We've heard this before, but it sounds as though after Jam Circus, Smiles could be the next local institution to reopen. Cydney writes:
I walked past Smiles Thai restaurant the other day and the owner was inside! I asked when Smiles would be opening again and he said SOON!!!
Either end of this year or early next year! Thought a few people would be really pleased to know that so you might want to mention it!
Le Querce - top secret foodie haunt
Le Querce - the local restaurant that's so understated, it's practically a speakeasy - has been listed in The Times today as one of the top 20 secret foodie restaurants. They say:
Some of the finest Italian food in the UK is to be found in a slightly outwardly shabby high-street restaurant on Brockley Rise in southeast London. The view of the MOT centre opposite might not be the best but the atmosphere is buzzy, warm and friendly. The pasta is home-made by the chef and owner, Antonello Serra, who has cooked at Michelin-starred restaurants in Sardinia and Bayswater in West London.
The menu is divided in the traditional Italian way — antipasti, pasta, primi, secondi, dessert. The pizzas are thin, crispy and with basic toppings — “speck and rocket”, blue cheese or simply salami; the secondi courses are similarly simple — lamb cutlets on a vegetable bed, for example, or the pasta: Bufala ricotta ravioli with butter and sage. The pudding is home-made ice cream in exciting flavours — chilli chocolate, or banana with cardamom and ginger. This place really is a diamond in the rough.
With thanks to Nuno.
Some of the finest Italian food in the UK is to be found in a slightly outwardly shabby high-street restaurant on Brockley Rise in southeast London. The view of the MOT centre opposite might not be the best but the atmosphere is buzzy, warm and friendly. The pasta is home-made by the chef and owner, Antonello Serra, who has cooked at Michelin-starred restaurants in Sardinia and Bayswater in West London.
The menu is divided in the traditional Italian way — antipasti, pasta, primi, secondi, dessert. The pizzas are thin, crispy and with basic toppings — “speck and rocket”, blue cheese or simply salami; the secondi courses are similarly simple — lamb cutlets on a vegetable bed, for example, or the pasta: Bufala ricotta ravioli with butter and sage. The pudding is home-made ice cream in exciting flavours — chilli chocolate, or banana with cardamom and ginger. This place really is a diamond in the rough.
With thanks to Nuno.
Babur wins another curry gong
We're very late with this news, partly because we've been busy, but partly because Babur winning a "best Indian restaurant" award is becoming routine. This time, it's won top honours in the Curry Capital of Britain Award 2013.
The News Shopper has the story on the Brockley Rise restaurant's triumph.
The News Shopper has the story on the Brockley Rise restaurant's triumph.
The Catford Canteen
Lewisham Council writes:
This autumn an exciting new indoor dining experience will be opening its doors in the heart of Catford.
The weekly Catford Canteen will launch over two nights on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 October and will be hosted by underground dining specialists Basement Galley, who will bring a touch of their culinary mastery from their most successful east London project, The Underground Supper Club, to a revamped short term vacant unit in the Catford Centre. On its debut evening, diners will be able to enjoy a 5-course menu with dishes from soy-braised salmon to rich aubergine tagine.
The Catford Canteen builds on the success of the Catford Broadway Supper Club and is an ideal way to explore a range of gastro specialities prepared by different chefs every weekend and for new food businesses to showcase their talents. Diners can look forward to tucking in to an eclectic range of food including: Vietnamese (Sydenham’s Two Hungry Bees), Italian (Ladywell’s Pastificio Mansi), Barbadian (Catford’s Inapikkle) as well as Hither Green’s The Hungry Larder, the Hither Green Wine Club and the Brockley Brewery Company. Chefs from further afield will include Colonel Toms Louisiana Gumbo and Christabel’s Mad Hatters Brunch Party.
Director of Basement Galley, Alex Cooper, said: “We’re honoured to be launching this new and exciting venue. Most of what we do is in east London so it’s great to see things happening in this part of London. I also think it’s great that the Catford Canteen is a Council run initiative. Opening a restaurant is expensive so a pop-up restaurant with a fully fitted kitchen, furniture and business support is perfect for budding food entrepreneurs who want to test out their offer before committing to something more permanent.”
Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Regeneration Councillor Alan Smith, said: “Catford residents have told us they want a better range and quality of shops and to be able to socialise in the town centre. Now that we own the Catford Centre, we are able to try out new ventures and give businesses and the local community a sense of what their town centre could become. The Catford Canteen will allow us to embrace this opportunity by turning a short term vacant unit into something new, exciting and vibrant.”
The Catford Canteen is at 28 Winslade Way, Catford Centre, Catford SE6 4JU and advance booking can be made via www.lewisham.gov.uk/CatfordCanteen.
Meze Mangal closes for renovation
The most-protracted restaurant extension in history looks finally to be underway. Turkish restaurant Meze Mangal (Lewisham Way) has closed for renovation and will reopen in September.
The adjacent space has been cleared and prepared for Meze Mangal to expand for some time, but this closure signals the start of the work-proper. Not only will this mean more of one of the area's best and busiest restaurants, it will also help to tidy up the parade, on what could be a fine stretch of high street.
Brockley Jon reports:
"They are knocking the two units into one, and have built a brand new 5* kitchen in the basement, which means they can expand their menu, and there will also be a roof terrace out the back! It really is a huge job, I'm amazed they got this far without closing. Can't wait to see it finished."
With thanks to Richard on the Brockley forum.
The adjacent space has been cleared and prepared for Meze Mangal to expand for some time, but this closure signals the start of the work-proper. Not only will this mean more of one of the area's best and busiest restaurants, it will also help to tidy up the parade, on what could be a fine stretch of high street.
Brockley Jon reports:
"They are knocking the two units into one, and have built a brand new 5* kitchen in the basement, which means they can expand their menu, and there will also be a roof terrace out the back! It really is a huge job, I'm amazed they got this far without closing. Can't wait to see it finished."
With thanks to Richard on the Brockley forum.
Brockley's Rock turn cake-pushers
Brockley's Rock, the Brockley Road fish and chip restaurant, is offering free cake again. The team say:
This week we are celebrating our second birthday. We can’t believe two years have gone by so quickly. As a community you welcomed us, making us feel right at home which is why we just love filling your tummies with yummy fish and chips.
Since our last birthday we have introduced Gluten Free Tuesdays and are still keeping our promises to be as ethical and sustainable as possible, which is why all our fish is responsibly sourced and the majority of our fish is line caught.
We will be celebrating by teaming up with Stacey from Pat-a-Cake, giving away hand-made tasty cupcakes with every portion of fish and chips on Thursday the 4th of July, so make sure you come on down to wish us Happy Birthday!
This week we are celebrating our second birthday. We can’t believe two years have gone by so quickly. As a community you welcomed us, making us feel right at home which is why we just love filling your tummies with yummy fish and chips.
Since our last birthday we have introduced Gluten Free Tuesdays and are still keeping our promises to be as ethical and sustainable as possible, which is why all our fish is responsibly sourced and the majority of our fish is line caught.
We will be celebrating by teaming up with Stacey from Pat-a-Cake, giving away hand-made tasty cupcakes with every portion of fish and chips on Thursday the 4th of July, so make sure you come on down to wish us Happy Birthday!
Brockley restaurants make Standard's cheap list
Tonight, two Brockley restaurants made the Evening Standard's list of the top nine affordable South London restaurants - a bias so strong, they had to hide it by pretending that Meze Mangal is in Lewisham. Here's what they say:
Meze Mangal
Well worth the journey south for those who live in other parts of London, this neighbourhood Turkish is busy even on a Monday night. The traditional menu focuses on the grill and pide (Turkish pizza) and you can't really go wrong with either.
The Gantry
Well-loved by locals, this French bistro in Brockley is run by a lovely lady from Brittany called Patrice. Slightly at the higher end of our cheap eats spectrum, The Gantry's all-day menu still doesn't cost a bomb if you choose wisely.
With thanks to Richard.
Meze Mangal
Well worth the journey south for those who live in other parts of London, this neighbourhood Turkish is busy even on a Monday night. The traditional menu focuses on the grill and pide (Turkish pizza) and you can't really go wrong with either.
The Gantry
Well-loved by locals, this French bistro in Brockley is run by a lovely lady from Brittany called Patrice. Slightly at the higher end of our cheap eats spectrum, The Gantry's all-day menu still doesn't cost a bomb if you choose wisely.
With thanks to Richard.
Eat Drink Woman Woman
In BC's experience, it's only when you're married and it's too late that you realise there are binders full of single women doing nice grown-up things like going to pop-up restaurants together, which would never occur to single men to do.
Julie, of Eat Meet Supperclub highlights the problem - their singles event is short of men:
Requirement is: ability to eat food. Ability to be mildly sociable. 30-40ish (though we're not strict). Male. It's not a horrid forced fun 18-30 holiday esque singles thing... it's incredibly informal and relaxed. No tortuous party games. Oh, and there will be complimentary booze to loosen the mood. Email eatmeetsupperclub@gmail.com
Gulen's Bar and Grill - coming soon
Gulen's Bar is being reinvented as Gulen's Bar and Grill. A sign on the front door promises it will be reopening on April 1st.
They didn't get the recipe right last time around and struggled to pull the punters in. Hopefully they'll have better luck this time. We hesitate to suggest that naming your cocktail bar after the neighbouring kebab shop may have been part of the problem, but the Gulen's brand heritage seems more suited to a grill joint.
They didn't get the recipe right last time around and struggled to pull the punters in. Hopefully they'll have better luck this time. We hesitate to suggest that naming your cocktail bar after the neighbouring kebab shop may have been part of the problem, but the Gulen's brand heritage seems more suited to a grill joint.
Eat Meet Supperclub, March 2013
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| The Eat Meet Supperclub team returns |
Brockley pop-up Eat Meet Supperclub is back after a two year hiatus. Founder Julie writes:
Foolishly, I moved to Muswell Hill before moving back to the delights of Brockley, so we're now back and excited to be offering the great and the good of the 'hood some suppery fun. (We do also offer singles events and brunches every so often, email to be put on the mailing list for news of those).
We've got a new date in the diary, Saturday March 23rd, 7pm. A £25 donation includes four courses, all based on a theme... this month's to be announced.
If people would like to book, simply email eatmeetsupperclub@gmail.com and to keep it fair we'll put your name in a hat. The lucky ones will be contacted soon to let them know they're booked in.
Smiles will be back
Confirmed: Smiles Thai Cafe IS reopening. We'd been fearful that it might never happen, but we spotted one of the team on the street and he told us that it will be back, though not for about a month.
Brockley's Rock: Gluten Free Tuesdays
Last month, Brockley's Rock (Brockley Road) used Twitter to ask Brockley if the world was ready for Coeliac friendly fish and chips. The response was a resounding yes. So Tuesday March 5th will be the first night of a great experiment - say Gluten Tag to Gluten Free Tuesdays.
The Gantry (and the Orchard) in PR Week
Homer: Yes son, I'm the best mono-thingy guy there ever was.
- Marge vs the Monorail
Recently, Brockley Central did what we never normally get to do in the course of our day-job and took a journalist to lunch. The man from PR Week was very nice and wanted to know about Edelman and what we were up to. Somehow, by the end of the lunch, we had managed to give him no stories about Edelman, but persuaded him to let us plug The Gantry in their back page restaurant review. This was on the somewhat flimsy premise that, despite the fact that there are no PR agencies, or even clients, in Brockley, a large and growing chunk of the area's population seems to work in the sector (as foretold in BCs passim).
And because we're the best PR-thingy guy there ever was, we managed to sneak a quick plug in for The Orchard too.
- Marge vs the Monorail
Recently, Brockley Central did what we never normally get to do in the course of our day-job and took a journalist to lunch. The man from PR Week was very nice and wanted to know about Edelman and what we were up to. Somehow, by the end of the lunch, we had managed to give him no stories about Edelman, but persuaded him to let us plug The Gantry in their back page restaurant review. This was on the somewhat flimsy premise that, despite the fact that there are no PR agencies, or even clients, in Brockley, a large and growing chunk of the area's population seems to work in the sector (as foretold in BCs passim).
