Central Dr, Hornchurch
Baluchi A Pan Indian Destination

Baluchi A Pan Indian Destination

181 Tooley St, London SE1 2JR, United Kingdom, Central Dr, Hornchurch

Indian • Cheese • Burgers • Chicken


"I would like to start of by saying Corneilu who was looking after us was very good. He took our drinks order and food order in good time and starters came out quickly. The mess that happened after wasn 't his fault, he was rushed of his feet and all the time I was there he was jumping from table to table. Now into the issues. The starters came and were fine. Then it took an hour for our mains to arrive. And they only arrived because Corneilu chased it up. After an hour waiting the prawns came out. They sat on the table and got cold because it took a further 1Ominutes for anything else to come out. Burger came out cold too. The curry and naan were fine. Now we asked for the prawns and burger to be reheated or re cooked. Or something. Prawns came out again and were fine. But my burger was basically microwaved. It was a pile of Sloppy mushy mess. One bite and couldn 't stomach it anymore. This was just the issue with the food and service. Issues started before we even arrived. Got a call to confirm reservation and was informed there was a party of 45 but they can accommodate us I was told. Excuse me? Accommodate me? I booked a month in advance. No one 's doing me a favour here. Anyway should have listened to warning signs. Got there and it was like being at a corporate party. Someone was having their work do. Giving speeches. Walking around. Laughing and giggling. And while we 're sitting there they 're moving furniture about. Right through the restaurant. All this and it 's supposed to be my wedding anniversary meal. Safe to say I will never be there again and I do not recommend it to anyone at Absolute shambles. AVOID."

Streetfeast

Streetfeast

United Kingdom, Central Dr, Hornchurch

Fish • Meat • Pasta • Food Truck


"Street Feast's Dalston Yard incarnation is back for a fourth glorious year, this time boasting 17 traders and 13 bars and promoting itself as the International Capital of street food. A visit to this spacious outdoor market will offer visitors the opportunity to gorge on Mexican fish tacos, Venezuelan arepas and Taiwanese gua bao- all congregated in one place. Bars offer craft beer and cocktails as standard, but some specialise in wine, award-winning whiskeys or gin. Frontier is heavily peddled at the large bars, but there is a smaller, well-stocked craft beer kiosk replete with examples from local breweries including Beavertown and Fourpure. Camden Town Brewery is also represented, pouring their brews in the Camden Town Pump Station. Whether afternoon or evening, the atmosphere at Dalston Yard is electric- people are always jostling around for delicious food and most vendors will require queuing, especially at busy times, where the call of Smokestak has previously warranted a 40 minute wait for their extolled ribs. Seating is communal- think minimal wooden tables and benches- and there are scattered ledges for those predisposed to leaning. Most revellers barely travel a few feet from the venders, unable to contain themselves and immediately tucking into their prize. This is a street market, so expect dribbling juices, sticky fingers and gooey cheese messes. Leave your table manners at the gate. All of the vendors are seriously top-notch behemoths on the street food scene and we were able to sample this year's selection- nothing disappointed, but I can vouch for Yum Bum's pork belly steamed buns: little pillows of chewy delight that are stuffed with shredded succulent pork, dosed in sticky hoisin sauce and topped with crispy cucumber slices and zingy pickled cabbage. These are dangerously addictive, so never opt for a single helping because, frankly, you'll find yourself back in the queue before you've finished your lone bun. Another unmissable event is Breddo's tacos, which are heavily represented on foodie Instagram feeds with good reason: they are simply wonderful. I tried the fried chicken- a moist piece of poultry that was battered in a crispy golden shell and served with creamy chipotle mayo- and the Baja fish- which were lightly fried but fell apart in the mouth, topped with freshly chopped jalapeno, coriander leaves, radish slices, a lime wedge and wrapped in a black corn tortilla. If you have a hankering for something sweet, eking out Bad Brownie is worth your while. Offering brownie bowls and the now infamous Freakshake- you can spend £9 for the most indulgent treat that is a milkshake and brownie hybrid, packed with hunks of brownie and whipped cream and chopped nuts spilling out of a mason jar- it's a gloriously beautiful specimen of indulgence. The only question is: spoon or straw? You'll want to visit Dalston Yard for the chilled Dalston vibes, good music and exemplary food. On a sunny day, this is a literal urban oasis, but make sure you eat early and often to sample everything on offer. It's not exactly cheap, so choose wisely, but I haven't been let down yet. Drop in mid-afternoon and you can wander around for free, but to access the serious night vibes, you will have to pay £3 on the door after 7pm. Now if only the weather would cooperate, I know where you can find me throughout the summer."

Esquires Coffee Shepherd's Bush

Esquires Coffee Shepherd's Bush

West 12 Shopping Centre, London W12 8PP, United Kingdom, Central Dr, Hornchurch

Coffee • Cheese • Drinks • Breakfast


"I enjoy coming to this café since its refurbishment, however, there are a few niggling, ongoing issues. The first is that there seems to be a problem with the lighting along the front of the café closest to the street-facing windows; they turn off at random intervals and, weeks since reopening, haven 't been fixed. Seems that the issue extends to the plug sockets on that side of the space, too. The next is that, despite it being smack in the middle of winter, the café is often very cold. I suspect that the space is difficult to heat given that almost half of the wall space is windowed floor-to-ceiling and there isn 't a door into W12 to keep in heat. Still, I 'm writing this review wrapped up in a jumper and jacket about to leave because I 'm too cold despite the hot tea. The last is the weird dodging of deals by some staff when customers have dietary requirements. Today, I ordered a roll and hot drink which is supposed to total around £5 (I 'm not close enough to the A-frame to give an accurate amount, but it was definitely £5-something). Adding oat milk to my order brought my total up to just over £7. I can 't really help being lactose intolerant, y 'know? Anyway, gripes aside, the café is far better run and well-designed than it has been in years since Esquires initially sold the place to an independent owner, who sold it to another independent owner (who have since relocated down the road), who sold it back to Esquires. As the infamous Mr. Scott once said, how the turn tables . The new staff are impossibly friendly and upbeat, always happy to serve with a smile and will go the extra mile to ensure that you have everything you need. There are bottles of (full) hand sanitiser on each table, staff are kindly adhering to mask regulations, and the quality of the food and drink has improved enormously. I 'm glad to see Esquires back, especially since it 's so close to home, but until there 's some heating (or the weather warms up) I will probably be sticking to the independent place a little further along who previously ran the joint. I like it here, and I certainly love the staff, but currently I 'm freezing my arse off in the dark with a big mug of tea that I could 've gotten cheaper elsewhere."

Mama Lan

Mama Lan

8 The Pavement, London United Kingdom, SW9 8PR, Central Dr, Hornchurch

Soup • Meat • Beer • Chicken


"I 've been to Brixton Village on several occasions, and have long been dying to try the local legend, Mama Lan. It appears to even have expanded to Clapham, Dalston, and Stratford! There are usually long queues to get one of their few coveted tables, but on a Tuesday evening, we arrived just a little before 7 PM and the whole market was oddly empty so we were seated right away. The menu is pretty simple: there are a few noodle soups, a few dumplings, and some other snacks and sides. We both ordered the beef noodle soup (it says spicy on the menu, but I assure you it is hardly spicy at all), and the beef and pork dumplings. The pork dumplings are supposedly with Chinese leaf, which upon further research is what I would call a Napa cabbage. I was a bit disappointed that our dumplings didn 't arrive first, as that seemed to be a more natural way to do things. Instead, we got the beef noodle soup very shortly after ordering, and it was a good sized portion with hearty stewed beef, a great soup, and thin, tender bok choy leaves. However, it wasn 't the size of a large ramen bowl where you would only expect to eat just that one thing, so it was a good thing we ordered the dumplings. Both of the dumplings we got were pan fried, and I suppose £1 per dumpling is quite standard across London, but I still find it surprisingly expensive. Together with the beers, the meal was about £20 per person a decent cheap eat, but hardly a steal, especially considering you are sitting in the cold with your coat on. That said, they use high quality meats from Ginger Pig and it was all extremely authentic and tasty."