Xinjiangtastic- Silk Road

The Fashionista moved to London some two years before I managed to get myself in order and move down saaath.  When she did move, she didn't choose one of those places that everyone knows, the Claphams and the Angels- no she chose Camberwell (as an example of how well she knew London at the time she phoned her flatmate to be and asked for directions from Oval-Brixton- not realising that they were two different places!).

Camberwell is a funny little place- to people who don't know it, it is an area of south London sandwiched between infamous Brixton and Peckham- surely there would be no reason leave Clapham for such a place, let alone travel over the river!  But for those in the know it is a hub of great bars and restaurants, with a vibe somewhere between Brixton and Dalston (the art college nearby might have something to do with this!).

And so on to the restaurants- I have posted about the Crooked Well, that almost but just not quite there of a bar/restaurant which is the latest addition to the scene- other notable openings in recent years include Angels and Gypsies which serves fantastic tapas. Sometimes, however, the classics are the best, and Silk Road truly is classic!

One of the first times I came to visit the Fashionista we were wandering along Camberwell High Street and she picked out a rather scruffy looking restaurant- I said we should give it a miss.  The next time she persisted and so we ended up going in to be greeted by some of the most delicious, different, meals I have ever eaten- for those not in the know, Xinjiangese cuisine it is somewhere between Szechuanese and Russian- lots of noodles and chillies, but also potatoes, beef and kebabs. 


Spicy spinach.

I can honestly say, having now been through the entirety of the menu at Silk, that there is nothing on there which isn't up to scratch- it is all delicious.  Particular highlights include the tripe in chili sauce, the kelp and the belt noodles.  The dumplings are also fantastic.


Chicken with green chilies



This time we decided to go for the spicy shredded salad, chicken with green chilies, pork dumplings, noodles with lamb and spicy spinach.  The salad was a simple combination of fresh coriander, chilies and leaves which, although there was not too much to it, provided a nice freshness to the dinner.  The noodles were tremendous as always (you can sometimes see them making them through in the back kitchen), the dumplings light but tasty, the chicken with chilies was, well, chicken with chilies and the spicy spinach was delicious.

Noodles with lamb.

Fried pork dumplings.

There are not many restaurants that I have been back to so many times that I have managed to work through the entire menu- Silk Road is, however, one of those.  The food is tremendous, the prices are an absolute steal (£33 for the two of us, stuffed to the rafters, and with a beer!), and, as far as I am aware, this is the only restaurant serving food from Xinjiang in London.  It is definitely worth making that trip over the river...

Spicy green salad.