Category Archives: Walworth

The Electric Elephant in the Room

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We recently made a long overdue visit to the very quirky and oft overlooked ‘Electric Café’ in Walworth. For those who have never been or only peeked through their eclectic windows, you might confuse it with a charity shop. Or it could remind you of your great aunt Edna’s loft just after she made her way to heaven. Either way, it’s a great spot to meet up with friends or to work for a few hours.  

Electric café is run by friendly and chatty owner Louisa, who on a daily basis serves homemade, meat free sandwiches, soups and pastries. On the board during our visit was falafel and hummus toasties, goats cheese salad, luscious looking brownies, and meat free pasties. Louisa also makes her own jellies, marmalades and chutneys, which are for sale on the counter. As if Louisa doesn’t have enough on her plate, she also does catering and the place can be hired out in the evening. Electric also has a rooted social conscience, and during our visit signs were being put up designating it as  a safe space for people escaping domestic trouble. 

Electric café is in the very interesting artists commune of Pullens Yard, (below) and well worth gander or a nosey peek around there in the daytime. So if you ever wake up thinking that what’s really missing in your life is a café with a glitter ball, repurposed cocktail bar and an old sewing machine, then look no further. And if your trip requires WiFi, then the router can be found teetering atop a stack of used books on the right, which are for sale. Have fun! 

Dragon Castle

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There are plenty of things that you can experience in Elephant and Castle. For instance, being hit by a car. Or being mowed down by a Just Eat delivery person cycling on the pavement. But one doesn’t often experience high quality Chinese food there. It’s for this reason that we were devastated when our favourite Cantonese ‘Dragon Castle’ closed in March  2020, but they are now back with a vengeance. 

They taste better than they look

With the cheap chandeliers, plastic plants, lazy Susan’s and even a water feature, at Dragon Castle you delightfully experience the feel of being in a mega restaurant in Beijing without the torture of six lateral flow tests and a 10 hour flight. But alas, you are at the top of Walworth Road. We commenced our feast with the dim sum sampler. Dim sum is a speciality of DC, and they did not disappoint. Crammed with prawns and veg, they were congealed in a very pleasing way and were almost certainly made fresh on the day. 

My dining partner enjoyed a main of braised pork belly and broccoli flavoured with soy and spices which the dining partner described as  ‘delicious and  also generously sized’. A slight sweetness to balance the saltiness and meltingly soft pork was evident. It was a delicious soft fat, as you want, but with a high ratio of pork meat and plenty of it. 

Your scribe ordered the sizzling beef and black bean with green pepper, onion, and chilli. Served with generous soy sauce, the beef was extremely lean and tender. It was just on the right side of spicy with the black bean sauce creating a big, palate clinging flavour. The generous sticky rice portions were served in metal lined baskets looking not dissimilar to mop buckets.  

  • Beef
  • Pork

Dragon Castle is not as affordable as it used to be but still good value for the quality of the food. We ordered draft beer as the wines started at £25. Importantly. there were not a retinue of delivery people scurrying in and out (but DC is on Deliveroo). A fun night out, and the risk of a vehicular injury could perhaps even add to the adventure. 

Orbit Brewery

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Were you aware that Greater Kennington has it’s own top flight micro brewery?  Well if not we’re here to tell you about Orbit Brewery, located in a tiny pocket at the corner of the KR catchment area, off Walworth Road. We wrote about it’s more embryonic concept in 2016. 

Orbit Brewery is the brainchild of Scotsman Robert Middleton, who has been producing beers under the arches in Walworth since 2014. Orbit used to sell a small volume of beers on site and about three months ago hired another arch across the road to create taproom selling their wares and, straight on the pulse, pop up food. We went on a Friday evening and sat outside and it proved to be a little urban oasis. Well, if you can escape the notion that you could be in the forecourt of a car repair shop or that place behind a nightclub where they store the bins. BUT, it had a good mix of locals and we were very pleased to see groups of women in what is sometimes construed as a male space. 

In a very challenging assignment, your dedicated scribe opted for the ‘IVO’ pale ale. I was getting hits of tangerine and some tropical fruits, cream and honey with just a bit of bitterness. My colleague had the ‘Peel’ pale ale.  It was Belgian and intensely hoppy, with notes of lemon and lime zest and bits of pepper and other forms of citrus. The colleague then had the ‘Dead Wax’ London porter, with a great deal of malt, not a great deal of bitterness, and spicy hops. And it was particularly coffee flavoured. They also feature a tzatziki flavoured beer which featured notes of cucumber and, yes, yogurt if you want to create illusion that you’re drinking something healthy.  The beer is served in pints, 2/3 and half pints if you like to mix things up. 

On the food front, we must disappointedly report that it was adequate but did not just really justify the £12 price point for a burger and potatoes. Granted, the potatoes were well cooked and the right side of greasy. We had the Challah baps which just didn’t really hit the mark on the flavour and seasoning front. We think bar snacks are the best accompaniment to your very own delicious Walworth crafted beer. And, like us, after a few you might find yourself in Orbit too. 

Mama Thai in the House

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When your brain thinks ‘I really want a quiet meal out tonight’ the first thing that pops into your head hopefully isn’t ‘Walworth Road’. And it wasn’t ours until we got wind of a delightfully and totally old school Thai joint called ‘Mama Thai’ that reminded us of a Thai place that you might see off a night market in Bangkok. 

We got there early

My associate had the Pad Prik Khing. Now this might sound like a name you’d call a psycho ex-boyfriend, but it was in fact a stir fry with chicken and aubergine which had a big red curry kick and fairly heavy on the fish sauce saltiness. Nice big flavours that paired quite well with a generously proportioned coconut fried rice for some sweet and salt balance. 

Your scribe had the Baikapraow with chicken. It was a very pleasingly stir fry affair with loads of chili and loads of holy basil. Also mixed in was fish sauce, onion, ginger and a ‘don’t kiss me now’ amount of garlic. For a starter we shared spring rolls which we are pretty sure were home made and delicious. 

On of the best things about Mama Thai is that it is BYOB and there is a handy Tesco Metro across the street. Apparently its Pinot with Thai. So with two starters, one main and two rice dishes the total came to well under £30. 

Whilst eating our old school Thai we were entertained by some very pleasing mid naughties Ibiza chill out music. When paying the bill we told the endearingly grandfatherly proprietor that we enjoyed the music and it was unique to hear in a Thai restaurant. Without missing a beat he replied ‘I love techno and dance music and it really makes people happy. I’ve been to Buddha Bar in Paris a few times’. Wow 

If that comment doesn’t make you love living in Greater Kennington then we don’t know what does! 

Getting Curious in Walworth

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We’ve experienced an inordinate amount of giddy thrill at the recent opening of Walworth Library and Southwark Heritage Centre in Walworth Road. Granted, when the biggest thrill of the day involves matching Tupperware containers to lids the threshold is pretty low. But this is a library with a difference. 

The library offers your usual library accessories in an open and quiet environment on several different levels. These include quiet places to read or work, bookable PC’s, a kids area, a curiously large travel section, and individual rooms to book. On our visit all of the seating was occupied as some chairs had been removed for obvious reasons. Intriguingly, set amongst the books are curios and artefacts from Southwark’s collection that very cleverly match the subject matter to the books around them. 

As we know you inhale your Runoff articles like a freshly baked brownie from Sally White’s, you’ll be aware that last year we wrote about the most curious man in Greater Kennington, Richard Cuming. The man collected everything from Egyptian mummies to rail tickets to harpoons. Upon the death of his son the collection was bequeathed to Southwark where it was mothballed for several years following a fire. A number of pieces have now been resurrected and form the backbone of the Heritage Centre It’s a fascinating collection of artefacts and artwork from around the world, interspersed with more recent history from Southwark’s past. In future the library will also have rotating art exhibitions. Check it out and maybe you can be the next most curious person in Greater Kennington.

All Hail Longdan!

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Since the current lockdown began there is barely a facet of our lives that hasn’t been impacted. These include the small things (not being able to go to the pub) and the huge things (not being able to go to the pub). But one thing it hasn’t impacted is our ability to cook. I know you’re thinking ‘but those Runoff people are always getting takeaways’ and, well, you might have a point there. But we also enjoy cooking, and by a mile our favourite food shop is the fascinating and slightly surreal Longdan Supermarket in Walworth Road. 

Longdan is a pan Asian Market specialising in mainstream and, well, less conventional items from Thailand to Korea. They stock everything you need in terms of Asian fare such as sushi making kits, a wide variety of rices, sauces, every Asian noodle imaginable, tinned fruits, beers, sake, dumplings, buns and obscure and mainstream fresh herbs/salads. They also stock a huge volume of frozen fish.  One thing they do exceptionally well is condiments, and you can bag a range of soy and chili sauces, bean curd, stir fry mixes, and good old fashioned Siriracha. 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 and impress your friends – ‘hey Sally, you mean you DON’T have a glutinous rice strainer? Hmmmm’.  

The wonderfully surreal element of Longdan is that they stock some items so specialised that it makes you feel as if you’re in a supermarket in China. These include chicken feet, snouts, nerves, testicles and, on one visit, brains*. Ever have a craving for mud fish or pangasius? Well they can sort you out. More mainstream watery things can be found in the guise of clams, anchovies and prawns. And if you ever feel that what is really missing in your life is a mini Buddhist Chinese shrine, then they’ve got you covered. The Vietnamese street food restaurant that used to be attached to Longdan is  sadly now gone, but the silver lining is that you can now make this at home.

*Vegans might want to give this place a wide berth. Or just order online. 

Change Please?

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The jury is still out as to whether the mind boggling juggernaut that is Elephant Park is actually in the Runoff catchment area (if you live there don’t get your hopes up). However, for the purpose of this review it is, as one of the few good things to emerge from it is a social enterprise coffee and cocktail shop called ‘Change Please’, which opened in December.

Change Please is a London based social enterprise venture started five years ago by Cemal Ezel. Disillusioned with his work in the City, Ezel set up Change Please in order to help homeless people become expert Baristas by a offering them training and a London wage job. They also assist people with housing, getting a bank account and therapeutic support if needed. All profits from the company go to reduce homelessness more generally in the UK. How is this possible, you might ask? According to Ezel, ‘The margins in coffee are very wide indeed, but usually not used in the right places’. And that even goes for you, Starbucks. 

There are several branches of ‘Change Please’ and our little outpost enticingly advertises cocktails as well. When we enquired about this the Barista explained that cocktails aren’t on the menu at the moment as lockdown takeaway alcohol just ain’t happenin’, but will be back. This was probably all for the best as it was 10am. For coffee, they have your standard bearer espresso, macchiato, Americana, latte, flat white, cappuccino, teas and baked goods. All of their cups are 100% recyclable. They also stock an impressive range of non coffee items such as soaps, chocolates, peanut butter, teacups and little gift hampers. 

We would love to tell you that we discovered Change Please as a result of our deep and abiding contacts within the social enterprise community. We actually saw it profiled on ‘Jamie and Jimmie’s Friday Night Feast’ on Channel 4. Scroll down on the Change Please website to see what they found.

Change Please is at 131 Walworth Road and well worth a lunchtime/weekend wander. 

It’s a Big Town

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In spite of Rishi Sunak’s lauded £10 meal deal, some Greater Kenningtonians are still  reluctant to eat out. This is understandable, as some of our neighbours are taking social distancing about as seriously as, let’s be honest, licking a doorknob. The Runoff team used this reality as a flimsy excuse to order takeaway last week. If you are a regular reader you can probably surmise that this was  not going to be a traditional undertaking, and after research and recommendations we reached a very logical conclusion. Of course, Nigerian street food from Walworth Road.

Big Town is a newish, funky Nigerian street food outlet on Walworth Road just across the street from M&S. Not knowing a great deal about Nigerian cuisine, we took to the internet for recommendations and expectations and ordered the  following –

Jollof rice is most familiar staple of Nigerian food, and we ordered prawn jollof (other meat and veg options were also on offer). It was a generous and delicately spiced affair. Next was the beef suya, which were blackened and grilled strips of beef with a peanut rub, with the consistency of jerky. A bit of a spice kick in the end. The suya chicken wings were also ordered, which were cooked the same way but very much fell off the bone. Both of these dishes were punctuated by a rash of onions.

  • Jollof
  • Beef
  • Chicken wings

The most interesting  item your intrepid gastronomes consumed was the eguasi soup (we opted for the fish variety). Less like a soup and more like a curry, it was a blow your head off collision of scotch bonnet meets palm oil (we know palm oil is evil so please forgive us). It seemed to contain a pureed gourd or squash and definitely pureed onion. It also contained melon. If you order this just ensure you have a giant glass of water to hand. Or in our case wine. 

Eguasi. Look, we never claimed to be professional photographers.

Nigerian cuisine doesn’t exactly meet the lofty altitudes of Italian or Chinese nor does it claim to. However, for a takeway adventure of a weekend it is a great alternative to pizza or chow mein. With hindsight this was rather ‘in your face’ cooking in terms of heat and spices.  And after a full Nigerian meal you certainly won’t be feeling the pang to lick doorknobs.  

From workshops to squatters – a social history of the Pullens estate

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If you live in Walworth, or just walk through it, you’ve probably noticed a very fine example of Victorian tenement style dwellings in Penton Place. These are the remaining buildings of the Pullens estate. They have a very curious history, boys and girls, and we’re going to tell you about their history of workmen and squatters rights. 

The Pullens estate was made of 684 almost identical one bedroom dwellings with 106 workshops behind (in Clements, Pecock and Illfie Yards, which remain). This was an early version of a live/work space as most of the people worked in the workshops and cobbled streets behind the buildings.  This contrasts with the later Peabody dwellings which just focused on housing families. While the dwellings proved wildly popular, not a great deal is known about the workshops.  

Zoom ahead to the 1977 and, in the eyes of Southwark, the estate was in serious decline and they wanted it demolished. After a high court battle half of the estate was demolished and half remained. The battle emboldened the residents, who formed a tight knit community in order to fend off future threats. To combat this, Southwark decided to stop letting out properties as they became vacant. With the support of the Tenants Association, the properties were given over to squatters who acted as caretakers. During two drawn out legal procedures in the 1980’s over threatened evictions, public interest in the plight of the squatters grew and it gained national attention. 

By 1986 Southwark had enough, and on 10 June the bailiffs moved in to evict the squatters. The residents were prepared, and many barricaded their homes against forced entry. 26 people were evicted, but as the bailiffs did not understand the unique layouts of the buildings, many just shifted their belongings and moved back in again. This became known at the ‘Battle of the Pullens’. Negotiations followed afterwards which led to the squatters being awarded caretakers rights and plans to demolish the rest of the estate were abandoned. The association were also responsible for turning the site of a demolished building into a park. It is now Pullen’s Gardens and a lovely place for a spot of lunch. 

Richard Cuming, the most curious man in Kennington

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In the 55 years that have elapsed since the middle of March, we’ve starting undertaking socially distanced walks around Greater Kennington. It was during one of these walks that we became more familiar with a true Kennington original and maybe the progenitor of all the Kennington eccentrics who have come after him; Richard Cuming.

Richard Cuming Kennington

Richard was raised in Walworth Road (intersection of Manor Place, now a McDonalds) in 1777. and it was here that his aunt and other family members sparked his curiosity for collecting all things unusual by giving him fossils, old coins, Indian arrowheads, and other ephemera which were easily available at the time, In adulthood Richard moved to 63 Kennington Road (below) and his collection grew to include items as varied as stuffed animals, ceramics, harpoons, footwear, and even early sunglasses.  Unlike many gentlemen collectors of his era, Richard never actually left the UK but was given these items or picked them up in markets around London.

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Richard’s collection in Kennington Road eventually grew to include over 25,000 objects and he was happy to show off his curiosities to as many people a possible. The home was a haven for collectors, scientists, historians, and  any passing Kenningtonian who shared his passion for all things unusual. The passion was passed on to his son Henry who, after his father’s death in 1870, moved the collection in a more populist direction by collecting objects that revealed the ordinary lives of south Londoners  from rail tickets to cheap toys and good luck charms

 

When Henry Cuming died in 1902 he bequeathed the collection to what was to become the London Borough of Southwark with the proviso that the collection be exhibited ‘in a suitable and spacious gallery or apartments in connection with Newington Public Library’. This wish was realised when the Cuming Museum was opened in Walworth Road in 1906. With a few additions from other sources the museum became very popular, a sort of Welcome Collection south of the river. The museum thrived until 2013 when the town hall complex was engulfed in flames and the building gutted.

Luckily, 98% of Richard and Henry’s collection survived the great fire and it is in storage until Southwark figures out what to do with it. But fear not, dear reader, as the collection very much lives on online and its quirky highlights can be found here. Now wash those hands!

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