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! 

I AM ERROR at Gasworks

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Today we attended the first day of the thought provoking exhibit I AM ERROR at Gasworks Gallery in Oval/Vauxhall by young artist Bassam Al-Sabah. Al-Sabah’s family were exiled from Baghdad to Dublin during the Persian Gulf War and this work, largely CGI and video based, explores themes of metamorphosis, change, adaptation, perseverance and reinvention.

The main gallery (there are only two) explores constructions of masculinity in what appear to be action adventure video games from the 90’s mixed in with a few papier mache heads and flies on the floor. The centrepiece is a 28 minute looped immersive film depicting a man being contorted by various forces out of his control, and this continues in the next room. The effect is strangely calming and introspective. The press release describes it as combining ‘fantasy erotica and body horror’. 

Recently we’ve all been exposed to change and transformation that has been out of our control, from the bulldozing and recreation of Elephant and Vauxhall to a virus that has altered our reality and lifestyles beyond recognition. And after eating takeaways for the past 18 months most of us have experienced a bit of ‘body horror’ ourselves, so we can all relate.

Gasworks is open Wednesday to Sunday from 12 to 6 and is totally free and air conditioned. And if you look on their website there are other free events to make you feel cultural and superior to your neighbours. 

Always Be Comedy

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At Runoff Towers we are haltingly reentering the galaxy of semi normality and now attending Greater Kennington’s own top flight comedy night Always Be Comedy in person. Over the past 16 months MC James Gill and his ever optimistic team made a noble attempt to make ABC a virtual experience but it was a bit like watching stand up in a toilet cubicle, so it was refreshing to see a return to face to face laughing. 

On Monday night we saw the irrepressible Joe Lycett and the hilarious Sarah Pascoe, and on previous trips we’ve seen the likes of Harry Hill, Katherine Ryan, Russell Howard, Romesh Ranganathan, Josh Widdecombe (whoops – better pick up those names we just dropped!), all for a tenner. The only trick is you need to be quick off the mark, and also some are billed as ‘secret’ so it is probably a good idea to be on their mailing list. And if you’ve never heard of the comedian, you might discover somebody new and only exerted a walk over and hobble back from The Tommyfield pub in Kennington Cross in the process. 

MC James Gill

The demographic at ABC does makes you feel a bit like you’ve stumbled across reunion of contestants from ‘The Apprentice’, but if you can move beyond that and a the pricey pints then it’s a fun night. At the moment the seating is limited and socially distanced and people wear masks when they are milling around, and as expected you’re expected to tap in when you arrive and this will continue to be the case next week. 

Gandhi’s and a Vegan Surprise

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Gandhi’s in Kennington Cross is like a dear old aunt to us; always available for sustenance and forever reliable. But, much like that dear old aunt, if we don’t look after it well, it might just kick the bucket and be consigned to history. Or worse, become a Foxtons. So last night we swept away our football related cobwebs of gloom and gave auntie a face to face visit. 

On our visit we were surprised to see that Ghandi’s has really upped it’s game since our last visit in the flesh.  There are now a whole range of vegan dishes,  and from that menu we treated ourselves to a very rich spinach and potato starter. There were also vegan versions of other staples such as Biryani, Balti, Bhuna, and Jalfrezi. We’re used to pure veg South Indian, but vegan Indian is a whole new kettle of tofu. 

My associate had the Lamb Tikka Biryani, and it packed quite a flavour punch. The lamb was spicy and slow cooked in the tandoor and there were generous amounts of it. Mixed into it was rice that was infused with the flavours of the cooking, with additional spices. This came with an accompanying vegetable curry which was adequate, but not a spot on the lamb itself. 

Your intrepid scribe had Chicken Shaslick, which were succulent and dry cooked in the clay oven. There were an array of spices in evidence but the most dominant was cumin. There were also grilled tomatoes and onions thrown in for good measure. It was far from a curry and more like a kebab. 

As you can see by celebrity strewn pictures in the window, if its 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.*

*If you’re lucky enough to be under 30 ask your parents who these people actually are. 

Jadon Sancho, From Kennington with Love

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We have to admit that the Runoff does not possess a great deal of knowledge about sport, as it usually begins and ends with ‘what’s all that shouting from over Oval way….has there been some kind of accident’? However, we’re aware that there is a specific buzz in the Greater Kennington air at the moment and our crack team of investigators have established a link between the England team and our hallowed pocket, and his name is Jadon Sancho. 

England midfielder Sancho was born in Camberwell but spent his early and formative years in Kennington, stating ‘growing up in Kennington has made me the man I am today’. His pitch was what he refers to as the ‘Blue Park’ which we’ve deduced is Kennington Park Extension, where he played with older boys and his talent was discovered and nurtured. Follow the links to discover much more about young Jadon. 

In addition to being an excellent footballer and an all around well grounded and seemingly nice young man, we at the Runoff were inordinately excited to discover that Jadon has HIS VERY OWN LINE OF SE11 KENNINGTON THEMED FOOTWEAR! And not only that, he even has his own line of Kennington inspired clothing! Most of the staff here aren’t not exactly the ranges’ ‘target demographic’, but if you see someone strutting their stuff around Kennington Cross in Jadon’s clobber over the next few weeks it could just be one of us. Or somebody else as you don’t know what we look like. 

Best of luck to Jadon Sancho and all the other players on Sunday evening! Pass the Sancho sauce! 

Rebel Dykes in Kennington

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We’ve just checked out the intriguing ‘Rebel Dykes, Art and Archive’ exhibit at the rarely used Space Station Sixty-Five gallery in Central Kennington and we’re here to tell you what we unearthed. 

The London Rebel Dykes synthesised several feminist movements to pursue a fresh exploration of sex, art, writing and activism. The group informally came together during the all female protests at Greenham Common in 1982, and this grew organically through music, parties, the lesbian bar scene, by building families and in squats from Brixton up to Kennington. Rebel Dykes represented (and still do) a converging of communities of outsider lesbians such as punks, bikers, clubbers, protesters, kinksters and gender outlaws. 

The exhibition at Sixty-Five seeks to embrace and represent as many elements of the Rebel Dyke experience as possible and this is largely achieved in a multimedia manner. In the exhibit are photos, paintings, videos, testimonials, flyers, and a motorcycle engine revving  amongst black leather jackets. According to the organisers, they want to celebrate the work of groundbreaking rebel dykes in the past and connect them to a younger generation who continue to disrupt the world to this day. 

If you’ve ever wondered what transpires behind those foreboding steel gates branded ‘Kennington Film Studios’ well this is your chance, as the Space Station Sixty-Five Gallery is located in a studio inside the courtyard. We can only recall one other show being held in that great creative space, so if you’re reading this review Kennington Film Studios, if you put the shows on we’ll all come. 

Rebel Dykes Art and Archive Show is free and open from 12 to 6 Thursday to Sunday until 25 September. Another news event relating to underrepresented LGTBQI+ populations is this interesting piece in last weeks’ Guardian about the origins of UK Black Pride in Kennington Park. 

Conuco Venezuelan

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Venezuela has been in the news for all the wrong reasons recently, but not due to their cuisine. We recently took a break from the incessant drone of faxes, dial-ups, mimeographs and the background clatter of ‘Loose Women’ at KR towers to take in a leisurely lunch at new joint ‘Conuco’ in Oval and we’re here to give you the score. 

  • We were there before 12!

The specialities of Conuco are arepas and empanadas. Arepas is a kind of one handed sandwich made of ground maize dough and can be filled with meat or veg, and at Conuco stuffed with cheese. Empanadas are more well known in the UK (especially if you’ve been to Borough Market) and pretty pervasive at the moment. For those not in the know, they are fried turnovers stuffed with a variety of items such as cheese, chorizo, chicken or shredded beef.

On our visit we had a arepas 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. As it was a hot and sweaty day we had the local drink ‘papelon con limon’, which was a pleasing lemon/orange. A very spicy and peppery sauce and a green sauce with coriander were served with it either to dip or slather over the meat. 

The total came to just over £7, and filled us up until dinner. Conuco has wifi and has a good relaxing vibe and very friendly staff. Eat in or if it’s nice take your grub to Kennington Park. That way if your stuffing falls out you don’t have to clean it up and you’ve just made friends with all the local pigeons and dogs who will soon swirl around you. 

We’re messy eaters. Don’t judge us.

A Party for the Elephant

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This coming Saturday (26th) the much loved and much refurbished Elephant and Castle elephant will be making a return to the area and perched in its new home in Castle Square, which is in Elephant Street behind the now mostly past tense shopping centre. We are dearly hoping that the statue will be dragged trojan horse style through the streets by the executives of Lendlease, but our dreams rarely come true. 

We give you this information as the return will be accompanied by a kind of street party, and we are all invited. According to the press release, the Elephant and Castle Town Centre Team (whoever the hell they are) will be laying on a whole day of family fun that includes world music and food, cocktails (!), history, dancers and talks. It runs from 11:00 to 17:00. 


A selection of local traders will make up the backbone of the event and will include Coma Y Beba and Caribbean dishes from Kaieteur Kitchen. As this is Elephant, also expect lots of Venezuelan and Colombian fare, in addition to African dishes. Also on hand is Vauxhall staple and ‘wow I never knew a pint could cost 12 quid’ taproom Mother Kellys, who will be opening a new outlet in Elephant Square. We expect free samples. 


And if you are thinking that this celebration is just a cynical way for the property developers to win over local residents we could not POSSIBLY comment. What we can comment on is the chance  to support local traders, eat some interesting global food and catch some free music and stimulate that long dormant grey matter.  For a video of the elephant losing it’s perch, see below.

An Elephant Springs Up

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Say what you will about the labyrinthine development at Elephant Park, but one thing that has emerged from site is a delightful little park that has all the relevant and cool people (and us) talking. It’s called ‘Elephant Springs’.

The Springs sprang to life a few weeks ago and is an unusual green and comfy space in an area in need of more greenery and fewer buildings. Perhaps picking up on themes of Africa and elephants, the park has sand, hammocks, lush greenery, cascading waterfalls, secluded spaces, and nooks for bats and birds. The main feature is the large, bubbling water park with water jets and slides. On the days we’ve been there this area has been overtaken with gangs of happy kiddos (at bottom), with  the greener areas populated by groups of people chatting or reading. We like to think the park is some small recognition of the diverse people of African origin who live nearby.

As our KR brains are almost constantly geared to eating, we have our eyes on south London micro chain ‘Four Hundred Rabbits’ which overlooks Elephant Springs. We haven’t been there yet, but our sources tell us that the sourdough pizzas, gelato, and craft beers are perfect on a summer’s day. As for the park, if you dare to question our objectivity, it is listed in hipster bible and ‘thank god I found it on the tube or else I’d have nothing to read’ magazine ‘Stylist’ as one of the best green spaces in London along with Hyde and Richmond Parks.

https://www.stylist.co.uk/travel/city-breaks/londons-best-free-parks/530399

Urban Botanica

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It’s only taken us 2 1/2 years, but we’ve finally got around to visiting Urban Botanica in Kennington Cross. The market is increasingly competitive for tea/coffee shops in Greater Kennington, and the USP of this place is that it is an unconventional hybrid of coffee/lunch shop meets garden centre where you consume your flat white amongst a seemingly endless selection of house plants from potted to hanging and from cacti to flowering. Got it?

Of course our priority was food, and the sandwich options consisted of a serrano ham/cheese scenario and a brie and egg. Each served on croissant, we chose the ham which was very good but probably not best served flattened and toasted. You can see the before and after impact below. However flat, it was very tasty and well filled. Our server explained that more lunch options will be rolled out in the coming weeks. There were also a variety of other pastries. On the coffee front, they serve single origin coffees from Horsham Roasters and all the usual players are there such as Espresso, Cappuccino, and Flat White. 

  • Before smush on right
  • After smush

They have a very lovely and unexpected garden in the back and wifi in the main cafe. The garden is suitably verdant and a great way to spend a few hours on your laptop. So, next time you wake up and think ‘god, I really fancy a Minor Figures Nitro Brew and a potted fern but how can I get them IN JUST ONE PLACE’ well your wishes have been answered. 

Urban Botanica is in Windmill Row but it doesn’t have a sign, so just look out for the indoor jungle…….Namaste……