Silk Road - Feb 2010

We'd gone early to try out Angels and Gypsies however they'd changed their booking policy and were being adorably snooty about the need for reservations (at 6pm... in Camberwell.. they'll learn..)

Where: Silk Road, Camberwell Church Street
With whom:  The Ginger Prince and I
How much?: £15 for some spice and a couple of bottles of Tsingtao

I was frothing somewhat after the hallowed doors of Angels & Gypsies failed to open again and so we decided to head to Silk Road for a bite to eat prior to Nice Guy Eddie's birthday drinks. They had been prodded by the fickle finger of fame (well Jay Rayner) last year and having had a few meals there since, I wanted to see how it was holding up.

Thankfully very well was the answer. Busy, (well it was a Saturday night) a blast of 'pop' musak, a hit of sweet spice and a predominantly Chinese crowd. We slotted into a seat and scanned the menu, laid out in a mix of English and Chinese, half handwritten and presented in the sort of poly pocket holder beloved of teachers and the criminally over organised.

No time for the exceptional, though bluntly named, Medium Plate Chicken (a steaming Sichuan chilli broth of chicken and potato followed up with a belt of homemade buckwheat noodle to soak up the remaining spice) so we dove straight into a plate of the lamb skewers. Stick to your mouth hot and with a deep level of spice they settled our hunger pangs down prior to a plate of pork and celery dumplings. Undoubtably authentic, they were being prepared by an elderly relative in eyeshot towards the back of the restaurant, rolling, filling and crimping the little fellows with the sort of vacant stare that comes with a lot of practice. For me they were a touch too watery, more so with the necessary addition of the vinegar, and verging on the bland. The pork didn't really come through and the casing was a little thick.

We followed with the Homestyle Pork, a fried mince and carrot mix in a fragrant, almost citrus sauce, and a lovely aubergine, cooked with green aubergines braised in a fresh and light stock. 

It's a rare menu and worth a look in for that reason if you're a local. The Medium Plate Chicken may be worth a special trip, though well meaning and a nautical mile beyond the standard crap in a tray merchants that dot Zone 2, I honestly don't know whether the rest gets more than a curiosity vote.