understand they are a hassle. Finally there were some minted mushy peas thrown in the mix.
When our surreal evening with Tarquin and his floppy haired pals drew to a close we departed, only to encounter outside the pub a group of men MORRIS DANCING! And they were throwing serviettes in the air. In KENNINGTON! This was quiet enough surreal country fun for one evening so we gave them a wide berth but the evidence is below. And you don’t get that at All Bar One.
If you dare venture into other neighbourhoods, you might have detected that big venues full of small eateries are now well established. An example is Market Place in Vauxhall which we reviewed in 2022. With Railtrack’s mission of gentrifying the gays out of the Vauxhall arches now nearing it’s completion, we felt compelled to visit enormous Metropolis London in Albert Embankment. While Metropolis itself is far from independent it’s food stalls definitely are, and here is what we found.
We took new intern and overall zippy gal Beth for a working lunch. As Beth is on a health kick, she headed over to the Curry Club and chose the dahl with spinach and paratha. At £6.99 this has to be one of the bargains of the Metropolis food options (which aren’t exactly cheap). As you can see, it was a small but adequate serving of a luscious dahl with good spice and coconut coming through and it is served with two whole parathas, providing plenty of that flaky, stretchy Indian flatbread to soak everything up. She pronounced it to be very good indeed and a terrific lunch option.
Your scribe headed for the curiously named Uzbeki place ‘Shpaz’, which Beth observed is the sound that a tiny dog makes when it pops out of a posh lady’s handbag and sneezes. For £10 we had the Lag Nam chicken noodles. Served in a rich broth, this healthy option featured hand pulled noodles, carrots, celery, peppers and what tasted like barberries and dried coriander. Very light and satisfying. Other cuisines at Metropolis include Italian, Thai, burgers, pizza, Japanese and Greek. And of course poke bowls, as it is now illegal to have a food village without one.
We are aware that these look like dishes that could be served in a prison canteen but….photographing food is very difficult!
Metropolis occupies two huge arches and there are plenty of tables both outside and in. Outside features a cute coffee/pasty hut which also serves pints. The second arch is dominated by a massive bar and a stage to appeal to an evening crowd. While it is very sad that thanks to Railtrack independent LGBTQI+ assets such as Above the Stag theatre have gone to that giant curtain call in the sky, at least there are some independent shops of a fashion opening up in their place.
We recently paid a visit to newish cookie/brownie/sandwich/coffee (whew) shop Chocolate Dino Company at the top of Kennington Road to inspect their fares. Dino’s Is owned by local boys Rafal and Marcin who joined the baking bandwagon, as so many Greater Kenningtonians did, during lockdown in 2020 (we interviewed some of them during the great flour/toilet roll crisis of 2020). What started as a mail order cookie business (and still is) evolved into the fellas beginning to sell their wares at pop up food markets and places such as Winter Wonderland and outlets such as KERB. This evolved into a Kickstarter campaign which resulted in the current business.
In addition to cookies and brownies, the Dino boys also sell cupcakes, brownies, baked goods, sandwiches, coffee and, wait for it, beer and cocktails. At first we thought this a rather barmy concept, and then started thinking that this might rather be a stroke of genius. After all, what could be better than tying all your sins together by cramming a handful of cookies down your gob and then washing them down with a double G&T?
We indulged in a classic chocolate chip cookie. It was big, dense, and we could smell the butter from the first bite. It had the right amount of sweetness and the chips oozed out onto Kennington Road. We also saw orange brownies, mango cookies, and such unorthodox ingredients as basil and pepper. We chatted to the boys in our notoriously anonymous fashion, and they explained that they’ve have travelled the world to gain inspiration and like to think of their offerings as a synthesis of what they’ve learned.
Chocolate Dino Company is at 36 Kennington Road, only a few doors down from Gail’s Bakery. As if you needed another reason to not go to Gail’s, now you have one. They’re still in soft launch phase, so check their socials for opening hours (currently Friday to Sunday). And if you still choose Gail’s just remember….we’re watching.
During a recent lunch break we paid a visit to Theos Pizzeria in Elephant. You may be aware that for two years we’ve crowned Theos as having the best pizza due to their creative toppings and sourdough base. However, with metabolisms not being what they used to be, for lunch we dropped the pizza and opted for their signature sandwich, the panuozzo.
Described as a wood fired sandwich, Theos use the same delicious slow fermented pizza dough but reformat it into a sandwich-like form. Your scribe had the sausage and gorgonzola panuozzo, which was also rammed with creamy and salty gorgonzola, grilled mushrooms, mozzarella chunks, and rocket. On the side was a red chilli which packed a real punch, so it was used sparingly.
Matilda from the digital subscriptions team sometimes gets overwhelmed with too many options, but with just four handy panuozzos to chose from she had the broccoli with anchovies, mozzarella and pangranatto. Pangranatto being a sort of crunchy garlicky breadcrumb, that might seem odd in a sandwich but was actually a nice crunch to complement the soft broccoli and mozzarella. There was a good but not overpowering flavour of anchovy to round things out and of course the bread itself was sublime.
The panuozzo is £6.50 which when you think about it, is about as much as a fancy sandwich at Pret nowadays. Matilda wanted a glass of wine but when we reminded her what happened the last time she had wine at lunch we had water and the bill was under £15. And with the mounds of cheese and filling kept us filled until dinner. As no one actually pays for this site, as we were leaving we asked Matilda exactly what she does at the office. She smiled and said coyly, ‘you know, I INVOICE’. OK.
We’re taking a break from our highly subjective yet profoundly moving top 10 list to announce that the best Sunday roast in Greater Kennington is, for the fourth year in a row, the very cheffy 24 The Oval. It was also once again almost knocked off this spot for crimes against viniculture but we’ll get to that later.
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 things. 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 in 2023 and they sell 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 fanatic 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 go in for none of that ‘small sharing plates’ malarkey, the real star of the show being the very well cooked veg. In addition to those served with the roast, we were presented with so many additional veg items that they almost fell 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 chin wag. An unexpected mystery guest for us were Jerusalem artichokes. The mains run between £22.50 and £26 which ain’t cheap, but we feel is worth it once in a while and the portions seemed endless.
24, 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 £30, which is almost 225% above the retail price. Granted, this is unchanged from 2023. We are letting you off the hook as there is a cost of living/wine crisis but we’re watching you *wags finger*! Otherwise you make a mighty fine roast and you know it.
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.
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.
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!’
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!
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.
