Janda Diner - Review - Peckham - London - The Infatuation

"Alongside Holloway and Whitechapel Road, Rye Lane is one of London’s great ‘anything and everything’ stretches. A Hollywood blockbuster, a tool shop, and a stranger with a deep knowledge of conspiracy theories are all within your grasp, and so too is a plate of intriguing condensed milk fried chicken from Janda Diner. The knee-knocking modern Malaysian restaurant is the perfect venue for a home-before-11pm Thursday night and, although not every dish lands, it’s a no-brainer of a Great Little Place. As with any intimate neighbourhood restaurant, this isn’t the ideal space to name names or take stories from your teenage years out of the vault. It’s tighter than the 149 at 6pm and you'll be getting whiffs of your neighbour’s roti jala sage or rendang daging whether you intend to or not. This chaotic energy is part of Janda Diner’s charm and, like the ayam goreng susu, some will find it divisive. The sticky chicken, deep-fried in condensed milk and butter, verges on sickly sweet and we enjoy it best with a kick of fervent sambal on the side. Not every dish leans sweet, although you should expect a fair amount of coconut (in milk or grated form) across lots of the menu. Most tables, friends treating themselves or dates dating, go for the dry rendang. It’s a generous pile that tends to hold its ground rather than fall apart as we’d like it to. Then again, things like mee goreng are brilliant and deeply flavoured. Just don’t expect everything to be as polished as the plates look; that’s Janda Diner’s personality. Food Rundown Roti Jala Sage It’s almost too pretty to eat. But you should, because the spindly rolls of crêpe batter are a delight to tear into a pile warm daal on top of. It isn’t spectacular, but it’s fun. photo credit: Jake Missing Satay Ayam These skewers of cubed chicken thigh are well marinated with plenty of grated ginger, and the creamy, glowing peanut dip is exactly as we’d like it. photo credit: Jake Missing Ayam Goreng Susu This isn’t fried chicken as you know it. It’s sticky, gloopy, and simultaneously sweet and peppery. One plate is a little overwhelming between two. Share it around and get some sambal on the side. photo credit: Jake Missing Rendang Daging It’s a generous, well-flavoured beef rendang. The meat isn’t as tender and slow-cooked as we’d like it to be but paired with a tear of roti, it’s more than enjoyable. photo credit: Jake Missing Tauhu Sumbat Although the menu says it’s stuffed, we’d say this tofu dish is layered. It’s a careful and impressive bit of engineering, and the tempura-like fry is texturally interesting. That said, the pumpkin filling is sweet and overall quite one-note. photo credit: Jake Missing Kari Kepala Ikan There’s plenty to like about this fish head curry. There’s a generous amount of tender sea bream in it, head and all, but its spicing feels like a polite introduction rather than a confident hello. It could do with more punch and less creaminess. photo credit: Jake Missing Mee Goreng With nobody watching we suspect we could inhale an embarrassingly large quantity of these noodles. They’re stained dark brown and have the char and whiff of the kitchen emanating off them. photo credit: Jake Missing" - Jake Missing