Somali Town Restaurant

The Best-Value Restaurants in South West London Are Not ‘Cheap Eats’ | Eater London

"Around Streatham rail station, a Little Mogadishu is slowly building, reflecting an influx of Somali immigration, with Somali Town the most promising of all the cafe/restaurants in the cluster. There’s little to announce it as a restaurant, apart from a kitchen in the back but get talking to the owner who will let diners know what he has on the go: normally a choice between chopped meat, steaks and fish served with either rice or pasta — a reminder of that Italian colonial influence. Maraq is provided gratis, a plain, brown cloudy broth of exceptional savouriness, with acidity provided by chunks of lemon. A chopped beef braise comes with onions and the right ratio of lean to fatty meat, with a half portion of rice cooked in meat stock and a half portion of red sauce spaghetti for the indecisive. Three things to note: one, this is best eaten with hands; two, the green bottle on the table is a chilli sauce called basbaas and should be used liberally, and three, don’t be surprised to be served a banana with the meal — how to use it is entirely the diner’s prerogative." - Jonathan Nunn