Randomness Guide to London Menu

Balkan and Mediterranean restaurant on the High Street in Croydon.

It seats around 40-50 people, with a combination of banquettes around the walls and a few freestanding tables. The effect is quite cosy.

Kake and Kat visited on a Monday evening in December 2012. We hadn't booked, but the place was almost empty so this wasn't a problem — there were only two other people in when we arrived a little after 8pm, and they left shortly after. Music was playing, not too loud. A TV was showing what appeared to be a Bulgarian channel, with the sound off.

A small basket of bread was brought as we sat down, along with oil/vinegar and a dish of green olives; no charge for this appeared on the bill. Tap water arrived swiftly upon request.

We began with a shared starter of krustini with marinated herring (£9) photo. The herrings had a good texture and a piquant but not overwhelmingly vinegary flavour; the accompanying gherkins were firm in texture and again not overly harsh in flavour. The krustini were only very lightly toasted (normally they should be much more rusk/biscuit like) but still provided a sturdy enough substrate for the herrings.

Kake's main course of tongue and tripe specialitet (£13) photo was quite cheese-dominated, though this was clear from the menu so this isn't a complaint! The tripe was well-cleaned and well-cooked, and made a good textural contrast to the tongue and mushrooms. I'd order this again, though I might ask them to go light on the cheese. Kat had the kebap Balkan style (£14 on the menu, £13 on the bill) photo. The pork pieces had a pleasant smoky flavour, and the onions and peppers were soft and moreish. Overall the dish was quite oily but that was fine by Kat.

Kake visited again on a Wednesday lunchtime in August 2013. When I arrived around 1pm I was the only customer, and this remained the case throughout my visit. Eastern European pop music was playing.

Bread, olives, and oil were again provided gratis photo; the olives were a little too salty for my taste, but the bread was good, warm and soft, with an ultra-thin crackly crust.

I skipped starters and went for a main of fish miller's style (£11) photo, billed as "oven baked haddock fillet cooked with mushrooms, gherkins, onion, ham, peppers, cream and egg in a clay dish". The cream-based sauce was savoury without being cloying, with bright notes from gherkins and lemon slices. The fish was tender; the ham was tender too, and not too salty. The onions were plentiful but not overwhelming, cooked to a gentle softness. Sadly there were a fair few lemon pips in the mix; but overall this was a lovely comforting dish, not too heavy, and one I'd order again.

Service was fine on both our visits; not chatty at all, but that was fine with us. A 10% service charge was automatically added to the bill.

Accessibility: A step to get in. Toilets are down a flight of stairs with a handrail on one side; this handrail is quite hard to grip at the top as it's flush with the wall.

See also:

• Kake's photoset including photos of the menu as of August 2013
• Croydon Guardian review