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

Plenty Chinese Food - 21.11.2014

EATERY: Plenty Chinese Food, 93 London Rd, Mordon, Surrey SM4 5HP
FOOD ORDERED: Hong Kong Style Sweet and Sour Chicken with Rice, and Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup

 


"Zang"

PCF is a Chinese takeway shop. It has the sterile surroundings you'd expect from a take-out only eatery with it's bare tiled walls. I wasn't expecting anything particularly special from this establishment.

I ordered a from the lunch deal selection, not the cheapest at £4.90, but it does come with a COLD canned drink (something they should probably mention on their menu). I decided to also order a portion of chicken and sweetcorn soup, as I find this is often a good indicator as to the quality of the rest of the meal.

I'm happy to say I was pleasantly surprised, the soup with thick and meaty, the lunch portion was generous and they were happy to subsititue the egg fried rice for plain. There was plenty of meat, and it was battered nicely. My only criticism might be that there was a touch to much sauce, and the soup serving was maybe a little on the small size given it's price of £2.80. The gent serving was a decent lad too, and the food came good and quick.

In conclusion, a great meal from a modest munch-house.

QUALITY: 7.5/10
PORTION SIZE: 7/10
PRICE: 6/10
SERVICE: 7/10
ATMOSPHERE: 5.5/10

OVERALL: 6.6/10

Gosto Fino - 14.11.2014

EATERY: Gosto Fino, Merton Civic Centre, London Road, Morden, Surrey, SM4 5DX
FOOD ORDERED: Bacon Sandwich

"Brown town"

Gusto Fino is a cafe located on the Merton Civic Centre's mezzanine floor, above the reception desk. It is mainly frequented by Merton Council's staff, though it is open to the public too. The atmosphere is quite sterile, a bit like a staff canteen, but I guess that's kind of what it is. But it's clean, and the service is fast, and the queues are often short, though maybe that's not such a good thing.

I ordered a bacon sandwich on brown bread, with brown sauce. The bacon was pre-cooked and microwaved, which wasn't as bad as it sounds...however, the fat was severely undercooked. As I've mentioned previously, fat needs to be crispy, chewy fat is gag central - bleurgh. The bread was dry and a touch on the thin side, I really wish I hadn't ask them to leave out the butter.

On the plus side the sandwich was cheap (£1.95). Nothing to get overly excited about here though.


QUALITY: 5/10
PORTION SIZE: 6/10
PRICE: 7/10
SERVICE: 6/10
ATMOSPHERE: 6/10

OVERALL: 6/10

Villagers Cafe - 12.11.2014

EATERY: Villagers Cafe Restaurant, 12 Crown Lane, Morden, Surrey, SM4 5BL

FOOD ORDERED: Tuna and Sweetcorn Jacket Potato

   

"It's really alright"

Villagers Cafe is a greasy spoon in the heart of Morden. It appears to serve as a common room for employees TfL who work nearby. The decor is simple, but the establishment itself is bright and very clean. Service was quick and friendly; I was in and out with 20 minutes.

I ordered a baked potato, which came with a small salad, for £3.80. The potato was hot and buttery, though maybe just a little watery...but I'm nitpicking: it was grand really. So grand that I maybe could have eaten another one, but I didn't want to end up accidentally running over my own head. The salad was crisp and fresh too. I can't stand sandy tomatoes*, luckily these lads were perky as heck.

Nothing groundbreaking here from the VC, but then, that's not why you go to a caf' in Morden is it? Solid and decent food, and service with a smile. Couldn't ask for much more in my opinion.

QUALITY: 7/10
PORTION SIZE: 7/10
PRICE: 7/10
SERVICE: 7/10
ATMOSPHERE: 7/10

OVERALL: 7/10

* Is it possible that legendarily naff singer-songwriter Sandy Thom (of Tooting), named herself after shit tomatoes?

Wiltshere Bakery - 16.10.2014

EATERY: Wiltshere Bakery, 4 Morden Court Parade London Road, Morden, London, Surrey

FOOD ORDERED: Bacon Roll

"Beer can sandwich"

The Wiltshire Bakery is conveniently situated between where I park, and where I work. They offer a breakfast deal or a bacon roll plus (instant) coffee for £2. On a previous visit to this establishment, the sales lady told me I'd need to pay an extra 10p to NOT have a coffee...which I found confusing. I didn't want it, and I could have just left it on the counter, but I didn't want to make her feel silly.

I have bought bacon sandwiches from the Wilty-B several times before, so I felt quite bad for them that on the occaision that I'd chosen to purchase for review, they'd supplied me with sub-standard product. In my mind, there are two characteristics that bacon should have - 1) it should be hot and 2) the fat needs to be CRISPY. Reader, this bacon was neither. The roll was decent, but the star of the show did not turn up.

I will buy from them again, as they have been good to me before. It's just a shame they didn't cut the mustard on this visit.

QUALITY: 5/10
PORTION SIZE: 6.5/10
PRICE: 7/10
SERVICE: 7/10
ATMOSPHERE: 6/10

OVERALL: 6.3/10