Dinner in Erehwon.

I sometimes find myself visiting the most obscure restaurants in the course of writing this blog. Malibu Club is a prime example – this little known second floor restaurant, sat above a dodgy-looking bookshop, is a short walk away from Edgware Tube station which is right at the northernmost end of the Northern line.

Wicket and I found ourselves there on a Saturday night due to the insistent recommendation of a mutual friend who lives locally. The dining room filled up very quickly even though it looks like a cross between a cafeteria and a doctor’s waiting room. Service was sluggish, but friendly and reasonably well-informed about the tersely written menu which seems to have some dishes originating from the Indian diaspora in Eastern Africa.

Wicket and I shared a smorgasbord of starters including the chicken wings which our mutual friend wouldn’t stop gibbering about. I failed to see the attraction though – the wings were slightly crispy and had a mildly numbing tabasco-like heat to them, but they can’t hold a candle to the exceptional confit chicken wings at Patty and Bun.

The masala fish was even less impressive. Small blobs of generic white fish in a rather bland, forgettable and tasteless masala coating.

The lamb sheekh kebabs were moist, but they had a slightly astringent taste to them that was a little unpleasant.

Our starters weren’t a complete loss though. The cubes of paneer had a fiery, peppery heat to them while the softness of the cheese was balanced out nicely by the crispness of the spring onion garnish.

I was disappointed by the relative toughness of the lamb chops, but their charred smokiness made up for this to a certain extent.

The oddest starter had to be the garlic mogo – chips made from cassava instead of potato. The soft, slightly leathery chips were a little lighter than the average potato chip and had a reasonably strong garlicky taste too.

After overdosing on starters, we moved onto main courses. Wicket opted for the daal chicken curry where big chunks of poultry and a generous helping of lentils were served in a mild, thankfully unoily sauce. I couldn’t quite identify the beans used, but this was still a hearty, satisfying dish.

I opted for the methi chicken, a chicken curry flavoured with lots of sour, slightly bitter fenugreek. Although the taste of the fenugreek won’t suit everyone, I enjoyed it – it went especially well with the tingling, moderately hot spiciness of the sauce.

Wicket and I also shared a portion of crispy okra. Although moderately spicy, this bindi turned to be more leathery and soft than crispy.

We mopped up our curries with some relatively thick, slightly chewy roti. It wasn’t quite as soft and pliable as I was expecting, but it was good enough.

The Verdict

Despite its unusual location and drab appearance, Malibu has potential especially with some of its more unusual dishes. There are quite a few duffers and simply mediocre dishes on the menu though which, for now at least, makes Malibu an interesting diversion for Edgware locals rather than somewhere worth travelling for.

Name: Malibu Club

Address: 119 High Street, Edgware, London HA8 7DB

Phone: 020 8905 6890

Web: http://www.malibuclub.co.uk (not working at time of writing)

Opening Hours: call to confirm

Reservations: probably a good idea

Average cost for one person excluding service but including drinks: £25 approx.

Rating: ★★★☆☆