Kyra K.

Review of Dehesa

18 Apr 08, 14:16

Please sir, may I have some more?

Ever since I went to The Salt Yard, I have wanted to try its smaller sister restaurant, Dehesa. At the former, I spent an entire Saturday afternoon gobbling delicious tapas, quaffing glasses of exquisite wines, and rounding off the whole gorgeous experience by stuffing my face with deliciously sinful chocolate cake. I whiled away hours with a friend, eating at the bar, the staff politely leaving us to our gluttony and overindulgence, only stopping by occasionally to make measured suggestions.

Dehesa is a different experience somewhat. I know I should try not to compare the two, but I couldn’t help it, given the similarities of their menus and wine lists. Firstly, Dehesa is small. The whole place seats maybe 60 or 70 people, and everyone is perched on high stools and small tables. The place fills up very quickly, and they don’t take bookings, so there’s a definite feel of rushing you in and out.

We ordered the stellar courgette flowers stuffed with Monte Enebro cheese and drizzled with honey (I’d had these at Salt Yard and they floored me), plus mozzarella wrapped in proscuitto, sumptuous olives and grilled, oil-drizzled bread, chicken saltimbocca and grilled tiger prawns. The food is flawless. But there isn’t enough of it. The prawns were more than £6 a plate, and that included a total of 4 of them. Four measly prawns. The wines are spectacular, and the rosé prosecco seemed popular too. I can’t fault the desserts either. We left satisfied, but not overly full, and our bill with two wines by the glass and tap water was just shy of £50, so not incredible value for money. Had I been given more time to savour the goods, and been left to steep in my own juices in a dark corner for a while, I would have happily ordered more and not balked at the price of the prawns.

Quite simply, this place would benefit from more a roomier, more comfortable locale, and a slightly less efficient kitchen and staff. I can’t believe I’m writing that, but it’s true- they need to relax a little. Just a little.

1 out of 1 person 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 Match Bar

07 Oct 07, 20:37

A good match...

I went here last night for my friend's birthday drinks and to be honest, I was expecting it to be much busier and more hectic than it was. She had reserved an area for us near the dj booth upstairs, which did mean that we spent most of the evening shouting fruitlessly at one another, but I was pleasantly surprised by the time it took to be served drinks, each one slightly more impressive than the last.

My only gripes were that the toilets were miniscule, and I heard some minor complaints that for the prices (which are steep, it must be said), there wasn't a great deal of alcohol in the cocktails. Having said that, the house wine I ended up drinking was very good, very reasonably priced per bottle, and left me feeling clear-headed the next day. The table service was a nice touch- no need to wait at the long bar, unless of course you're there to see and be seen...something I imagine could be carried out very successfully here.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.