rglondon | Entries tagged with featured article

Chennai Dosa, an Indian restaurant in West Croydon

Hello people, new blogger here, so quick intro: I'm

rowleybirkinqc - as surmised previously I stumbled into editing RGL years ago (probably because I liked the principle of wikis). Right, onwards...

This week's featured article is Chennai Dosa, CR0 2RL, a casual South Indian restaurant in West Croydon where you eat with your fingers. The food is usually good, and even though sometimes poor in parts our reviewers just keep coming back.

One new article: Warisan Cafe, W2 1TU, a Malaysian cafe near Paddington Station. It's in a half-basement, but is friendly and welcoming, with freshly made, flavourful food.

Several pubs (and one restaurant) reported as closed (though some temporarily) -- one closed for health and safety!

The Moon And Stars, RM1 1NX, a 'spoons in Romford, is being refurbished (reopening November). The Royal George, SE8 4QD (a Sam Smith's pub, New Cross/Deptford borders) has closed down; it is now up for sale, though we reckon as a going concern. In the West End, the Kings Arms, W1W 7QL, a pleasant pub near Broadcasting House, is being refurbished and is due to reopen next year.

Lewisham Council has closed the Catford Constitutional Club, SE6 4SP because "parts of the building are dangerous". I note that Antic were allowed to continue operating it for another week, so I have visions of "just put this hard hat on if you're going to the loo, and best not to tread on too many floorboards". The council state the pub will reopen, perhaps next year, after the necessary works, but we're not holding out much hope.

The Brewery Tap, TW8 8BD looks like it has closed for good: the area round this Brentford pub is being redeveloped, and Fuller's say it is no longer feasible to keep it open.

The Gaylord, W1W 7SJ, an Indian restaurant in Fitzrovia since 1966, has closed down. It is being replaced by a new restaurant from a New Delhi chain.

Some selected updates:
* "Laptop Friendly" category's criteria slightly broadened
* In Battersea, former cocktail bar Zocalo, SW11 3RA is presently a tapas place "Vinos y Licores"
* Epsom Station has crept into Zone 9

katstevens

Handpumps at the Cotton Mill, Swanley, BR8

Evening folks! It's that time of year again when we investigate pubs in the new edition of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide, leading to a whole barrelful of new pub entries on RGL:

The Cotton Mill, Swanley
The Dartford Jug, Dartford
The Black Dog Beer House, Brentford
The Black Lion, Surbiton
The Tap Tavern, Richmond
The Nonsuch Inn, North Cheam (Wetherspoons)
The Earl Beatty, Motspur Park
The Jolly Gardeners, Earlsfield
The Sir Julian Huxley, Selsdon
The Real Ale Way, Hayes (the Kent Hayes, not the Middlesex Hayes)
The Portland Arms, South Norwood
Suttons Radio, Lewisham
The Morden Arms, Greenwich
The River Ale House, Greenwich
The Rusty Bucket, Eltham
The Libertine, Borough
Draft House Camden Road, Camden
St John's Tavern, Archway
The Golden Fleece, Manor Park
The Coach And Horses, Leyton
The Miller's Well, East Ham (Wetherspoons)
Craft Beer Co., Aldgate

In non-GBG news, there's a new page for the Daily Petit Dejeuner cafe (good bus watching opportunities) and an update for Communitea, both in South Norwood. The Hornbeam Cafe in Walthamstow has had an update, as has the White Hart in Hampton Wick. Finally, the Kings Arms in East Molesey has reopened after a refurb - we've been along to try their breakfast jigsaw.

ewan

People, sorry, I've been slammed at work so completely failed to update you on the goings and comings at the venerable Randomness Guide to London.

Our featured article this week is Vasanta Bhavan, E6 2JA, a veggie Indian cafe in East Ham. I accidentally typed "Eat Ham" there, but I've corrected it, and those of you who want to do that would be best advised not to visit. Actually, probably do visit because they'll do you a nice dosa and idli.

Our two new pages are Las Fuentes, a tapas place in Selsdon, which I surely don't have to tell you is near Croydon. Surprisingly good, I'm reading. Surprisingly good. Oh and there's also The Golden Ark nearby, which is a micropub, with normal human size tables for sitting at, and (as ever) decent ale.

There are also some significant updates to Chennai Dosa, a South Indian in Croydon where they would advise you to eat the food with your fingers as nature intended. I went there not so long ago and it was excellent, v nice. There's The Edward Rayne in Raynes Park, a Wetherspoons, so you know what to expect. And Urban Guj in Thornton Heath, an Indian cafe and tea shop, which sounds like a place to go when next you find yourself in sunny CR7.

mrs_leroy_brown

¡Buenas tardes!

This week's featured article is Tierra Peru, which as its name helpfully informs, is a Peruvian Restaurant in Islington. Reviewers praise the food's flavour and textures, and the portions appear rather generous.

Four new articles have gone up. In the east, we have Familia Cafe, a wee gem of a cafe in Forest Gate which offers up a Spanish breakfast sure to be a hit with garlic lovers. In central London, we have Lao Cafe, a Laotian restaurant in Covent Garden with industrial decor; best to arrive early as it seems to fill up fast. In the south, we have Rocoto Pepper, a Latin American restaurant in New Cross serving perfectly cromulent tea and arepas, along with breakfast choices and a lunch selection that has a vegan option. Just down the road from SE14, Pho Street in Greenwich is a Vietnamese cafe where unsurprisingly, pho and other noodles soups feature heavily.

Updates have been made to:

- Vasanta Bhavan, a totally vegetarian Indian cafe in East Ham
- Compton Arms, a pub near Highbury & Islington Station
- Akari, a Japanese restaurant near Essex Road station
- Parcel Yard, a Fuller's pub inside King's Cross station

Finally, we've two reported closures - China China, a Chinese restaurant in Lewisham and Village East, a bar and restaurant near Tower Bridge

katstevens

Evening RGLers!

This week's featured article is for Hilltribe, a Thai restaurant in Richmond. All the dishes our reviewer tried came with a lettuce leaf/hibiscus flower decoration, which certainly made the Chiangmai sausages look more colourful: like Esther Williams, in sausage form!

There's a new article for 161 Food And Drink, a wine bar just down the road from me in sunny Sydenham. They have a few interesting beers on offer too, plus a small plates menu, however if you're after substantial veggie options for dinner, in my experience you'd be better off at the Azeri chip shop three doors up the hill.

Staying in Sydenham, there's an update for the On The Hoof Bistro, a cafe run by the same people behind the coffee stalls in Sydenham and Forest Hill stations. I must go back there for another Sunday roast at some point.

Finally, down in Croydon there's an update for Don's Cafe, a traditional greasy spoon with proper formica tables. The sausages here may be slightly less glamorous than Esther Williams, but they get the job done.

mrs_leroy_brown

Sambal Kitchen & Diner, South Harrow, London HA2

Good evening friends and neighbours!

This week's featured article is Sambal Kitchen and Diner, a cozy Sri Lankan restaurant in South Harrow. The set meal sounds like a cracking bargain and our reviewer was particularly impressed by the dhal and sambal.

We've one new article - Megaro, a hotel restaurant and bar just across the road from King's Cross/St Pancras where it seems the breakfast brioche bun is a fork-and-knife affair.

Updates have been made to:

Blue Jay Cafe, a Carribbean cafe in South Norwood
Albert Tavern, a Greene King pub in South Norwood
Quaker Cafe, a cafe and bookshop directly opposite Euston Station in the Friends House
King’s Head, a pub on Essex Road in Islington
Tierra Peru, a Peruvian restaurant near Essex Road station in Islington

ewan

Oh yes, hello! Wednesday! It's a busy week so let's crack on.

The Good Egg, Stoke Newington, London N16

Our featured article is Good Egg, N16 0AS. It's a cafe/restaurant in not-so-much-trendy-as-now-solidly-middle-class Stoke Newington. It does sort of Israeli/US Jewish-influenced food and from the name I can't guarantee there'd be any vegan options, but there probably are I bet. Enjoy the cars if you sit out the front, or enjoy the food inside.

And we have one reported closure, Jashan, a vegetarian Indian restaurant in Wembley. It may have been disappointing when Kake visited, but it had its fans, and now it's a sweet shop. If you are looking for other vegetarian Indian recommendations, though, why not check out this site I've heard about, Randomness Guide to London?

Told you it was busy! Have a great week.

katstevens

Good evening RGL readers! Or should I say good e-vin-ing, as this week's featured article is for the Wine Gallery in Purley. Look out for some 'vine art' on the walls and 'corkingly' good tapas, in 'oeno-rous' portions. Sincere apologies for the low quality of these puns, it's been a long day. Perhaps I need a glass of pun-ot noir?

There are updates for a couple of Young's pubs, the Wheatsheaf in Borough Market and the Windmill on the Common in Clapham. Chai Naasto in Beckenham has also had an update, it sounds like a decent local option for Indian street food with friendly service.

Peruvian restaurant Tito's has moved from its old home near London Bridge station to Stockwell, though if you're still in the mood for spicy prawns there is now a different Peruvian restaurant on the premises. Over in Twickenham, the Rifleman has had more reimaginings than Madonna over the last few years; it's reopened once more under new management.

Finally, two closures to report: Brasserie Vacherin in Croydon, and the PlumTree Cafe in Greenwich.

mrs_leroy_brown

Hello friends and welcome to another randomness roundup :)

This week’s featured article is the Greystoke, a Good Beer guide pub on the border of Ealing and West Acton. Unsurprisingly, it’s a CAMRA-friendly joint with plenty of real ales to choose from, and a menu of pub classics to help soak it all up.

Three new articles have been added. Urban Gui, an Indian cafe and tea shop in Thornton Heath - if, like me, the idea of a fried potato dumpling served in a bun with chutney makes your tummy rumble in anticipation of carby goodness, then check out the wada pau. Grape Variety (NOICE) is a wine cafe and off license in Chipstead with a small menu of charcuterie and sweets. Canvas Cafe in Shoreditch serves vegan food in a chilled, arty setting. I visited for my birthday a couple years back specifically to try the freakshake, which was exactly as delicious as it was sugar-laden. Recommend!

Updates have been made to the Owl and Pussycat pub in Shoreditch.

We’ve three reported closures - Cote D'Azur, a French and Mauritian fusion restaurant in South Croydon, Providores And Tapa Room on Marylebone Hight Street, another fusion restaurant, in this case New Zealand/Asian, and the Common Room, a pub near Ealing Common Station.

ewan

Another week of RGL and another week in which I drag my heels and don't get the post out until Tuesday, but we have content so keep reading!

It's nothing to look at from outside, but Kailash Momo, SE18 6ED should be a must-visit when you go to the charming southern enclave of Woolwich. It serves Tibetan and Nepalese cuisines, focusing on the momo (a dumpling) but there's plenty of other options. It's all very cosy.

Our one new article is Good Egg in Stoke Newington, which doesn't sound very vegan friendly, but I bet you could find something. After all it's N16, and you can expect food influenced by Israeli, Middle Eastern and modern American Jewish cuisine.

There are updates to Food for All, a health shop, also in Stoke Newington, and The Cittie of Yorke, a Sam Smith's pub in Holborn.

Finally, a reported closure for Lucky Seven, a record shop/secondhand bookshop in Stokey. It's now a salon.

katstevens

Bermondsey Bar and Kitchen, Bermondsey, SE1

It's a quiet week on RGL - almost too quiet. In our bustling metropolis the stream of information is constant, leading to an eerie stillness when it ceases. A precious moment to pause for reflection, or an intolerable vacuum that must urgently be filled? The delight of a cancelled appointment is short-lived, the infinite to-do list expanding to fill the fleeting space in the diary. The freedom of an unexpected snow day is nullified by the inability to escape the cosy duvet of entropy: the day has been called off - nothing further of value may occur! Equally as inevitable are the feelings of guilt around 'wasting time', by failing to either contribute to or consume the barrage of information thrust upon us. But how can inspiration or creativity strike without space to think? When the apple fell from the tree, Newton was sitting on his arse doing precisely nothing. Archimedes required quality chillaxing time in the bath to arrive at his 'Eureka!' moment. Until the advent of fully automated luxury communism, our social and cultural expectations will continue to demand that our productivity matches the overwhelming shower of information to be absorbed and obligations to be met, and thus our collective ideas and dreams will be stifled. So let's make the most of a quiet week and spend the recovered time wisely. In fact, why not muse further on the nature of meditative solitude and its effect on creativity in a post-capitalist society over a breakfast at Bermondsey Bar and Kitchen, the subject of this week's featured article?

mrs_leroy_brown

New Asian Tandoori Centre (Roxy’s), Southall, London UB2

Wassup ya'll, or in the parlance of Bill McNeal - Gaziza, dlznoofuses!

This week's featured article is New Asian Tandoori Centre, a Punjabi restaurant in Southall. Our reviewer enjoyed a rich and flavourful breakfast and appreciated the good service. Check out the bhatura if you fancy a change from the greasy spoon style fried slice!

Three new pages went up: Sambal Kitchen and Diner, a Sri Lankan restaurant in South Harrow featuring set meals at an affordable price; Momo and Roti; a Nepalese restaurant in Houslow where you can get a generous portion of chatpate bursting with well balanced flavour; and Hilltribe, a Thai restaurant in Richmond which might not melt your mouth with Thai-hot spice but impressed overall.

Updates have been made to The Prince’s Head, a Fuller's pub in Richmond; KKs Bar and Grill, a cafe-bar in Woolwich; and The Royal Standard, a pub in Blackheath.

We've one reported closure, Great Queen Street, a modern British restaurant near Covent Garden.

ewan

Welcome to another week in the company of your randomness guides.

Chances are you may have come across the Leicester Square basement wine bar original, but now there's a former pub in Hampstead renamed as Cork and Bottle, NW3 2QX and it's our featured article. Expect a range of furniture, a larger range of wines (and even some beer), and also some food, though that's likely to be the weakest element of the ambience.

No new pages, but significant updates to Mestizo, a longstanding Mexican on Hampstead Road alongside Euston which doesn't just do quesadillas but also caters to vegans et al., and The Windsor Castle in Carshalton, where all the cars live. They used to prohibit the use of mobile phones, but I wonder if they still do...

One possible closure is The Coach and Horses in Soho, which may even be closed right now. One definite closure is The Wallington Arms in Wallington, another failed experiment by Antic.

In positive news, The Cartoon Museum has reopened on Wells Street in Fitzrovia. We haven't been yet, but expect... cartoons?

katstevens

Evening RGL readers!

This week's featured article is for Round Table Books in Brixton Market. It's a small children's bookshop with a focus on inclusivity. It also contains a table (shape unspecified)!

There's a new page for The Kitchen cafe in Lee, which serves breakfast until 11am, bagels thereafter, and banging tunes from Kiss FM throughout. We also have lots of pub updates (and one addition) this week following a successful flaneurs trip:

- The Cricketers, Orpington
- The Hackney Carriage, Sidcup
- Hopper's Hut, Sidcup
- The Greystoke, West Ealing
- The Lemon Tree, Trafalgar Square
- The Elephant Inn, North Finchley
- The Pineapple, Kentish Town

The last time I was in the Pineapple, I got chatting with a dude who said he was the keyboardist in Gorillaz. It was quite an animated discussion! Ahem. Let's draw a smooth Euclidean line under that, and wrap things up with a closure: the Clerkenwell branch of Foxlow.

ewan

Apologies once again for my tardiness in providing you with much-needed London-based updates.

Our featured article this week is Casa Morita, SW9 8LB, a Mexican taqueria in the market at Brixton, which also sells some Mexican groceries. Expect excellent tortillas, and friendly service.

The new article is The Cork and Bottle in Hampstead, which used to be the White Horse pub, and is now a restaurant/wine bar, though they still have ale. The food gets our approval, and may be worth checking out if you're around the area.

Sticking with NW3, there are significant updates to The Enterprise down the hill (possibly not worth your time) and The Duke of Hamilton, returned from its brief stint as a jazz bar.

Finally, The Devereux pub just off the Strand has reopened.

katstevens

Evening RGL crew!

This week's featured article is for the Douglas Fir micropub in Anerley (halfway up the hill, towards Crystal Palace). Expect all your favourite Gipsy Hill Brewing Company beers, and a place to plug your laptop in.

We've been to Orpington! This has resulted in a new page for snazzy Indian restaurant Masala Dabbas (the thali sounds good) and an update for the Orpington 'Spoons, the Harvest Moon, which looks exactly like I'd expect a Zone 6 Spoons to look like. A couple of stops up the line in Bromley we've a new page for gelato emporium Unico, which also does savoury pastries. The Wine Gallery in Purley has tapas plates to accompany your glass of rosé, while you admire the art - very sophisticated.

Keep going south from Purley and you'll reach Coulsdon, home of the Singapore Orchid, an 'old school' Singaporean/Chinese restaurant with lots of vegetarian/mock-meat options. Even further south is the Rambler's Rest in Chipstead, a country pub with open fireplaces, and the Kingswood Arms (in Kingswood), which has had an important fishfinger sandwich update. Before you start wondering if we should rename this blog the Randomness Guide to Surrey, the subject of our final new article is located right by Streatham Hill station: Perfect Blend self-describes its widely ranging menu: breakfasts, small plates, burgers, smoothies, cocktails, coffee, pancakes and an omelette. I defy you not to hum the Neighbours theme tune while reading that list ("breaaaaak-fasts....").

Finally, some closures to report. The Change of Horses in Farnborough is "currently closed for a short undeterminable period of time" (scratching-chin-emoji), the Waterman's Arms in Richmond is closed for a refurb, and Lounge 101 in Ruislip has met its pseudo-Orwellian fate at last, consigned to oblivion by Frank Skinner's comically-oversized lever.

mrs_leroy_brown

Listen all ya'll - we've a slew of tasty news in this week's RGL update!

Our new featured article is the Rising Sun, a Sri Lankan restaurant in the Sudbury area of Harrow, not to be confused with Sudbury, Ontario. Weird lighting aside, the set lunch menu looks a great bargain and comes with friendly service to boot.

New articles added include:
- Round Table Books, a delightful children's bookshop located in Brixton Village Market selling all manner of books suitable for humans of all ages.

- Pintadera, a small Italian cafe in my personal favourite of the Norwoods (West). It's got homey decor which is work/laptop friendly; you may need to ask for spread for your toast, though.

- Still in West Norwood, there's Hobby's, a small craft and hobby shop; it's best to go knowing exactly what you want first.

- Mama Dough in Sydenham is a part of a small chain of pizza restuarants which also has a punny menu; the topping combos seem to offer the classics as well as some more nontraditional offerings and vegans & gluten-free dudes rejoice, they can cater upon request. I'm definitely hitting this one up!

Updates were made to Food House, an Indo-Chinese restuarant in Wimbledon, Fred's, a cafe in Brockley, Bridge House, a pub in Penge, O Cantinho de Portugal, a (shock!) Portuguese cafe/restaurant in Brixton, and Casa Morita, a taqueria in Brixton that also offers a selection of Mexican groceries.

Two permanet closures this week - Abuja Connection, a Nigerian restaurant in Crystal Palace, and Angel Road station which has been replaced by the brand-spankin' new Meridian Water Station just half a kilometre away.

ewan

Hello everyone and welcome to a midweek update for the RGL site.

The featured article this week is Santo Remedio, SE1 2TU, a Mexican restaurant in Bermondsey. It has a bar-like ambience upstairs, while downstairs expect a tulip on the table to provide a bit of colour. Expect enormous tacos and plenty of food on the set lunch menu.

There are four new articles! Four! These are:
* Levan, a cafe/bar in Peckham with annoying loud music (it's Peckham) and slightly underwhelming (European, not Levantine) food.
* Blackbird Bakery, also in Peckham, but in a railway arch which is exciting for a non-brewery enterprise. Anyway, it's busy and buzzy and the music is a lot quieter.
* Plumstead Pantry, and I shouldn't need to tell you where this is, you educated lot. I was there too and it has a nice cafe vibe with a vegan breakfast (heavy on the roasted greens like broccoli and sugarsnap peas).
* Kailash Momo in Woolwich, which looks like a dowdy takeaway from outside, but inside is a wonderful cozy Tibetan/Nepalese restaurant with tasty dumplings (the momo of the name) amongst other things.

Significant updates to our entries for The Old Mill and The Star pubs in Plumstead too, only one of which is still a proper old-school boozer, the other having been given a makeover as a pizza-serving upscale gaff.

Our two reported permanent closures are The Croydon Steak House and The Lukin (now a Guy Ritchie-owned pub called the Lore of the Land, so expect geezers I guess).

katstevens

Pueblito Paisa Cafe, Seven Sisters, London N15

Hello RGL readers!

This week's featured article is for the Pueblito Paisa, a Latin American cafe right by the north-west exit of Seven Sisters station. It's an excellent spot for bus watching - look at all this lot - and you can enjoy a multi-carb bonanza of chips, rice and plantain with your seafood stew. Hmm, maybe it's missing some bread there? I guess we can't all be perfect.

There's a bunch of new articles to peruse: scrambled eggs at Bermondsey Bar & Kitchen by London Bridge Station; hibiscus flower enchiladas at Santo Remedio, a short hop away in Tooley Street; Sichuan aubergine at Sanxia in Deptford, and over in Eltham the new Vue cinema is showing Detective Pikachu (2019, dir. R. Letterman) four times a day!

The Kings Arms in London Bridge and the Crown and Sceptre on Streatham Hill both have updates following a visit: the former will be of interest to lime and soda fans, while the latter is no longer a Wetherspoons, so your opportunity to order a surprise bowl of onion rings to whoever happens to be sitting at table 23 has passed.

Finally, some closures to report: Teapod near Tower Bridge (it's now a coffee shop), SoBo in Bermondsey is now a cafe called Earthsea (presumably full of wizards), and Bubbles and Tea in the Stratford Centre has... burst.

mrs_leroy_brown

Good morning and welcome to a bumper edition of RGLly news!

Blythe Hill Tavern, Forest Hill, London SE23

This week's featured article is Blythe Hill Tavern, a Good Beer Guide in Catford within waving distance of of Forest Hill. As would be expected from a GBG pub, there's a good selection of well-kept ale. There's also a large beer garden with a children's play area, and an Irish music session on Thursday evenings. With an atmosphere described as warm and welcoming, it sounds like a cracking good pub to quaff a beverage.

Four new articles have been added:

Oscar’s, a cafe in Ladywell serving pastries and sweets along with stew from The Soulful Food Co. in Deptford.

Rising Sun, a Sri Lankan restaurant in Sudbury, Harrow that delivers value for lunch money with its £5 set menu.

Cobb’s Corner, a cafe in Sydenham on the site of the former Blue Mountain Cafe serving British and Caribbean food.

Brown and Green, another Sydenham cafe in the local chain serving a few mains and light meals in a child-friendly setting.

Updates have been made to the White Hart pub in Harlington and the The King William pub in Sipson.

In closure news, Croydon's Brasserie Vacherin is closed for a few weeks for refurbishment, though we're unsure when or if it will reopen. We Brought Beer, a specialist beer shop in Clapham, has permanently closed, though the Balham and Tooting branches remain open for business.