rglondon | Entries tagged with turkish food

Welcome back, and let's get straight into it with this week's featured article. It's The Rusty Bucket, SE9 5PR, a pub in Eltham. A small pub, mind, but a proper pub. It has real ales, it has bar snacks, and it's attractively kept.

Our one new article is Meydan Sofrasi, a Canning Town Turkish restaurant. You'll probably be wondering if a restaurant is worth a journey to Canning Town for, but perhaps let's just say that if you find yourself in E16, maybe this will be worth a visit.

There's an update to Husk, a coffee shop in Limehouse with a low-key religious connection; feels more like a community space.

Finally, news of the reopening of The Moon and Stars in Romford, a Wetherspoons pub now with added roof terrace.

katstevens

Evening RGLers! A quick round up this week.

This week's featured article is for Big Seff in Winchmore Hill, the Turkish restaurant on Green Lanes that most sounds like a guest rapper flown in to do a couple of verses and then have a satisfying breakfast afterwards, perhaps with stuffed filo pastry and halloumi. (For some actual Turkish rap, try "Yok Geri Dönmek" by Ceza - high speed but very light and airy).

Our other update is for Shadi Bakery and cafe in Croydon, where the naans are freshly made to order - but if you're having 'naan of that' then this update also provides news of dumplings on offer (that come with a naan).

katstevens

Evening readers!

This week's featured article is for Roti Joupa, a Trinidadian takeaway near Clapham North tube. I don't tend to venture to Clapham much (unless I've got on the wrong Overground train at Canada Water without realising), but I might make an exception for somewhere that sells macaroni pie. I enjoy macaroni, I enjoy pie, I also enjoy tamarind sauce - perhaps one day I will even enjoy Clapham?

Regular readers will recall last week's spoiler alert concerning a jaunt to Bromley ('the place where broom grows'), resulting in new pages for Sanxia, a Sichuan/Hubei Chinese restaurant, and the Star and Garter pub. There's also updates for the Red Lion, the Barrel & Horn, and Indian restaurant/hotel Tamasha, which has ~~mucky pictures in the loos~~ "ancient Indian artwork of an adult nature". One can only hope it's up to the standard of the infamous decor of Cafe Bangla (aka the Princess Di place) on Brick Lane.

How might one get to Bromley, I hear you ask? The direct path is unlikely to involve Cannon Street, but if you find yourself in said station you could visit the Sir John Hawkshaw Wetherspoons or nearby Japanese restaurant Koya. But where *can* you get to from Cannon Street? Douze points to whoever said Sidcup ('a flat topped hill'), where there are three pub updates, for the Hackney Carriage microbrewery, the Alma and the Hill Top Tap.

Right at the top of Green Lanes in Winchmore Hill, there's a new page for the Little Green Dragon pub, and an update for Turkish restaurant Big Seff. There's also a new page for the Temple Brew House bar and microbrewery, just off the Strand.

Finally we come back to Trigger's Bromley, where the Cineworld is temporarily closed, while it transforms chrysalis-style into a Picturehouse.

katstevens

Morning RGL readers!

This week's featured article is for Taste of Kerala in Croydon, a small South Indian restaurant which sounds like a handy spot for a lunchtime thali. Good value for money, too!

In Latin American cafe news, there's a new page for the Pueblito Paisa Cafe, which is right opposite the 76 bus stop at Seven Sisters station, next to the market. No word on whether they do Christmas empanadas or not.

There are updates for The Finsbury pub (in Finsbury Park, not Finsbury EC1) where the lime and soda is FREE, yes FREE, and for the Dilara/Uyghur Restaurant (also in Finsbury Park, not Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Territory), where the menu is a mix of Turkish and Chinese dishes.

Regular readers will remember the Sir Richard Steele closing for refurbishment back in January - your patience has been rewarded! It's back open and we have no idea what it's like now. Will they have kept the ceiling mural? A world of mystery awaits in Belsize Park.

katstevens

Evening RGL readers!

I made some dreadful Blur jokes for the subject of our featured article a few weeks ago, unfortunately There's No Other Way I can introduce Croydon's Parklife Cafe. Truly, This Is A Low in terms of puns. (Try the eggs benedict.)

New this week is Turkish restaurant Best Mangal in Old Street, where you can enjoy Tender kebabs at your Leisure, though it's a bit of a squeeze space-wise. These puns really have No Distance Left To Run so I am going to stop now.

mrs_leroy_brown

Evening all :)

This week's featured article is Dilara/Uyghur Restaurant in Finsbury Park. Don't be deceived by the signage - this ain't no standard kebab shop (though it does have kebabs on the menu). Peer beyond the entry to discover a be-chandeliered restaurant with plenty of seating, serving a variety of Turkish and Uyghur cuisine. Our reviewer was impressed by the quality of the marjan korumisi - stop by and you may end up getting a freebie with your meal.

Fans of chickpea-based scran will be saddend to hear that Hummus Bros has gone into administration, closing all their restaurants including the Wardour Street and Southampton Row branches.

Also permanently closed is Caprice, a Balkan and Mediterranean restaurant in Croydon's High Street.

mrs_leroy_brown

Morning all :)

This week's featured article is Poached,a friendly little cafe in Beckenham which doesn't quite hit the RLG gold standard of "very good" as yet, but shows great promise.

Two new articles have been added - Blue Jay Cafe, a child-friendly Caribbean cafe in South Norwood, and Dilara/Uyghur Restaurant, a Turkish and Uyghu restaurant in Finsbury Park that may appear to be a standard kebab shop but seats quite a few and offers a larger variety than your typical doner.

Updates have been made to Tram Stop cafe in Addiscombe, the Crown and Greyhound pub in Dulwich Village, and Flavaz N Spices, a Guyanese takeaway and bakery in Anerley.

Three reported permanent pub closures this week, Antigallican in Charlton, White House, a Wetherspooon's pub located between Hayes and East Drayton, and the curiously named Load of Hay in Uxbridge.

Finally, a less permanent closure, the Canbury Arms, a gastropub in Kingston, is closed for refurbishment and due to reopen later this year.

ewan

Welcome back to a new week of RGL!

The featured article this week is Orange Peko, SW13 0PX, which I had been convinced for some reason was a breed of dog, but actually no it's a tea. I should have known that. So anyway this is a tea shop, not a dog shop. It gets quite busy, even on a Monday morning. The food is pretty good, and they're excellent at tea, which you'd expect, or at least you'd hope for that. No word on dog friendliness, but it's in leafy Barnes, so they can handle prams.

Lots of new additions! We have Searcy's, a restaurant and champagne bar in St Pancras International Station (friendly service, good food, but steep prices). We have Grao de Cafe, a Portuguese cafe and shop in sunny South Croydon (more friendly service). We have Divan in London-adjacent Borehamwood, a Turkish restaurant with abstract art and chill-out music, a good lunch deal and observant service (so I'd class that as good service). We have The Alfred Arms, a pub in Borehamwood, smart traditional, but still not in London. And finally we have Kiyoto, for all your Borehamwood Japanese food needs (good rice, but the food is a bit stodgy, but perhaps that's what you get when you leave London and are not in London, outside London).

Reported temporary closure for The Bear, one of Camberwell's finest pubs and due to reopen in 6-8 months' time.

Finally, three reported permanent closures. There's The Still and Star in Aldgate (boo hiss developers), The Peacock not far away on Minories (may yet reopen), and The Good Ship in Kilburn. I remember many gigs at that pub back in the day, what a strange stage arrangement it had.

katstevens

Evening RGL readers!

This week's featured article is for The Bull & Last, a popular gastropub on the Gospel Oak corner of Hampstead Heath. There's plenty of real ale and decent grub (handy for refuelling after a jaunt around Parliament Hill), and they'll even spare a marrow bone for your dog.

We have a new page for Vegan Yes, an assertively-named Italian-Korean cafe on Brick Lane that will do you a vegan kimchi lasagne without batting an eyelid. The other new glorious food combination this week is Romford Shopping Hall's #1 Filipino/jacket potato destination, Sunrise Jacket Potato and Oriental Food (baked beans and congee - together at last). Up in Cockfosters, there's a new entry for Turkish restaurant Skewd, where the seasonal vegetables seem to be on a slightly different calendar to the rest of us. Also in Cockfosters, there's an update for The Cock Inn following a visit.

There are also updates for Lutong Pinoy, a Filipino restaurant in Earl's Court, and Mohsen, an Iranian restaurant in Kensington. Which one has the better rice? You'll have to click through to find out. Finally, The George pub in Enfield Town has turned into an O'Neills.

ewan

Welcome back after the long bank holiday weekend!

This week is a short update, as we (well, Kake) gear up for exploring all the new entries to the 2018 Good Beer Guide, which is traditionally released in September.

However, we have a featured article, and somewhat idiosyncratically it's in Epping, which isn't even really in London but we count it because it's on the Central Line. So why not go to Pivaz, CM16 4AP? It's a Turkish restaurant on the High Street, bustling with people and conversation and with some pretty good food.

ewan

Hello and welcome back and sorry for the delay this week; things got busy at work at then... Oh well.

So the featured article this week is The Ferry House, E14 3DT, a pub on the Isle of Dogs, still very traditional though with fewer dartboards and less sticky carpet than that might usually entail. It's got Courage beer and Sunday roast, though.

One new article is Pivaz, in London-adjacent and Central Line-terminating Epping. It's a somewhat upmarket Turkish restaurant, with tasty breakfast options and attentive staff.

Our reported permanent closures are The Cricketers, a small pub in Croydon (just near the Lebanon Road tram stop), and Dirty Burger in Kentish Town, though it was never much more than an outhouse shack and I was a meat-eater the last time I went there, giving a sense of its long and storied existence (i.e. it's several years old).

Finally, we can report the reopening of Affogato, a Norbury coffee shop and cafe, so there's no reason now to cancel all your Norbury travel plans this summer.

ewan

Hello all!

Patisserie Joie de Vie, Barnet, London EN5

This week our featured article is the very French-sounding Patisserie Joie De Vie, EN5 5SN. It's unclear how joyful life will seem by the time you get to High Barnet, but at least once there you can have a crepe or a galette, which surely will help.

There's a new article in the form of Lahpet, a Burmese restaurant in Hackney. I believe the names "Burma" vs "Myanmar" are somewhat political, but as I have no idea what the adjectival form of Myanmar might be, I'm glad the former has been chosen. If you, like I, are unfamiliar with the country's food, then a visit to Hackney may be required, though you may need some patience with the food it sounds like.

There are updates to Shadi Bakery in Croydon (for all your fresh naan needs), Kazan in Westminster (for all your quality Turkish food needs, assuming you don't mind paying a bit more), and Village Bookshop in Woodford Green (for at least some of your book needs).

There's a reported upcoming closure for Dabbous; their final day is 15 July. I guess its period of on-trend success just fizzled out?

Finally the old Chesham Brewery Shop is now called Mad Squirrel Chesham following the renaming of its parent brewery from Red Squirrel to Mad Squirrel. Best of luck with the new name.

katstevens

Evening RGL readers!

This week's featured article is for Namak Mandi, a Pashtun/Peshwari restaurant in Tooting. I spent a good half hour down a Wikipedia rabbit hole after googling the difference between Pashtun and Peshwari, and ended up learning (a small amount) about the post-colonial implications of the Durand line! Incredibly complex history aside, there are some tasty-sounding menu options at Namak Mandi, including enormous Afghan naans.

Also based in Tooting is Khani Cuisine, an Indian/Chinese (i.e. Chinese food tailored for Indian tastes) cafe, for which we have a new page. Also new: Queens is a pleasant locals' pub in Upton Park (no real ale but there is a pool table). I imagine it will become much quieter on match days following West Ham's move to the Olympic stadium. Finally, there's a new page for Norbury's Cappadocia Ocakbasi, a Turkish restaurant who are very generous with their lahmacun.

katstevens

Evening RGL crew!

This week's featured article is for the Ivy Leaf in distant Dartford. It's a Good Beer Guide pub so there's plenty to drink, as well as that holy grail of pub menus: a decent fishfinger sandwich. Remember how much Sean Connery wanted the holy grail in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade? That is roughly how much I want a decent fishfinger sandwich on an average day.

Some new additions have arrived as well! Soul Flame is a good quality Turkish restaurant in Putney; the Rendezvous Cafe in Beckenham serves their tea on the strong side (unless you make a point of telling them otherwise), while down in Purley, Cafe Blue and Mekan offer cooked breakfasts and Turkish food respectively.

Finally, the InSpiral Lounge veggie cafe in Camden has morphed into a completely different veggie cafe - i.e. they are still extremely unlikely to offer me a fishfinger sandwich.

katstevens

Hullo all, I hope you had a good break!

This week's featured article is for Mazi, CR0 2RF, a small Turkish restaurant in Croydon. The kebabs and stews definitely come recommended - the yoghurtlu lamb shish sounds delicious.

New to RGL is Chennai Dosa, a laid back South Indian restaurant in Tooting serving dosas and uttappam (aka Indian pizzas). The spice level is variable but the pricing is very reasonable.

A number of pub closures to report: the Star in St John's Wood, the Green Dragon in Winchmore Hill, and the Carlton Tavern in Kilburn - which was demolished without any warning given at all. Outrageous! Less drastically, the Adams Cafe in Croydon is now a pizza restaurant, the Clarence on Balham High Road is now called the Balham Arms, the Charles Dickens in Borough is closed while it's having a spruce-up, and the Kennington Bookshop is set to close at the end of May.

katstevens

Afternoon all, a quick update this week.

Our featured article is for Ladudu, a modern Vietnamese coffee shop in West Hampstead. Perfect if you fancy a bit of pho before jumping on the Thameslink, or indeed some chicken livers before embarking on the Jubilee line.

We've also got a new article for Mazi, a Turkish restaurant in Croydon serving quality ocakbasi kebabs and stews. They serve fresh Turkish bread rather than your standard dry pittas and the lamb is lovely and tender. I can almost smell the charcoal from here!

ewan

Hello all! This week we travel a world of food.

There's a new featured article again this week, which is Maida, SW16 6AB. It's a good value Somali cafe/restaurant where you can load up on as much tender lamb as you want.

New articles are: Ergon, a Greek restaurant/deli in Marylebone; Bunga Raya, a good Malaysian restaurant and takeaway in Thornton Heath; VQ, a 24hr cafe in Bloomsbury; Castle kebab shop in Walworth; and the Guy's Hospital branch of dependable coffee stall AMT Coffee.

Permanently reported closures are, sadly, the very excellent locals' pub The North Pole on the Isle of Dogs, and Moyo-Ma, a Nigerian restaurant in Walworth.

katstevens

Hello all! A tripe-free update this week.

This week's featured article is Mother Kelly's, a rather pleasant bar under a railway arch in Bethnal Green. It has a large number of interesting beers, both on keg taps and in bottles, and it's run by Steve Mason of Mason & Taylor fame, so expect plenty of hops. They also have jugs of tap water on the tables, a trend which I hope other drinking establishments pick up on.

We have two new restaurant articles, with cuisine from opposite ends of the Mediterranean: Sheesh Mangal in Worcester Park serves decent Turkish food (

bob approves of the hummous), while Dar Marrakech is a toddler-friendly Moroccan restaurant in Stratford, which provides belly dancing on request! Dar Marrakech also does Lebanese food, which I judge makes its geographical culinary midpoint somewhere near Malta.

Finally, Shahee Bhelpoori in Norbury has closed.

ewan

Hello! And sorry for the slight delay posting this update; all my fault.

This week's featured article is Addis, N1 9DT. It's an Ethiopian restaurant at the bottom of Caledonian Road, with plenty of options for veggies and vegans. Looks like everything was excellent, though you might want to think carefully about ordering falafel.

There are three new entries: a Turkish bakery and cafe called Tuana near Archway; Mi Rancho, a Colombian eatery in Nag's Head Market, Holloway, offering tasty street food in an unpretentious setting; and Black Cat Cafe, a vegan cooperative cafe in Lower Clapton.

Reported permanent closures are La Fermata on Tower Bridge Road, and Verru in Marylebone.

Finally, happier news, the old Duke of Edinburgh pub in Wanstead has been rebranded as The Duke and reopened. Looks promising.

katstevens

Afternoon dudes!

This week's featured article is Muncho, CR0 1YG. This is not in fact a dinosaur villain from a cartoon you are slightly too old to remember properly, but a cafe in Croydon that serves Turkish food as well as the usual salads, sandwiches and omelettes. Perhaps one day Muncho will get the better of those meddling gang of detective kids on rollerskates. One day *shakes fist*

New this week is Bombay Burrito in Angel. Curry in a burrito may sound like a Step Too Far into Heston Blumenthal wackiness, but I assure you it works perfectly well: chickpeas instead of beans, dansak sauce instead of guacamole and so on. Give it a go!

Want to help out with RGL? We need photos of our new additions (including Bombay Burrito above)! If you have access to a camera and would like to take a few photos for us, please leave a comment below and we'll try and sort out some conveniently-located places for you to immortalise for ever in pixellated form.

Likewise, if you happen to already have a suitable photo for an article, locale or category that doesn't have one yet, let us know (though please check our House Style Guidelines first for what constitutes a suitable photo).