We imagine many of you have recently been saying ‘so just WHEN will a Filipino burrito bar/artspace/coffee joint with beer ever come to Kennington Cross’? Well the wait is over and we’ve just been blessed with  ‘Eat the Sunshine, Down the Sun’, which has replaced the not very good Café 303 in Kennington Cross.  ETSDTS reached out for a meeting to tell us a bit more about their venture, but of course we don’t take requests as that would make us no different to a DJ. Instead we submitted some questions to see if they reached the threshold of a clandestine yet glamorous visit from the Observer. And they have.

First things first ETSDTS —- we are LOVING the name. Eat the Sunshine refers to the café on the ground floor and Down the Sun to the gallery in the basement. ETSDTS is similar in nature to burrito fast food joints such as Tortilla or Chipotle (but cheaper) in that you pick your bowl/burrito and then build it according to your wishes. Down the Sun refers to the artspace downstairs. It was previously the kitchen and toilets of Café 303, and possessed a distinct aroma of ammonia and wet cat hair. It has now been transformed into a fragrant pop up gallery until 22 Nov featuring the sonic work of Cameron Graham. The artist is usually in residence in the evening.

Karen from Finance, resplendent in her Mounjaro shine, opted for a very healthy chicken salad bowl. The chicken was served as a whole thigh, brushed with lemongrass and oil. Added to the dish was an assortment of extras including pickled onions, corn salsa and papaya with a soy/vinegar dressing. It was all very wholesome and well seasoned. Karen declaimed, whilst excavating an onion from between her teeth ‘its just perfect for those on weight reducing injections’. Your scribe indulged in a burrito with braised pork belly glazed in a tangy soy sauce. With the extras, the overall tasting notes were rich and a bit spicy with the onions acting as a sweet counterbalance. This is Filipino food made from the heart.

ETSDTS is owned and operated by Sam, Nikki, and Angela. On our visit Sam and Nikki were working on the line with their lovely 6 year daughter (she wasn’t working). And of course a café in Kennington Cross wouldn’t be a café if it didn’t cater to caffeine addictions, and it has a number of cakes, coffees, and teas for the morning folk. ETDTS is open from 9:00 – 14:00 Tues to Sun for burritos and coffee.  For burritos and beer they open again from 17:00 – 23:00 Wed-Sat. We’re not sure how many local folk are drinking beer and buying art at 11pm on a weeknight, but let’s make this happen!