This special events catering company outshines the competition in Tooting Long before the rise of Hoppers, one of the standard bearers for Sri Lankan food in London were the cheap and cheerful restaurants of Tooting such as Apollo Banana Leaf. So much so, that the very idea of Sri Lankan food in London’s suburbs is … Continue reading
… but the fire is fizzling out. On paper, Brigadiers sounds like a raucous yet soulless Cityboy frathouse. Brigadiers doesn’t just serve Indian-style grilled meats. It serves them in a clubhouse-style setting decorated in a cod British Raj-esque manner. There’s even a room kitted out with a pool table, a TV permanently tuned to Sky … Continue reading
In this case ‘casual’ means ‘cheaper’. Sort of. It’s always fascinating to see what happens when a lauded, Michelin-starred fine-dining restaurant launches a ‘casual’ spin-off. When Dabbous attempted it, the result was the very different and somewhat odd Barnyard. Both of those restaurants have now closed and, in retrospect, Barnyard felt a somewhat patronising, phoned-in … Continue reading
Cheap as chips and almost as good Trying to find a restaurant for a large group of people is a royal pain in the unmentionables. Cramming a baker’s dozen around a table can be a logistical feat akin to the Berlin Airlift, especially when everyone has competing, conflicting demands. My own unruly posse of dining … Continue reading
No, I’ve never been to Azerbaijan either Updated 14/01/18 – this restaurant has now closed. I’ve never been to Azerbaijan and it’s a safe bet that you haven’t either, unless you were especially adventurous during your gap year travels. If the menu of the imaginatively-named Azerbaijan restaurant in north Finchley is any indication however, Azerbaijani food … Continue reading
Contemporary Indian small plates for sharing I’m fortunate enough that I can almost anything I want, but others have restrictions on what they can eat. The Cape, the better half of the The Squinting Brummie, is gluten intolerant for example. A surprising number of London’s restaurants do little to accommodate those with celiac diseases, but … Continue reading
The only way is Mandalay? Going out for a curry in London usually involves traipsing down to an Indian or Thai restaurant, but a more curious option is Mandalay which is almost certainly the capital’s only Burmese restaurant. Mandalay is one of Templeton Peck’s regular haunts and the prospect of Burmese food was enough to … Continue reading
The Picky Glutton 