Kyra K.

Review of Rasa Samudra

11 Dec 07, 16:23

In the Pink!

I hadn't been to Rasa in ages and just went there for a business lunch. I had forgotten just how lovely it is. I was surprised that they had a table for 5 at less than a weeks' notice this close to Christmas, but they did, and this is unusual on Charlotte Street at this time of year. They were supremely pleasant and accomodating when making the booking.

Anyway, to the restaurant itself. It's very pink. I like this. Some have been known to call it 'womb-like'. Don't let that put you off your food. It's very cosy.

The staff are charming and attentive, without being overly so. Service is relaxed, and the food all impeccable. The menu is succinct, with an emphasis on fish and vegetarian dishes. We went here with a non-vegetarian, non-fish eater, and even she was raving about the food. Kingfish, tilapia, prawns and crab all feature heavily on the menu. Most dishes benefit from coconutty, non-greasy, lightly spiced golden sauces, and all of the breads and rice options are to die for. Parathas are home-made, fresh and served warm, and they fall apart pleasingly in your fingers. All of the food tastes home-cooked, and is really satisfying. It doesn't leave you feeling oily and polluted the way some Indian food can. I can't recommend it highly enough.

My one qualm is that I found the restauarant itself a bit cold, but the warmth and spice of the food soon took care of that.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Review of Kennards

07 Dec 07, 14:43

Lovely deli with a local feel

I poppped in here today during the Lamb's Conduit Street festival and it was absolutely heaving. The deli at the front of the shop is well-stocked with lots of interesting products from around the world, and they have samples of cheeses or olives to try before you buy.

It feels very charming and village-y inside, with products stacked on wooden shelves and dotted around the space, so that you have to forage for them a bit, which I really liked. A tiny café at the back serves as a relaxing place to sit and watch the happenings of Lamb's Conduit Street.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Brindisa

06 Dec 07, 23:45

The best converted potato warehouse restaurant I've ever been to.

All right, so it's the only converted potato warehouse I've ever been to. But the tapas here proved to be more than I'd expected.

We went on a busy Friday night, as early as possible after work to snare a seat (most of the tables were reserved, but we grabbed a couple of bar seats at a big barrel by the door) and decided on a bottle of fino sherry, some toasted marcona almonds, and some fine marinated green olives while we decided what to sample from the tapas menu.

If there's one thing to sample from their winter menu, it's got to be their sweet potato soup. It was perfectly smooth, balanced and delicately spiced. It was also filling, so side dishes of braised red cabbage with pine nuts and some chorizo was enough to satisfy.

The atmosphere continued to grow livelier throughout the evening, and the fact that the place feels too small can only be a testament to its popularity. On weekends when the market is on, it seems similarly stuffed. I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and the service despite how busy they were.

Brindisa is a good option in Borough, especially if you've had your appetite whetted after looking around the food stalls...

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Alara

14 Nov 07, 12:39

One of my favourite healthy places ever!

Alara is awesome. Every time I eat here I end up feeling a little healthier than when I went in. It's terribly worthy. You won't find a better organic, locally-sourced, GM-free, hand-knitted muesli kinda place in this area.

Their supermarket section is ace, and has lots of interesting and salubrious products from arounnd the world. I esopecially like their selection of herbal teas (I can find Celestial Seasonings brand here, imported from the US), and they have a stunning array of organic and complimentary health products. They have Dr. Hauschka, Weleda and Rescue Remedy coming out of their ears.

It's the lunch counter that draws crowds during the day, though. They have a good selection of hot and cold foods, and the menu changes daily. It's all self-service, and priced by weight, so you're guaranteed not to overload your plate, or your paunch.

Come and try it here, your body will thank you. I challenge anyone to not feel more...er...regular after their visit. Go on. I dare you.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Sema Thai

14 Nov 07, 12:23

You can find better Thai food in East Dulwich

We went here for the second time last night, and I have to say I was not overwhelmed by anything about the food or the service. There is one really smiley, sweet waiter who is very efficient, but otherwise there is nothing remarkable about this restaurant other than their impressive fishtank.

It's passable, sure, and the food is good... just not great. After a sizeable wait, of about 25 minutes, you expect excellence. Our Tom Yum soup was acidic and not fiery enough, the Pad Thai somewhat anaemic, and Pad See Eaw distinctly lacking in variety of ingredients. However, starters tend to be very good, even if a bit deep-fried, and my pork and prawn dumplings were very tasty.

Thai Corner Cafe, around the corner on North Cross Road, defintiely has the edge over Sema Thai. It's still a good option, though, and if you're on Lordship Lane and feeling peckish, you could do much worse.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of The Old Crown

11 Oct 07, 12:43

Busy but go upstairs, it's worth it...

I went here recently for what was intended to be a quick after-work drink, but turned into a rather pleasant long evening.

The place looked packed when we first arrived, and the ground floor is a bit cramped, but to our delight we found a completely empty room upstairs, with comfy leather sofas and plenty of candles. Some may find it a bit pretentious, but I really liked the effort they had gone to with the decor- funky wallpaper, chandeliers, fresh flowers on the bar, and candles everywhere.

The bar food menu was excellent, and really inexpensive for the quality. Deliciously fat, juicy chargrilled lamb koftas were served with salad for £3.50, and their greek salad was really packed with ingredients, for the same price. The food was mainly what enticed us to consider staying longer, and the novelty of finding a central London venue where we could have a room (almost) to ourselves was what kept us there.

As a final note, the toilets were some of the nicest pub toilets I've ever seen. I'm not even kidding. Oddly, there was one cubicle in the ladies' with two toilets inside. But I'll let that weird little detail slide. A top place.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Ping Pong

10 Oct 07, 18:01

All Ping, No Pong

Now. Let's get a few things straight.

Ping Pong will not appeal to everyone. It's not 'traditional', it's not in Chinatown, it's a chain, it's overly stylish and full of gleaming black laquer and poncey teas. Yes, the staff can sometimes, depending on which branch you visit, and what time you arrive, be brusque and/ or overly efficient, taking away plates that may still have some dipping sauce on them, or over-selling the dumplings and trying to get you to buy more than you need. But let's be fair, this is their job. And if you find a nice branch, and you don't go an hour before they close, then the chances are, you'll have a lovely time.

The simple fact is that it's a pleasure to be poncey sometimes, and this is embraced at Ping Pong. Those little jasmine tea flowers that unfurled lazily in your glass when the hot water was added was enough to keep me entertained for the whole of my first visit. Never mind the super-cool toilets with the automatic sliding doors and sinks shared between men and women with a sleek divider in between!

The food is probably not the best dim sum you'll ever eat, but the choices are wide-ranging, and you'll find yourself being able to eat a surprising amount of those little dumplings.

Enjoy the surroundings, which are stylish and wonderful without any doubt, and sip your stylish tea, and eat your dainty little morsels with your chopsticks. It's really good fun, and I defy anyone who says otherwise!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Hare and Tortoise

10 Oct 07, 17:39

Excellent Asian-Fusion Option

I really couldn't agree more with the other reviewers on here- I just went here for lunch and it was worth the (10 minute) wait to get in. You can see why this place is so busy at lunchtimes- it's quick, it's cheap, and the food is very tasty. The broad menu is also impressive- it dips into Chinese, Japanese, and Thai cuisine.

The vegetable lo mein stood out as particularly good, prawn and vegetable tempura was light and crispy, exactly the way it should be, and sushi was quick and fresh. The portions are all enormous and I would wager that hard-up students could even share servings!

I have heard less-than-glowing reviews about the Putney branch but this new sleek Brunswick Centre branch ticked all the right boxes for me. Definitely worth a lunchtime or pre- Renoir cinema visit.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of American Apparel

09 Oct 07, 17:03

Awesomely American, Apparently

Every time I go into American apparel, I feel like I've stepped onto the set of an 80s dance video, or a Flashdance tribute party.

That's a good thing. The clothes in here are simple essentials- you're not going to find anything too kooky, but the colours are fabulously un-British. Bright neons and pastels mix with deep reds and greens. Of course all their staples are available in black, but why would you want that?

Most of their wares come in two fabrics: cotton or lycra. Most of their wares (the girls' stuff, anyway) is tight-fitting and well-suited to dancers' bodies. Which I don't have.

Having said that, I have always found their cuts to be really flattering, and I have found myself going back here again and again for staple items like t-shirts, skirts, and hoodies.

It's uber-trendy, and sometimes the staff size up what you're wearing, but their prices are good and the quality of their locally-sourced US cotton is excellent. It's definitely worth a long mooch on a rainy afternoon. Preferably before going home to watch Flashdance...

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.