(Speedy) REVIEW: In defence of Speedy Noodle

After an outraged tweet by Vanessa G about our failure to review Speedy Noodle on Brixton Rd, we challenged her to rectify the wrong and tell us why she loves it so much

Speedy Noodle, which proudly dominates the space between Risky and HSBC on Brixton Rd, has long been serving the community with its extensive menu of far-Eastern cuisine.

Given that Brixton is now celebrated as a foodie haven, with restaurants, bars and delis revered by mainstream press and citizen journalists alike, why has Speedy Noodle, one of our original independent eateries been overlooked? Some might say it’s due to the bright lighting and clinical feel, some might be suspicious that anywhere so cheap could possibly hold any quality. Most, I suspect, are mere snobs who choose not the stray from the Village Tourist Trail. Yet, for those not yet initiated, it offers many virtues, albeit with a lack of shabby-chic bunting.

You enter into a vast area with on-trend communal bench style seating, enabling you to get close enough to listen to other diners’ arguments if you so wish, or to sneak into a far corner for a private discussion with your own lover.

The lighting is indeed bright and somewhat unflattering, but at least this clearly illuminates the menu – and what a vast menu it is.

While so many places now choose to restrict their meal choices to one or two offers, Speedy Noodle offers well over a hundred different dishes, most of which are served with either rice, or noodles (both arrive equally speedily). Vegetarians are well catered for, with a range of vegetable and soya-protein dishes. The restaurant is licensed although there is a good selection of non-alcoholic drink options available.

The portions are large and, quite frankly, delicious. Don’t start protesting with your MSG-related worries. Deep in your heart you know that if some tasty meals were served in a more fashionable location they would be well praised. The fact that, thanks to its convenient late opening times, Speedy Noodle is the perfect late-night eatery after a few pints should not be allowed to overshadow another fact – the food is yum.

Perhaps most importantly, in these budget-conscious times of austerity, Speedy Noodle is cheapcheapcheap, with mains around the £4 range. I would highly recommend a visit  to anyone looking for a cheap, filling and unpretentious meal in Brixton.

Review: Majestic Restaurant

Curried goat, plantain and beans

Guest food blogger Lucy Ferguson, who blogs at ‘tv dinners‘, reviews the Majestic Restaurant

With the ever increasing publicity and praise currently being heaped on Brixton Village, here at Brixton Blog we’ve been dining out in one of the lesser known eateries in SW9 – Majestic Restaurant on Coldharbour Lane.

Majestic is a Nigerian restaurant, there’s not much to see from the outside and you may well have walked past without really noticing. Once inside, it’s a trove of traditional Nigerian food and drink. Unperturbed by the stated half-hour preparation time for our first course, we started the meal with moimoi, a savoury steamed bean cake cooked with onions and seasonings. It was so tasty, I could eat it every day. This high protein, low fat food serves as a slimming aid – not that a slimming aid could be any use considering the sheer size of the next course!  The moimoi was served with a wickedly hot suya, spiced beef kebab meat which made us happy to have ordered the large bottles of palm wine to accompany the meal.

Moimoi

For main courses we tried three mains. The first was tilapia, a huge fish cooked in a rich sauce that barely fit the plate, served with richly flavoured jollof rice. The second main course was assorted meats, a courageous choice, which included cow’s foot – which managed to pull off the surprising combination of being both gelatinous and grisly – and tripe. The tripe looked pretty frightening but took on the spices of the sauce and melted in the mouth. Third main (see above) was a plate piled high with curried goat and plantain with rice and beans. It was outstanding, and a struggle to get even half way through, but the type of meal you wanted to carry on eating well after you were too stuffed to eat any more.

Assorted Meats

Tilapia

The staff were super friendly and enthusiastic, explaining the dishes well. As we were leaving a PA system and drums were being brought in, suggesting Friday nights in Majestic can turn into quite a party – just as long as you’re not too full to get down.

Two courses plus palm wine around £15 per person<

Majestic Restaurant<
330A Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8QH
020 7274 6676

Brixton lunch: Etta’s Seafood Kitchen

The windows steam up in Etta’s Seafood Kitchen when the cafe is full. Somehow that sums up what Etta and her daughter provide in their food  – simple, gutsy and warming dishes. Fish soup, fish curry, coriander and garlic prawns, or just steamed fish, all with a Caribbean twist and sourced from Brixton Market. Not much can go wrong there. They also do wonderful fresh juices, such as ‘Etta’s Energizer’ with beetroot, carrot and ginger.  The curry could have been spicier, or more ‘curryish’ in the words of my companion, and there isn’t a huge amount of difference in flavour between each dish, but it’s all pretty damn satisfying for a Saturday lunch. And cheap too.

Prawns with rice and peas

Fish Curry

Etta’s Seafood Kitchen, 85/86 Granville Arcade, Brixton