Elephant @ Brixton Village

After two or three too many weissbraus at The Bishop in East Dulwich (right after our trip to Viet Van, previous post) our small team decides to make the move towards Brixton Village in hope of securing a table at one of our favourite eateries. Brixton Village is something of a diamond in the rough, tucked in behind the market and spanning through to Coldharbour Lane, entirely undercover like a little mall. Apparently when it started they offered free rent to anyone with a solid idea for a business. They end result is amazing, loads of little hole in the wall joints seemingly kitted out from ikea with very little space to work their magic, but work it they do. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera so the photos are courtesy of iPhone....

Alas Honest Burger is heaving so we keep moving in hope of trying something new and exciting. We spy a free table at the popular Elephant, a tiny hole in the wall serving pakistani street / home style cooking. We dart in and settle down for what turns out to be a bloody good feed. Imran Bashir has apparently no formal training yet he's doing what a lot of chefs wish they could, cooking great food from the heart with tried and tested (and no doubt secret) family recipes.

You can also sit 'inside'

We order pakora and samosa to start, the pakora were dry and overcooked which was a shame because the flavour was good. The samosa were brilliant, served with a tangy cucumber salad and raita. The filling rich but not heavy. Not cheap for £4.25.... but i'd order them again so I suppose they are worth it.

dry pakora is dry... but tasty

samosa heaven. I edited this photo a little bit as it was quite dark.

Mains are chicken curry, this was better than the chicken curry at Tayyabs hands down. Tender chicken, not overcooked with not too aggressive spicing yet plenty of heat. Keema curry, the standout dish, minced lamb with bags and bags of flavour and spice. Superb.... and we had the daal which isn't normally my choice but this one was quite respectable. All curries came with either rice or bread. We got both cos we're greedy.

err we scoffed the mains before i remembered to take photos of them... here's a random shot instead :)

Around us other punters are tucking into thalis, a selction of dishes with rice, bread etc.. a perfect way to order if you're dining alone.... or you just don't feel like sharing. The menu is very limited but once you see the size of the kitchen it makes sense. I would always rather eat somewhere that plays to their strengths and stick to a few dishes they do really well rather than try to please everybody (my biggest gripe with most Chinese take aways in London).

a bit of jazz starts up later in the evening. perfect for all the hipsters at Mama Lan

There is also a dessert option of mango or pistachio kulfi (ice cream) which I passed on as I wasn't sure it would sit well with all that beer in my belly. I'm keen to try it when I return.... and return I shall... but probably not before I head back to Honest Burger.

Elephant can be found at 55 Granville Arcade, Brixton Village Market, Coldharbour lane SW9 8PS
Imran Bashir - 07590 389684
info@elephantcafe.co.uk