Lunch Box – Kennington Tandoori

Posted on February 17, 2020 by Kennington Runoff

The street food project at the Dog House has yet to materialise, but as we had our sights set on Kennington Cross today we decided to tick off tick another institution off our list, Kennington Tandoori.

KT has been entertaining the taste buds of local folk and Westminster glitterati since 1985 and we’ve been going for years. You might be aware that they had a foray into breakfast food a few years ago which didn’t go so well, and they are now trying their hand at the very competitive Kennington lunchtime trade with their £7.95 ‘lunch box’. Their dinners are so successful that they might even make our top 10 in a few weeks (last shameless plug alert), so we decided to check it out at noon.

First off, the reason why KT is undertaking a ‘lunch box’ is pretty apparent when you collect your meal; the place is a ghost town mid day. There are four options (one veg) for the lunch box and we opted for the tamarind chicken. It had a very good balance of sweet and tangy with a bit of spice offset with caramelised onion in a rich tomato sauce. The onion bhaji was very big and tasted more like cauliflower, which was also good. There good have been a bit more rice but that is a small matter.

KT is a very solid and filling lunch option in central Kennington if you are looking for an alternative to sandwiches and quiche. If you find the excessive packaging an issue (and we did) then you can always achieve maximum confidentiality by having a seat with and being the only punters in the room.

Getting a Bit Gassy in Oval

Posted on February 5, 2020 by Kennington Runoff

As your devoted public servants, last night we popped over to Montford Place with our almost alliteratively titled ‘Gasholder Building Public Consultation Invitation’ to meet with a group of chirpy Millennial Berkeley Homes Reps and one rather grumpy architect.

Regular Runoff readers are probably aware that we are closely watching and musing over the inexorable rise of ‘Uptown KenVo’ in Kennington Lane, and this consultation was about the high rises which will be erected inside the largest gasholder, located just behind ‘shipping container Tesco’. The other two gasholders will be pulled down in March (read about them here) and will be the site of the first stage of the development which will eventually have 1300 (!!!!) homes.

There will be 225 flats inside the gasholder, and grumpy architect mentioned that the plan had recently been altered to provide more green spaces for residents. Also, the building will have an arc shape which will reflect the very fine looking arc at the north side of the Oval. The gasholder will not be dismantled, and apparently construction materials will delivered underground (!!!!).

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When completed the whole site will be set between Kennington Lane, Montford Place, the Oval and Vauxhall Street, which is pretty huge. Apparently the elevation to Vauxhall Street will be retail, as will a strip that runs through the gasholder itself (at bottom). At this point a Millennial Berkeley Homes Rep joined the convo and this is when we decided to get a bit subversive. The conversation went accordingly:

Berkeley – We’re thinking that there could be some locally owned cafes in there, or maybe a crèche

Runoff – Or there could be a Starbucks

Berkeley – Umm…or there could be a library in there.

Runoff – Or what about a Pret INSIDE a Starbucks?

Berkeley – Err….

If you want more information or your own chance to be a bit subversive, the next consultation is this Thursday (6 Feb) from 6-8 at 37 Montford Place. If you choose the subversive route you first might want to pop into the Pilgrim Pub for a swift one.

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Didi and Franc

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Kennington Runoff

We were frankly devastated when Oddbins Kennington closed last year. Lord knows we tried our best to keep them open, morning, noon and night. Our loss is what’s commonly referred to as a ‘first world problem’.

Courtesy of our friends at Vanilla Black, the site is about to be reborn Phoenix like as a wine and cheese shop called ‘Didi and Franc’, also billing itself as a ‘deli/wine/bistro’. This information was garnered from Instagram, where they have established a presence.

We contacted Didi and Franc about their opening date and they conservatively replied ‘spring’. We will have a full, in-depth and extremely positive review after we receive an invitation to their launch party*

*This never works

Winter Interest

Posted on January 9, 2020 by Kennington Runoff

It’s a bit unorthodox to be writing about gardens in the bleak midwinter, but we all need a bit of greenery in our lives, especially when the sky matches the grey Kennington pavements.

Harleyford Road Community Garden in Vauxhall wsd created by the demolition of a terrace of Georgian properties in the 1970’s which featured inordinately large front gardens. In 1984 the progressive residents of nearby Bonnington Square agreed to work in partnership with Lambeth to turn the site into a place of quiet refuge amongst the nearby smog and snarl.

The arboreal product of the partnership created 36 years ago persists to this day, and even in winter offers a great place for the public to stroll, eat a sandwich, reflect, or just experience an element of silence. The garden is divided into several different areas and includes a children’s play area, lawns, benches, picnic areas, and a mossy green pond. It prides itself on being the only accessible wildlife site in the area.

The Garden is still maintained by volunteers from Bonnington Square, and it without question possesses the quirky, ‘planty’. and independent aesthetic of the Square. This is evident in the mosaic wall and paving stones implanted with chipped china and rocks. In reality the entire layout of the Gardens are the masterwork of Bonnington residents, and well done.

With no small amount of surreal irony our quiet, pastoral refuge is sponsored by the rather notorious nightclub ‘Fire’. As intrepid and responsible local journalists we approached Runoff management about getting to the bottom of this relationship (in a strictly professional capacity of course) by actually going to Fire at 3am last Saturday. We were rapidly rebuked and informed that this would be ‘inappropriate’ and ‘compromise the ethos of the site’. Well lets see about that and watch this space.

The Gardens are very kid friendly and also placid and safe for people on their own who seek solace and serenity. Enjoy!

Longdan Supermarket…Our Local Asian Superstore

Posted on January 3, 2020 by Kennington Runoff

If it isn’t on your gerbil trail then you’ve probably missed a very unique place at the top of Walworth Road called ‘Longdan’. Longdan is a pan Asian supermarket with a very tasty Vietnamese street food restaurant attached called ‘Aobaba’.

We know that some of you sit up at night wondering just where you can source dried lotus seeds and 50 kilo sacks of jasmine rice. Well, now you’re in luck. Longdan specialises in hard to find products from Japan, Vietnam, China, Thailand and Malaysia, among other places. The hard to find products are perfect if you are feeling inventive, want a bit of culinary inspiration, or just want a browse. For the cautious sorts much of their fresh exotic goods are sold frozen and can be kept for the long haul.

One thing Longdan does very well is condiments (and who among us doesn’t favour a nice condiment?) and you can bag a range of soy and chili sauces, bean curd, stir fry mixes, and good old fashioned Siriracha. Recently we bought banana leaves to remind us of the time we were in Kolkata (oops, better pick up that name we just dropped!) in a sad effort to resurrect our curry meal there. Having said that, our favourite bit is at the back, where they sell a variety of Asian kitchen products which are largely impractical for western chefs but a great way to make you feel like a cooking pro.

As for Aobaba, it offers cheap and delicious Vietnamese fare to eat in or take away. In the past we’ve enjoyed summer rolls, Banh Mi (baguettes), grilled pork and beef noodles. At the time of writing they didn’t do Pho, but our capital certainly isn’t lacking in those joints…

So, if your gerbil trail leads inexorably to our depressing ‘Shipping Container Tesco’ then try moving in another direction for a bit of a culinary challenge. Cabbage roots, anyone?

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Meet the Locals 1 – James Gill of ABC

Posted on December 8, 2019 by Kennington Runoff

Recently we had a nice chin wag with comedian and overall ‘fun guy’ James Gill about his Thursday comedy night, Always Be Comedy, at the Tommyfield in central Kennington. For the uninitiated, ABC features some established comics (last Thursday we saw Marcus Brigstocke and the crap evidence is below) with up and coming folks. Once you recover from the crowd resembling a giant reunion of contestants from ‘The Apprentice’ it’s a nice place to unwind and have a giggle at this most stressful time of year.

KR – How long has ABC been running and what inspired you to start it?

James – Oh my gosh! It’s been more than EIGHT YEARS. I started it with two former housemates: Stuart Keeping and Paul Vale.. So I’m the last man standing. Christ. This is how The Sugababes must feel. Why did we start? I still have no idea whatsoever. I think it was so I could learn how to MC. But I’m guessing. I have no idea. If you ever find out, please will you tell me?

KR – What makes a good audience member? And what about a bad audience member?

James – A good audience member is someone who laughs. At the right times, obviously. If they’re just sat laughing all night, before the show, at the set-ups and through the breaks, then they may be unwell, and I now feel genuinely sorry for this fictional person in my head. A bad audience member. Oh, the person who has turned up to actively have a shit night: arms folded and a general aura that says, “Yeah, well what have you got?” I try to spot them early on and ask them to unfold their arms as they’ll have a much nicer experience.

KR – Can you tell us a bit about the games you play before the show and during the break?

James – Yes! Absolutely. It feels like we used to play a lot more weird and wonderful games, and perhaps I was personally hiding behind the games. So I try to be a lot more man-and-a-mic these days, with the games a lot more pared back. That’s because I MC and do telly warm-up a lot elsewhere, and it wasn’t realistic carrying a bag full of props to, say, Leeds. I do sometimes miss the ridiculous games – especially the Nerf-related games. Maybe it’s time to resurrect the Nerf. You can never have a Nerf… I am SO sorry.

KR – What can punters expect to see in 2020?

James- Lots of shows are booked already. So from late summer into autumn, we’ve got Sara Pascoe, Rachel Parris, Ivo Graham, Iain Stirling, Ellie Taylor and heaps more. And perhaps a bit more Nerf. Have I gone on a bit too long? I feel a Nerf is a Nerf… Again, so sorry. Thank you so much for the chat and hopefully we’ll see a lot more local faces at future gigs. And, again, if you know why we started the gig, be sure to come over and have a chat with me.

Kuma Restaurant Opens in Kennington

Posted on November 24, 2019 by Kennington Runoff

We’ve been waiting for this new Japanese/Korean joint to open almost all log as we waited for The Great Pong of Kennington Tube to subside. We were rewarded when it opened to the public yesterday (23 Nov) in the space that used to the ‘Doost’ and tonight we made a visit. It is a great stop if you fancy variety in your east Asian food and features bento, kimchi, BBQ, bibimbap, and some sushi. They also have plenty of wines and beers.

At first we had a mild hesitation that Kuma was going to feature fusion cuisine (imagine the horror of kimchi sushi) but were assuaged when the menu featured a distinction between it’s Korean and Japanese fare. The vibe was young, casual, and the lighting was on the bright side of acceptable. The timing of the food wasn’t great but you except this in a place open for two days,

My dining partner had the tonkotsu bento box, with the main feature being breaded pork katsu. Said partner would have liked a bit more slop of the tangy sauce but it was very well proportioned and the sauce even managed to make the bean sprouts better than usual.

I had prawn gyoza which were grilled well and had definitely not had part of their lives wasted by a freezer. I then had the chicken bulgogi (say it like a pro…..Boo-GOH-gee) which are very thin strips of meat grilled on a BBQ. The chicken had a very good sauce and featured spring onion. It was billed as ‘hot’ and it certainly was. And so generous that I couldn’t finish it.

Earlier this year we reviewed Korean Place Daebak and the now well established Japanese place Taro. I think Daebak takes its fare a bit more seriously and Taro is a kind of Japanese sushi ‘canteen’ and can’t really be compared. I went downstairs to go to the toilet and ‘accidentally’ walked into the kitchen. I could not see any sign of sous chef Mike(rowave) and it appeared that everything was made on site. The bill, with four beers, came to £50 which was reasonable. When the bill came we tried to pull the ‘but we’re Kennington INFLUENCERS’ trick, but they were having none of it.

Uptown KenVo

Posted on November 19, 2019 by Kennington Runoff

From this moment forward the Runoff will be referring to the patch of our terrain between Kennington Cross and Vauxhall as ‘Uptown KenVo’ due to the volume of high rises going up in the area. This afternoon we attended a consultation about a new development proposed (which means, it’s gonna happen) in Montford Place next to the gin distillery. For the observant sorts, we wrote about this plot of land in May as it used to be a pickle factory and was laterally used as a bottling site for Beefeater. Since it was purchased by TfL for the northern line extension in 2013 it has been the site of gravel and lorries…But not for much longer!

Developers Grainger Plc recently purchased the site and are in the early consultation stages of developing the site into two buildings. They aren’t as far along as development of the Applegreen site, but they could confirm that there will be two buildings, one 8 floors and the other 12 floors, with 140 flats. Of these 40% will be affordable housing and most will be studios and one bedroom flats, with building to start in 2021. We were told that the buildings will have the ‘look and feel’ of the homes on the Tesco site, which we assume was meant to be positive. The architect illustrated how the buildings will look by means of playing ‘Jenga’ to entertained onlookers and his efforts are below.

There will be a kind of ‘avenue’ between the buildings and Lambeth have stipulated that the shop fronts at ground level be dedicated to businesses which are not retail and reflect the demographic of people who might live in the residences, such as workspaces. While this is very laudable, the counter argument is that it deprives Kenningtonians of places where they can go in the evening, such as restaurants or microbreweries, and will be closed by 6pm. We love a lively KV debate, so if you agree or think we are bonkers feel free to leave your comments below.

If you are curious or just bored the consultation is will be taking place again on Saturday, 23 Nov. from 10-4 at Kennington Park Community Centre in Harleyford Road. I’m sure the architect will be on hand to play Jenga if you fancy a twirl.

An Apple a Day Doesn’t Keep the Developers Away

Posted on November 8, 2019 by Kennington Runoff

Guess what, Greater Kennington? You’re about to be the proud parents of another high rise! Yep, the Apple Green petrol station (and home to our favourite Greggs) in Kennington Lane has been sold to developers. Tonight we went along to their consultation to find out more.

First of all, the developers want us to know they want to ‘make maximum use of the site’, which is developer’s parlance for ‘lets build loads of luxury flats’. Apparently the building was going to be 62 metres but ‘we decided to be sympathetic to the scale of the local area’. That’s developer’s parlance of ‘Lambeth wouldn’t let us make it that big’. The building will have 15 floors and contain 116 units, and of these units 35% will be for affordable rents. That developer’s parlance for ‘Lambeth told us they couldn’t all cost two million quid’.

To their credit, they have stated that they will be using light green terracotta tiles and draw influence from Royal Doulton Ceramics, respecting local history. However, they also said that they will ‘be influenced by the Berkeley Homes development across the street (say what!). They’ve also said that the want to emphasize cycling, and this is how that conversation went:

DEVELOPERS – “Yes, we’re thinking that the retail until on the ground floor could be an independent cycle café concept shop”

RUNOFF – Yeah, or it could be a Poundland.

How they manage to contort 116 flats into a what is essentially a petrol station forecourt is certainly a daunting task. And if you want to behold the daunting task yourself, or if you want to lose your collective sh*t then you are in luck as they are having another consultation tomorrow (Saturday) from 12 – 4 at the Foundry, 17 Oval Way. The website for the development can be found here. Apparently they have a few more hurdles to pass with Lambeth, but construction could start by autumn of 2020.

In other matters, we just had wind of more high rises that just passed the planning stages that will be located on that no mans land of a vacant lot next to the Beafeater Gin distillery. When we go to the consultation we’ll fill you in.

A Little History of 20th Century Architecture in Our Realm, Part 1

Posted on October 29, 2019 by Kennington Runoff

Ok boys and girls, move your chairs up. We’re about to tell about the recent history of the Duchy of Cornwall Estate in two petite, pop up pieces. The first covers the development of the area in Kennington and Vauxhall from 1890 to 1914; the second covers the era between the wars. For the unaware, the Duchy is one of the titles of the Prince of Wales, which is why you can see his heraldic badge popping up around the area. We’ve included a few pics of what we are writing about the bottom, and we have more on our Instagram page.

The modern history of the Duchy Estate commenced in the 1890’s when many middle class folk were abandoning our area. Kennington had not escaped the exodus of people to greener and cleaner areas in the suburbs, and most of the housing stock had become very run down. The Duchy was concerned about the conditions in which many of our predecessors lived, and a start was made in 1893 to create modern, cleaner tenements. These first edifices were social experiments and still very much exist in Chester Way, the Duchy Arms end of Courtney St, bits of Newburn St, and Kennington Lane among other places.

In 1909, following a tour of housing estates in Germany, Stanley Adshead proposed further development of the Estate as more land became available. His idea was to draw middle class people back to our area, but the Duchy resisted as it felt it had a much more noble obligation to re-house existing tenants, mostly the old and working poor who were living in very substandard conditions. What they agreed on and what we still see today reflect a compromise. The houses on Denny Street (where you can see the German gabled influence of Ashtead’s travels), Cardigan St, and the bottom of Courtney Street were then created not for the destitute, but for older people and working families who deserved something better. A new and revolutionary kind of tenement was also erected, now called Woodstock Court, set around a central courtyard.

In designing some of the homes of this period, Ashtead was influenced by the Georgian houses in Kennington Road, which by that time were well over 100 years old. As an urban neighbourhood he appreciated the scale and feel of being in a town, as opposed to the rustic terraces inspired by Victorians like William Morris, and his small squares remain an influence. One of his last projects was St. Anselm’s Church in Kennington Cross. Work was commenced and then paused in 1914 due to the war, not to be resumed until 1933. You can see the pause in the brickwork about 16 feet on the side of the building. And this, reader, is where our story itself pauses.

In our next atom of archival architecture we will move through the first world war and up to the second, and focus on the estates in Oval and further into Vauxhall.

If you would like some more insight into the Duchy of Cornwall Estate check out this documentary on YouTube. If you have a poor attention span like us scroll to minute 41 where they talk about Kennington, Vauxhall and Oval. You might even see your own home!

The Kennington Observer (formerly Kennington Runoff)

Surreptitiously observing Kennington, including the suburbs Vauxhall, Oval, Walworth, and Elephant since 2012

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