Kennington guerrilla gardening

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The nice people at Kennington Flowers have made Kennington Cross even more colourful by planting flowers in the tree pit in front of St Anselm’s Church. Perhaps fuelled by Coffee Mob coffee, they’ve broken away from the staid confines of traditional garden design and gone for something akin to a Skittles spillage:

Treepit flowers at Kennington Cross by Tomorrow's People - kenningtonrunoff.com

While we’re on the subject of guerrilla gardening, would anyone like to claim responsibility for the cyclamen in the tree pits further up Kennington Road? North Kennington is home to the founder of GuerrillaGardening.org Richard Reynolds (Britain’s 24th most influential gardener), but we’re assured these cyclamen are not his handy work.

Anyway, well done everyone – keep planting.

The Coffee Mob

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The Coffee Mob is a notorious Clerkenwell-based gang relatively recent addition to the Kennington Flowers stall outside St Anselm’s Church at Kennington Cross. This coffee van is a joint venture between Tomorrow’s People and The Coffee Mob, who say they source all their coffee ethically and donate all their profits to Centrepoint.

Want to know what a cup of Coffee Mob coffee says about you? Their website has the answer: “I appreciate a great cup of coffee but I want to help others too, and I have a high tolerance for cringe-y brand messages”.

Like Kennington Flowers, The Coffee Mob van is open from Tuesday to Saturday from whenever they feel like till whenever they feel like, so snap up a coffee for £2 while you can. But if you’re in the market for a decaf soy macchiato, prepare for a blank stare.

The Coffee Mob - kenningtonrunoff.com

the best restaurant in Kennington

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Firstly, honourable mentions to other places that received votes: Mumbai Delight and Pizza Pazza are just outside the borders of Kennington, and we must visit Pico and revisit Koza – watch this space.

But the winner is…

1. The Lobster Pot
pros: one of London’s best seafood restaurants. It’s great fun from top to bottom and there’s nowhere else like it; you even get a special bib if you order the lobster
cons: it’s not cheap
hygiene rating: 5

Lobster Pot exterior - kenningtonrunoff.com

new Lebanese deli on Kennington Lane

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And the best restaurant in Kennington is… Not this, or not as far as we know – we’re announcing our no. 1 on Wednesday.

This is a new Lebanese delicatessen that has opened near Mimosa at the West Kennington end of Kennington Lane. Unlike Mimosa, it’s open seven days until 10pm. Or so it says on its sign, but when we tried yesterday afternoon, the door was locked and a young child was sat behind the counter. Nonetheless, we’re excited by the prospect of homemade Lebanese bread, humus and cakes, and fresh fruit and veg. Others may go for the halal meat (there was a chicken spit roasting in the doorway yesterday).

We are big fans of Lebanese food – Le Comptoir Libanais is the one chain restaurant that we would welcome to Kennington, but hopefully this will do in the meantime.

Has anyone been when it’s open? And does anyone know what it’s actually called?

Lebanese Deli, Kennington Lane - kenningtonrunoff.com

The top ten best restaurants in Kennington – numbers 4 to 2

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4. Aobaba
pros: top quality Vietnamese food and loads of choice – who needs Kingsland Road?
cons: it’s a brightly lit cafeteria on the side of an Oriental supermarket so don’t come here for the ambiance
hygiene rating: 4

3. The Ragged Canteen at Beaconsfield
pros: super tasty vegetarian food and organic Monmouth coffee
cons: it’s not open that often (they serve hot food Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays from noon, last orders 2.25pm; at other times it’s drinks and cakes)
hygiene rating: 4

2. Brunswick House
pros: totally unique setting amidst LASSCO’s antiques, plus top quality seasonal food
cons: the staff can be rude, and if you want to buy the chair you’re sitting on, be prepared to remortgage your house first
hygiene rating: 3

the winner will be revealed on Wednesday

Brunswick House

Brunswick House

The top ten best restaurants in Kennington – numbers 7 to 5

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7. Dirty Burger
pros: top quality, posh, juicy burgers
cons: the Vauxhall gyratory goes right past the outdoor tables, and the veggie burger features mushrooms, which everyone knows are banned throughout Kennington on grounds of taste, texture, appearance, smell, and name
hygiene rating: 5 (Reassuringly Clean Burger)

6. Doost
pros: delicious Persian specialities, a charcoal grill, and loads of vodkas
cons: it’s a little pricey
hygiene rating: 5

5. Adulis
pros: Eritrean food is such good fun
cons: the service can be a little sketchy
hygiene rating: 4

Doost Persian Grill & Vodka Bar

Doost Persian Grill & Vodka Bar

The top ten best restaurants in Kennington – numbers 10 to 8

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The votes have been ignored counted, so now we begin our countdown of the top ten restaurants in Kennington:

10. Mamuśka
pros: it’s great fun and cheap
cons: Polish milk bar food can be somewhat utilitarian
hygiene rating: 5

9. Gandhi’s
There are two renowned curry houses in Kennington – Gandhi’s and the Kennington Tandoori. Both do good quality food but we prefer Gandhi’s for their vegetable thali and their social media strategy (which is non-existent so preferable to Kennington Tandoori’s).
pros: you might see someone famous
cons: it will probably be a senior politician or Professor Green
Gandhi’s hygiene rating: 4
KT hygiene rating: 5

8. Bonnington Cafe
pros: this would be no. 1 for atmosphere
cons: the vegetarian and vegan food is inevitably hit and miss due to the rota of volunteer chefs
hygiene rating: 3

Bonnington Square Cafe - kenningtonrunoff.com

Kennington Runoff’s top ten restaurants in Kennington

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On Sunday we will begin our countdown of the top ten restaurants in Kennington – and we’re looking for your input which we will ignore before compiling the list ourselves.

So don’t hesitate, leave a comment here or email your favourites to kenningtonrunoff@gmail.com

If you’re looking for inspiration, try here.

n.b. Dragon Castle is ineligible for this poll – don’t ask why, but there’s a clue here.

Dragon Castle - kenningtonrunoff.com