Food

Brixton Eats…

Brixton is one of my favourite places to travel to in London; it’s so full of life and has some of the best hidden eateries in the city. Not only can you spend a whole month sampling foods from all over the globe within Brixton but you can also buy any possible ingredient from the markets and food shops aligned on its side streets.

I went to two very different restaurants in Brixton within the same week, one was Veranda which is situated on Acre Lane and the other was The Market House a small pub on Coldharbour Lane. I am going to be as honest as I possibly can about both places and let you know what I ate whilst I was there.

I went to Veranda with some colleagues as part of our Christmas party, so the menu had been slightly changed to meet the needs of theme. I had for my starter scallops, which were cold and quite rubbery, but the waitress was lovely and kindly changed them for me and she brought me fresh ones. The scallops were accompanied by strawberries and some sautéed onions, which was an interesting combination but it worked. A friend of mine had the tiger prawns which were amazing; the charcoal taste from the barbeque combined with the cooked pineapple was just divine.

 

Now onto my main, for my main we had lamb chops, it was originally down as a rack of lamb, but from the photo you can see this was clearly an over exaggeration they were just lamb chops.The chops sat on a bed of seasonal vegetables seasoned in what tasted like thyme and honey; it also had a small side of gravy, which had a lovely spicy kick to it. The dish was divine! I love my chops with potatoes or at least mash, to suppress the hunger feeling you get after eating a small meal. The need for carbs was still there after I had eaten, but the dish was delicious. My verdict on Veranda was that it was ok, but I wouldn’t recommend it for a Christmas party alternative. It’s a wonderful restaurant and although we didn’t have time to sample any on that visit, it does make some of the best fruit cocktails in the area.

Now the Market House, I love me a bit of “pub grub” it is the best kind of comfort food out there. I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at the menu that it was not your typical pub food, it was scattered with alternative foods from a Moroccan chicken salad to a burger stuffed with a variety of cheeses in a brioche bun. I decided to go for a Moroccan salad, ready to snub the attempt of the chef as I had assumed that he had popped round to the supermarket and bought pre made chicken chunks from the fridge section. My salad arrived to the table and it was a colourful masterpiece, with red lettuce, water cress, lettuce leaves, and seasoned chick peas and of course the chicken. The chicken in the salad was freshly cooked and moist; it was seasoned with an array of spices and actually melted in my mouth. The warmness of the chicken complimented the cool salad alongside the thickness of the chickpeas. Dare I say it was one of my favourite chicken salads to date! I would definitely recommend The Market House as a great place to have lunch with friends or a quick bite to eat, the food is great.

These are only two restaurants in Brixton and I am sure I will be back and sample more, but two restaurants in a week in Brixton was the perfect start to the year.

Abi x