Cool and Cozzy Restaurant

The Best Restaurants in Camberwell, South East London | Eater London

"On a low-rise stretch of Southampton Way, the only giveaways that might explain a window emitting a neon-blue glow are two illuminated white bollards painted with a stripe of green on top and blue on the bottom — to a flag nerd, the unmistakable colours of Sierra Leone. Patience is rewarded at Cool and Cozzy; it might take half an hour but how many takeaways in London are putting out an entire 2kg fish? Tilapia are fried whole in their silver and pearl armour, skin alternately shatteringly crisp or pulled off in strips like aquatic jerky to uncover meaty flesh. It’s possible to get Salone staples, like cassava leaf, potato leaf and krain-krain, but ─ as the owner admits ─ it’s the seafood that people are really here for: those fish, piles of crab and whole lobsters split down the middle and grilled. Dishes can be ordered with attieke, the Ivorian staple made from peeled and grated cassava mixed with a fermented version of itself that acts as a starter. Often compared to couscous, it comes as fluffier pale yellow flakes, slightly chewy with a fermented tang that can be cut through with raw onion or a pepper sauce so potent that the smell alone induces shivers." - Jonathan Nunn