Whilst working from home on Friday, head in my hands and surrounded by piles of paper, Ollie suggested that I take a break and join him for lunch. I was about to say that I didn’t have time when he suggested Ganapati, so I closed my laptop and off we went. There is no shortage of Indian restaurants in our little part of south east London, however Ganapati sits head and shoulders above the myriad of curry houses on Lordship Lane and the Old Kent Road and is a real local favourite. Ganapati has recently set up a take-away kitchen around the corner from its main site just off the Bellenden Road, which has caused a great deal of excitement in many a delivery postcode. They also have an extremely good value lunch deal.
We started by sharing the vegetarian street snacks: a plate containing two mysore bonda, potato and cashew dumplings fried in chickpea batter; and two vadai, ground chana dal with curry leaf and green chilli, shaped into patties and fried. Both were perfectly hot and crispy without the greasiness that often accompanies fried starters. We both agreed that we could not choose between them but, in hindsight, would have ordered a plate each.
The vegetarian thali main came on a large metal tray separated into sections. The tomato-based vegetable and lentil curry had a huge kick of spices and curry leaves and was far hotter than I expected – so much so that Ollie the chilli fiend kept trying to sneak forkfuls when I wasn’t looking. The accompaniements were great, by far my favourite part of the dish was a sweet and slightly spiced beetroot pickle that complemented the heat of the curry perfectly. Ollie ordered the kingfish curry, which has perfectly cooked soft pieces of fish in a coconut and tamarind sauce.
Most of the main courses on the Ganapti lunch menu are under £6, which makes it an excellent value lunch, especially as the prices are considerably higher in the evening.
Ganapati, 38 Holly Grove, Peckham, London SE15 5DF
Having a rare day off together on Sunday, we went over to the Museum of London Docklands for the afternoon, where I have not been since my first year at Goldsmiths. London’s history is so fascinating, especially that of the communities that lived and worked by the river. I found this amusing piece of information about the women that worked at the fish market.
“Fish, espeically herring, was the staple food of the London poor. In the 18th century, boats brought their catch bacl from fishing grounds off the coast of Norway, the Baltic and north of the Shetlands. Women working at the fish market had a reputation for toughness and sharp language. Some even earned additional income as bare-knuckle fighters.” – The Museum of London Docklands
The museum is rather enormous, so by the time we got to the bit about rebuilding the docklands we had worked up quite an appetite, so headed over to Cafe East in Surrey Quays for a late Vietnamese lunch. When you first get off the Overground, this seems like the last place you are going to find one of south-east London’s gems. To get to it, you have to walk past all of the usual horrors you would expect to find in a retail park: Frankie & Benny’s, Pizza Hut, generic-American grill restaurants et cetera. However, when you get right to the back, there is a little unassuming brick hut that makes some of the best Vietnamese food south of the river – obviously the Kingsland Road is the go-to destination for pho but sometimes you just don’t want to go to Shoreditch…
After the customary chuckle at the “We do not serve tap water” sign at the entrance, we took up a table and ordered some Vietnamese iced coffee. It’s always a bit of a shame that they don’t offer hot coffee with condensed milk as other restaurants do, as I prefer this to the iced stuff.
We started with an order of banh cuon, steamed rolls filled with minced pork and chinese mushrooms and topped with meatloaf and some delicious fried shallots; and the goi cuon, known to the rest of us as ‘summer rolls’, filled with pork and prawn. Both were generous in size and very fresh. The summer rolls were not overloaded with fresh mint, which many often are, so the other flavours were able to come through. They came with a peanut sauce and a ferociously spicy chilli dipping sauce.
I ordered the lemongrass pork chop, a sweet, slightly spicy, sticky sliced pork served over boiled rice, which was just the right combination of moistness and chewiness. Despite being well-coated in the sauce, the flavour of the pork still came through well. I thought a splash of the summer rolls’ dipping sauce might ruin it, but the pork actually benefitted well from the extra spice. On the side were some innocuous looking pickles – shredded carrot and daikon – that were so perfect I wished there was more than the little pinch put on the side of the plate. Ollie ordered the Pho Bo Hue – a slightly spicy variation of the traditional beef pho. The beef brisket, cooked in the heat of the soup, were sliced perfectly thin and the slippery noodles and crisp vegetables made it a very substantial dish. The little bowl of red chillies accompanying the soup were for the very brave only – even Ollie, who has the highest heat tolerance of anybody I know, only added three-quarters.
I didn’t eat for the rest of the day after that.
Cafe East, Surrey Quays Leisure Park, 100 Redriff Road, London SE16 7LH.
The Boozy Rouge 