Brixton Village
Lowlight
I’ve been trying to avoid blogging about Brixton Village. I have liked that spot in the old Granville arcade, ever since there was hardly much more than Federation Coffee and Etta’s… Long before it became the next “new” thing in Brixton.
Anyway, I’ve been trying but now accept that I must fail. I have to write about the nonsense of my recent Saturday experience there.
I haven’t been to Fish, Wings and Tings of late.
Not because the food is awful. It isn’t, although it isn’t spectacular either.
Not because of the scintillating view of steaming Brixton market rubbish at the front either, although that is challenging.
Brixton Village Saturday rubbish, next to Fish, Wings and Tings
It’s just that I’ve got fed up of the never-changing menu, (chicken or goat? goat or chicken?), which has less variety than the Caribbean takeaway on Coldharbour Lane. However, against my better judgment, I took a Trinidadian friend who was visiting from Scotland.
It all started off smoothly – the saltfish accra (or codfish fritters, as it has been boringly described) was very tasty – but then it all went badly wrong. The waitress got our orders wrong. Both. In and of itself, this was not a disaster. It happens in all restaurants at one time or another. Unfortunately the wrong food was brought to us twice, as if we could not possibly know what we ordered. We politely sent it back both times, saying that we hadn’t ordered it. The waitress then came out and aggressively demanded to know what we’d ordered.
As my friend put it: “Yuh know Brixton reach, when you’re given grief for your Trini accent, in a Caribbean restaurant, by a French waitress!” I won’t be going back anytime soon.
Highlight
Fortunately, Brixton Village somehow still has the ability to charm you when you least expect it. On Sunday we wandered down to The Agile Rabbit just as they were closing. The chefs made us fresh thin and crispy pepperoni pizza while we waited and were then generous enough to share their staff food with us when we looked at it longingly.
The Agile Rabbit – Thin and Crispy Pizzas
I’ve worked in several large London restaurants and don’t remember having such simple staff food that was that nice – spinach and ricotta ravioli in butter, with an ephemeral tease of nutmeg. Who says the best things in life aren’t free?
There are still some superb spots in and around Brixton Village – Federation Coffee continues to produce the best coffee south of the river, despite being overrun with yummy mummies – however, there are way too many glorified takeaways trying to charge restaurant prices for ordinary food and really poor, if not downright disrespectful service. Brixton is one of the coolest spots south of the river. We deserve better.
Environs – The Wine Parlour
One of the successes of Brixton Village has been the improvement of the gastronomic sites available nearby. For example, the Spanish restaurant and deli, Brindisa, has opened its doors on Atlantic Road just near to Brixton Village. For me, though, the highlight is the independent “Wine Parlour”, which is tucked away on the corner of Vining Street and the very busy Atlantic Road. It’s a funky spot with good quality wines, displaying a range of styles at a range of prices.
Inside the Wine Parlour
They have a good quality “Enomatic” wine preservation system. It stores the wines for up to 8 days and allows you to pour as little as 25 ml at a time. Basically, this means that small independent wine bars, such as this, can offer a wide range of fresh wines by the glass, without needing to increase the price to cover increased waste.
Enomatic Wine Preservation Syste
One or both of the proprietors is always there and I’ve always found the service good and their suggestions helpful. Chix in particular, runs the store with a fun, friendly but firm hand –that means she is able to talk me down from my near tantrum-throwing to get an outdoor patio spot with exceptionally good grace and charm. Add to that, it is an interesting location on a busy road, where you can watch the road rage outside in cool comfort. Additionally, if you’ve had enough, you can step out to their little patio and relax in the summer sun.
Outdoor patio at night
I’ve never been a fan of Champagne et Fromage in the Village – something seems quite wrong about its self-conscious pretense in the grittiness of the market. The Wine Parlour manages to avoid this, largely because of the laid back, easy attitude of the owners and staff. It is definitely worth a visit.
Greedy Gyal 