Where’s good in Brixton at the moment for a solo lunch on a Friday? I have a “to-try” list as long as my arm, including Kaosarn, Etta’s Seafood Kitchen, Effra Hall Tavern, and more — but many of them were added to the list quite a few years ago, so I’m looking for current recommendations (based on experience within, say, the past 6–12 months).
(For slightly complicated reasons, I’m not interested in anything in Pop Brixton, so suggestions there won’t be of use to me, but since they might be helpful to others I have no objection to such places being discussed in this thread. Also, although I do intend to go to Naughty Piglets at some point, and they do seem to be open for lunch on Fridays, I don’t know what time I’m getting to Brixton and I have a slightly tight schedule, so I can’t book and I’d prefer not to have to wait for a table.)
If it were me, when I was ready to eat I’d just call Naughty Piglets and ask if they have a spot free, then if they do walk down. I really rate that place!
Otherwise I’ll defer to others. Most of the stuff in central Brixton is a bit too hipster/dude food for me.
I ended up at Carioca on Market Row, and chose from their breakfast menu. Favela da rossa consisted of plantain slices sandwiched with mozzarella then deep-fried in batter, topped with a couple of poached eggs and served on slices of tomato (photo).
It was pretty good overall, with a nice combination of textures and flavours. The batter wasn’t too thick, and the sweetness — which is often a worry with plantain-based dishes — was well-controlled. The tomatoes were under-ripe, but this isn’t surprising for the time of year, and it actually worked well in context. The only mis-step was that one of the eggs had a somewhat runny white as well as a runny yolk.
