Bye Bye, M&S. Hello Walworth Road

Posted on June 7, 2024 by Kennington Runoff

Tomorrow Greater Kennington’s only M&S Simply Food will be going to that big overpriced supermarket in the sky. Those of you reading this probably fall into four camps:

Who cares?
So sorry to see it go!
I had not idea it was closing. Oh no!
WTAF, there was an M&S Simply Food in Greater Kennington?!

Yes, technically it was in our borders, in Walworth Road. But there are plenty of wonderful, independent grocers/butchers/world food vendors still flourishing in Walworth Road. And if it wasn’t for Shwarma Hut at 292 we probably wouldn’t have survived lockdown. If you still need to mainline your M&S fix, we here at the Runoff have a totally unsubstantiated feeling that one will soon arrive in the new Elephant shopping centre. But we’re sticking with Walworth Road where you can find great Turkish, Caribbean, African, and other exotic fare. Oh, and there’s also a Morrisons for those not so creative types.

The top ten best restaurants in Kennington – no. 2 – Louie Louie

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Kennington Runoff

Positives: Most well-off residents of East Kennington have probably experienced Louie Louie by now, as a daytime brunch spot or nighttime bar or party venue. But have you eaten there in the evenings? They host residencies from up-and-coming chefs and they must choose well because we’ve never had a meal there that was anything but great. They serve real ale from the nearby Orbit brewery, and the co-owner Chris is lovely.

Louie Louie - kenningtonrunoff.com

Negatives: The gentrification of Walworth and Elephant & Castle has rightly been controversial and Louie Louie could be seen as a symbol of that, but it’s a genuine local business. Let’s hope Louie Louie can continue to thrive alongside the likes of the Red Lion (the massive old Irish pub) and Oli Food Centre (the Turkish 24 hour food shop opposite with the insanely delicious and cheap pide bread and dozens of different kinds of feta).

Louie Louie bar - kenningtonrunoff.com

Louie Louie

Posted on April 16, 2017 by Kennington Runoff

Louie Louie - kenningtonrunoff.com

Gentrification has well and truly arrived on Walworth Road’s most interesting stretch, and very welcome it is too, as long as Oli Food Centre can stay opposite (long live Oli Food Centre), and Arments Pie & Mash is just around the corner. Louie Louie is a cafe/bar/restaurant from the people behind Fowlds Cafe. It was initially funded by a Kickstarter campaign and has already proven very popular with locals, whether for brunch, lunch, dinner or drinks.

The interior is impressive but our photos of it are not. They pack a lot of people in, plus there’s a bar, a DJ and displays of vinyl records.

We’ve sampled the weekend brunch twice and we’ll be back again. Great service and atmosphere. We highly recommend the hot chocolate, and they stock beers from the nearby Orbit Brewery.

We’ve also been for dinner in the evenings, which they serve from Wednesday to Saturday with Tel Aviv-born chef-in-residence Oded Oren. The evening food is really special, in the mould of Palomar and Ottolenghi.

These 5 hours braised ox cheeks, Moroccan paprika and humus were great, and the most expensive item on the menu at £17:

5 hours braised ox cheeks, Moroccan paprika, humus at Louie Louie - kenningtonrunoff.com

Less exotic but even tastier were these bavette skewers, with smoked aubergine and green tahini:

Bavette skewers, smoked aubergine and green tahini at Louie Louie - kenningtonrunoff.com

This roasted freekeh with caramelised leeks and pine nuts was decent if rather expensive at £9.50:

Roasted freekeh, caramelised leeks, pine nuts at Louie Louie - kenningtonrunoff.com

This was a salad of shaved roots salad, feta, toasted almonds:

Shaved roots salad, feta, toasted almonds at Louie Louie - kenningtonrunoff.com

Louie Louie has already received a rave review from Kennington’s leading restarant reviewer Jay Rayner. We agree with Jay – this place is great.

Oli Food Centre and Turkish Corek bread

Posted on January 31, 2016 by Kennington Runoff

We are huge fans of the Kennington Baker and occasionally buy a loaf from The Old Post Office Bakery who have a stall on Saturdays at Oval Farmers Market. But neither of those fine establishments will sell you much for less than £2. What about if you’ve only got 50p to spend?

Well, you need to get yourself along to Oli Food Centre, a Turkish shop at 332-334 Walworth Road, London SE17 2NA.

Head to the back of the store and next to the entrance to the kitchens you will find the corek bread for, yes, just 50p a loaf. That’s it on the middle shelf:

It’s a white loaf covered in sesame seeds and something fearsomely addictive – possibly black caraway seeds, or crack cocaine. It really is extraordinarily tasty and extraordinarily good value for money.

Oli Food Centre sells all kinds of weird and wonderful products you won’t see elsewhere, including about 57 varieties of halloumi. We once bought a six pack of glasses emblazoned with the logo of BJK, then panicked in case this turned out to be an objectionable political party. Panic over – it’s a football team.

Oli Food Centre is open 24 hours – where else can you buy amazing bread at 4am, for 50p?

G Baldwin & Co. (AKA Baldwin’s)

Posted on December 6, 2015 by Kennington Runoff

G Baldwin & Co. – better known as Baldwin’s – is London’s oldest herbalist store and one of the city’s most interesting and welcoming shops.

The Baldwin’s website says “We have come a long way since George Baldwin first opened his doors on 77 Walworth Road, South East London in 1844”, but that’s not true in the geographical sense – they’ve just moved a few yards down the road to 171-173 Walworth Road, as well as building a successful mail order business and website. The current owners are the Dagnell family, who took over in the early 1900s!

The old Baldwin’s

To step into the right side of the store – the apothecary and herbalist – is to step back in time.

It’s always busy, with all kinds of people coming into to discuss their ailments.

The left side of the store is a standard health food shop, albeit well stocked and with very well informed staff:

They also offer all kinds of demonstrations and work shops, from occasional free hand massages to soap making, and they always have a recipe up on their blackboard. But even if you’re not into any of that, it’s still fun to visit Baldwin’s.

The Top Ten Best Restaurants in Kennington – no. 4 – Marcel & Sons

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Kennington Runoff

Positives: It’s Mauritian – how many other Mauritian restaurants/tea rooms/showrooms are there around? The two founders are very friendly and put a lot of love and care into their Mauritian comfort food cooking, which is as tasty as that description sounds. It’s BYOB and cheap. There are more and more food places moving into Artworks but Marcel & Sons were trailblazers who are steadily getting more popular as word gets around. Plus you can pick up some artisan jewellery and a t-shirt while you’re there. See here for more info.

Randy and Andy from Marcel & Sons - kenningtonrunoff.com

Negatives: Marcel & Sons is not so much a restaurant as a canteen in a shipping container where you eat surrounded by boutique products, so don’t go expecting formal dining. They close around 9pm, and at the time of writing they don’t open on Mondays, although they plan to start doing so soon to try out new dishes.

Hygiene rating: 4 out of 5

Address: 17b The Artworks, Elephant Road, London SE17 1LB

Come back next Sunday to find out the number 3.

The Top Ten Best Restaurants in Kennington – no. 9 – Aobaba

Posted on April 5, 2015 by Kennington Runoff

Positives: Great, affordable, fast Vietnamese street food, bánh mì, bubble tea and Vietnamese beers.

Aobaba food - kenningtonrunoff.com

Negatives: It’s a bit of a sterile environment, being one side of an oriental supermarket on Walworth Road. Not recommended for dates.

Hygiene rating: 4 out of 5

Address: 128-132 Walworth Road, London SE17 1JL

Come back next Sunday to find out the number eight.

Kennington Runoff

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

Tag Archives: Walworth Road