That little stretch south of corner booze emporium Drinkers’ Paradise has never really changed, has it? Despite The Grafton almost opposite and the swanky refurbed Victorian baths shimmering over the road.
An unexpected new arrival on the block – on the site of the former Madras Valley, and sandwiched between the cab shop and the Chinese takeway – is the more on-point Yak & Yeti, a small London Nepalese micro-chain with branches in Crystal Palace and Finsbury Park.
It will be “mostly takeaway”, says owner Anil, although there will also be “bar-style seating”.
The menu will boast weekly chefs’ specials, such as masu aloo chanca, a “country-style” way of cooking delicately spiced lamb with chick peas, potatoes, garlic, green chillies and herbs.
And as well as listing interesting seafood and specials – shrimp with black lentils, anyone? – the menu has a sizeable vegan component. So it might even prove a ‘guilt-free’ option on a Friday night, after all.
Our south-east London man-on-the-ground David is a definite fan of his local branch. “It’s all good,” he says, “whether you eat in or take away. Our favourites are the chicken chettinad, cooked in the traditional Tamil Nadu style with green chilies, the Goan fish curry and the tandoori salmon.”
Mouthwatering already? Tick.
