Best restaurant in SE London?

[Quizteam Aguillera]

Locale's menu is bland and overpriced. The service is miserable and the staff clearly have not been trained effectively. The design environment is poorly imagined and executed. Cheap and nasty materials are riddled throughout the place. Only Franklin's and the Palmerston can stand up to any reasonable culinary or service scrutiny in East Dulwich. Someone with a bit of ambition could make a killing here. I'd like to second the shout-out's for Chez Bruce, Wild Honey and the Anchor and Hope but also suggest benugo at BFI Southbank (which you could combine with a film) and further afield, the Ledbury in Notting Hill, which has got a great vibe, good, intelligent design and exquisite food.

[linzkg]

I'm really upset that no-one's second Black and Blue restaurant :-(

[hogboy]

Just returned from our first and last meal at Si Mangia.

very slow service and easily the worst Pizza i've ever had in my life, and i do like Pizza.

How an Italian restaurant can screw up such a basic thing as a pizza is beyond me ?

My friend and i both sent our Pizzas back, pretty much uneaten, it was that bad.

I've never complained in a restaurant before, but this place made me make a bit of a stand.

We were not charged for either Pizza.

Personally the cheapest Iceland Pizza knocks spots of the ones served here.

Avoid

[Chucky]

Haven't eaten in Si Mangia but we tried the pizza and pasta in Locale last week and both were excellent. As was the service. I think EDT does pizza too?

[SeanMacGabhann]

Re black and blue. Ill second them! Bit of a mini chain but fantastic steaks. Over loud acoustics tho.

Si mangia i have never understood. Pleasant staff and company every time i go but never enjoyed the food. Best pizza is gowlett obviously. By miles.

[Brendan]

I had a calzone at Si Mangia that was so good I had to get up and do a little dance.

Granted I hadn't eaten all day after being sent up to Coventry for work and it was supper time.

[lorraineliyanage]

hogboy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Just returned from our first and last meal at Si

> Mangia.

> very slow service and easily the worst Pizza i've

> ever had in my life, and i do like Pizza.

Try the pizza man in Peckham's indoor market on Rye Lane. He really does do the finest, thinnest and yummiest pizzas in SE London for about ?3.50. Bargain and an undiscovered culinary gem of Peckham.

[bigbadwolf]

If you like pizza you should also try the Question bar on Dartmouth road in Forest hill, well I like them anyway.

[Xanadustar]

I was with hogboy last night and have to concur that our Si Mangia experience was not good. We'd tried to go on a sunny Thursday a month or so ago but couldn't get a table so I was really looking forward to what I thought would be an Italian treat (have tried Locale and wasn't too impressed with that, although it was within the first week of opening when there were teething problems. There shouldn't have been IMO, but that's another matter).

Anyway, we waited an age just to order last night. The starters eventually arrived and were fine but the main course (after another long wait which doesn't bode well for a pizza) was poor - freah pasta with a red pesto sauce which was much too salty and generally uninspird. Felt very sorry for the waiter who was new and didn't really know how to deal with an upset hoggy and friend. The manager came out as well and was somewhat apologetic and yes, they did knock the price of the pizzas off the bill.

Such a shame as I've read so many good things about this restaurant on here and think ED could benefit from a decent Italian. It'll be back to the Gowlett for pizza now....

[Jimbob]

hanna,s :(

[macroban]

> hanna,s

Best garlic mushrooms ever.

[Xanadustar]

Indeed. R.I.P Hannahs.

[hoolley]

The Montpellier does some wonderful food since its been revamped. Its just off the Bellenden Road.

[Keef]

Hannah's rocked!

Si Mangia seems to get very mixed reviews, I have heard people really singing it's praises.

[Jeremy]

Si Mangia is fine for what it is - basic Italian - but not really the kind of place you'd go to treat yourself.

Chapter Two in Blackheath is a good bet for best in SE London... good value too, for the quality of food.

[Keef]

Chapter Two is nice, only been once, and it was very busy (xmas time) but the food was good.

[Clinker]

First Place: Ganapati

Close Second: Thai Corner Cafe

[Asset]

I think it's time you raised the bar!

[pearcesa]

I went with a friend recently to Si Mangia and was very disappointed after reading so many rave reviews on here of how great the food was I actually wondered if I was in the right place!

My starter of sea food was very salty and the main course of chicken I had was very bland and came with what can only be described as a very basic salad, the waitress also looked puzzled when I said no to her offer of chips to go with the chicken.

Black & Blue gets my vote for best SE London restaurant. Although not in SE strictly, I would also recommend Metro in Clapham and Chez Bruce in Wandsworth and the Thai place that's in Herne Hill, definitely the best Thai place in South London and beats Thai Corner Cafe hands down!

[jollybaby]

Now what about Baltic by Southwark tube - I've always had fantastic food there and the vodka cocktails are divine.

[pk]

think all my personal favourites that i go back to have already been mentioned:

baltic

anchor and hope

meze mangal

dragon castle

ganapati

palmerston

other places i've enjoyed meals and would like to go back, one day:

butlers wharf chop house

pont de la tour

lobster pot

oxo (the view mainly)

places i'd like to go to:

chapter 2

that sticks place in the oxo tower

chino latino

champor champor

magdelen

places that didn't really do it for me:

black and blue

roast

not an exhaustive list so i might come back with more

[Fuschia]

wee quinnie Wrote:

>

> Hisars is not brilliant for veggies - Mr Wee

> Quinnie ordered a veggie moussaka and was given a

> meat one. Urggh! The veggie mains in there are not

> great, alto' the mezzes are OK.

But I love the meze... I'm a veggy and prefer to have lots of small dishes rather than one main

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Fuschia Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> wee quinnie Wrote:

> >

> > Hisars is not brilliant for veggies - Mr Wee

> > Quinnie ordered a veggie moussaka and was given

> a

> > meat one. Urggh! The veggie mains in there are

> not

> > great, alto' the mezzes are OK.

>

>

>

> But I love the meze... I'm a veggy and prefer to

> have lots of small dishes rather than one main

The Meze are really not that nice or authentic, I was there on Saturday after hearing rave reviews, but seriously after going Turkey and trying Meze Mangal in Lewisham, Hisar is terrible. Try Meze Mangals to see what a Meze should taste like and the veggie options is better.

[jimbo1964]

For Anatolian nibbles Tas in The Cut is good.

[Indiana]

Alot of my favourites have been mentioned here already so I'm going to champion one that I tried on Sat night after not having been there for 7 years.....

Mr Liu on Melbourne Grove/Lordship Lane - opp the Police Station...chinese/cantonese restaurant

We used to pop in there when we lived that end of LL, then we'd forgotten about it in recent years due to living closer to the station. However, we moved house at the weekend, stumbled onto LL at 9pm exhausted after the move and strolled into Mr Liu....

What can I say? fantastic service, very busy with locals who obviously come regularly, superb food and a good wine list - and I have been wasting my money at Chopstick with it's bland tasting food for years!

Ok it's a bit chintzy but thoroughly recommended - 4 of us had 2 courses each, 2 bottles of chablis all for ?20......what more do you need?!