Lê Dîner - 29.12.2014

EATERY: Lê Dîner, 82A London Road, Morden, SM4 5AZ
FOOD ORDERED: Bánh mì Sandwich

 

"Please don't bánh mì from tha Grove Geoff man"

'Desserts' was a short-lived ice-cream palour, which became "Lê Dîner" within a matter of weeks. The new management appear to have kept the gelato-freezers but now also serve the classic combination fresh naan bread, and traditonal vietnamese sandwiches too.

It's a strange venue, they've kept the 'funky' black and purple leatherette booths, but have dispatched the ultra-loud chart music television. A definite plus. Service was friendly and personable, comparable to a tea stall at a Church of England summer fete, in a good way.

I ordered one of their trad sangers (with pork), as I'd never tried one before. I later found out that the Bánh mì was developed as a fusion food by French colonialists making the best of what they could find in their adopted homeland. It was quite a strange mix of ingredients; the pork had a deep umami and soy flavour, offset by fresh cucumber and coriander, but then with a load of coleslaw chucked on top too. And jalapenos. I've got to admit, the blend of tastes wasn't quite for me, but I can't fault the quality of the sandwich. The bread was freshly baked, and the pork freshly cooked. And for £3.50 it was better value than a Subway (*spits*). Apparently the traditional recipe includes "Head Cheese" (meat jelly made with flesh from the head of a pig). I'm glad the version I had didn't contain this, but even if it did, it would still have been better than Subway (*spits again*).

Is Morden ready for Bánh mì? I consider myself to be fairly worldly when it comes to food, and I'm not. But despite their superfluous circumflex, I hope Lê Dîner succeed in bringing their bizarre combination of Vietnamese, Italian, French and Indian food to Morden.

QUALITY: 8/10
PORTION SIZE: 7/10
PRICE: 7/10
SERVICE: 6.5/10
ATMOSPHERE: 6/10

OVERALL: 6.9/10

Little Vietnam - 17.12.2014

EATERY: Little Vietnam, 1 Kingston Road, London SW19 1JX
FOOD ORDERED: Bun Thit Nuong Chicken, Beef in Betel Leaves

 

 "You weren't there man"

This will probably be the most exotic venue I'll get to within a mile of Morden Tube and is consequently one of the places I've most been looking forward to visiting.

The signs weren't great when I first walked in. It was cold, dark and empty. Though after the serving person poured a cup of green tea in me and turned on the 2 bar heater, I soon began to warm up.

My main dish was a warm noodle salad with spiced chicken topped with spring rolls, and was delicious. The beef in betel leaves was tasty too, though a little steep considering the size. Vietnamese food is characterised by simple, clean flavours, in contrast to the rich cuisine served buy it's neighbours (in Asia I mean, not on the Kingston Road). That's not to say it is any less flavourful, far from it. The individual elements are given more room to breath which allows the quality and freshness of the ingredients shine through.

The price was at the higher end of what I'd want to be paying for lunch, and the serving lady did forget part of my meal, but I can let that go. By the end of my meal, I began to find no frills atmosphere quite charming, I like it when an unassuming venue serves up spectacular food. I will definitely be going back.


QUALITY: 9/10
PORTION SIZE: 7/10
PRICE: 6.5/10
SERVICE: 6.5/10
ATMOSPHERE: 6/10

OVERALL: 7/10

Sky Inn - 12.12.2014

EATERY: Sky Inn, Morden Court Parade, London Road, Morden, SM4 5HJ
FOOD ORDERED: Chicken & Sweetcorn Soup, Pork and Prawn Dumplings

"Sky Mangled"

When I opened the front door of The Sky Inn, all the lights were off, and there was no one behind the counter. I thought it might be closed, but a lad shuffled out of the back promptly on my arrival. For take-away eateries, I can forgive a lack of atmosphere. I ordered a light lunch, just of soup and dumplings.

The soup was hot, but thin and watery. The chicken meat was scant and cut into the tiny of pieces. It was also a bit tasteless. The dumplings were cold in the middle, so I elected to dump them in my soup. There were only 4 of them and they were tiny, so they didn't take too long to heat through.

I was pretty disappointed overall. I always expect to pay a bit over the odds for non-european food in Morden, but at £6 plus, I thought I might get a little more for my money. I get the impression that they don't get much custom at the Sky Inn, and with food like this it's easy to see why.

QUALITY: 4/10
PORTION SIZE: 4/10
PRICE: 4/10
SERVICE: 6.5/10
ATMOSPHERE: 3.5/10

OVERALL: 4.4/10

Capital Cafe - 08.12.2014

EATERY: Capital Cafe, 16 London Road, Morden, SM4 5BQ
FOOD ORDERED: Shepherds Pie with 3 veg.

"Capital Gold"

Despite the generous portions and affordable prices, Karl Marx would probably be rotating in his grave if he were to find out that his seminal critique of policital economy had been used to name a small business in Morden.

I ordered the lunch special; a Shepherds Pie, which for some reason came with extra potatoes as well as the peas, carrots and cabbage advertised. But hey, carb me up, it's cold outside. The mode of production appeared to be oven and microwave, via waterbath. Which is fine for a high street caf, no complaints there. The meal was large and hot, and tasty, and simple, but well seasoned. I was a fan of the amount of veg in particular, vitamins are important at this time of year. Though unfortunately they hadn't been drained properly, so the bottom of my plate was a bit watery. I was going to order a cup of english breakfast cha to go with my meal, but elected not to in respect of Marx, who of course advocated the abolition of proper tea.

At a price of £5.30, this meal represented great value for a large sit down meal, and I was overall, very pleased with my trip to the Kapital Cafe.


QUALITY: 6.7/10
PORTION SIZE: 8/10
PRICE: 6.8/10
SERVICE: 7/10
ATMOSPHERE: 6.5/10

OVERALL: 7/10

King Cafe - 27.11.2014

EATERY: King Cafe, 137 Green Lane, Morden, SM4 6SE
FOOD ORDERED: Tuna & Sweetcorn sandwich with side salad

 

" 'king Hell "

King Cafe is located on the edge on the mile radius around Morden tube station that I drew when I started this blog, and as such, is the furthest I've travelled for a meal yet.

KC is an unremarkable greasy spoon on the south side of Morden. I ordered a tuna sweet corn sandwich with an extra side salad. The sandwich was filled adequately and the bread was fresh cut. The salad was basic, and fresh-ish, but over-priced considering it's size. All together my lunch came in at £5.60, which to me seems a bit steep. In fact the price marred the whole dining experience. Although the meal was decent enough, I left feeling violated.

QUALITY: 6.5/10
PORTION SIZE: 6/10
PRICE: 4/10
SERVICE: 6.5/10
ATMOSPHERE: 5.5/10

OVERALL: 5.7/10