Randomness Guide to London - Differences between Version 12 and Version 11 of Ganapati, SE15 5DF

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South Indian restaurant tucked away on a side street off Rye Lane in [[Locale Peckham|Peckham]]. It's very small (seats maybe about 35?) and popular, so it's best to go early or book. Note that they're not open on Mondays; and on Saturdays they have 2 sittings for dinner: 7.15pm and 9.15pm.
South Indian restaurant tucked away on a side street off Rye Lane in [[Locale Peckham|Peckham]]. It's very small (seats maybe about 35?) and popular, so it's best to go early or book. Note that they're not open on Mondays, and as of April 2009 they have a two-sitting system for dinner: 7:15pm and 9:15pm (not sure how this ties in with the 6pm opening time advertised on their website though).
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South Indian restaurant tucked away on a side street off Rye Lane in Peckham. It's very small (seats maybe about 35?) and popular, so it's best to go early or book. Note that they're not open on Mondays, and as of April 2009 they have a two-sitting system for dinner: 7:15pm and 9:15pm (not sure how this ties in with the 6pm opening time advertised on their website though).

Kake and Bob visited on a Tuesday evening in February 2008. We hadn't booked, but they managed to fit us in. It was a little after 7pm when we arrived, and there were already several other customers; an hour later the place was entirely full.

We started with poppadoms and chutneys (£3.50) photo. The chutneys were home-made and much nicer than the usual varicoloured slop you get in standard curryhouses; a fresh-tasting tomato puree, a pungent heap of slightly softened garlic slices in a spicy sauce, a smooth green puree with a chilli kick, and a tangle of shredded beetroot. (Note: some of their chutneys/pickles are available for purchase in jars.)

Next, Bob tried the meat thali (a choice of chicken or lamb, both £13) and Kake the fish thali (also £13) photo. Both were served in several small metal bowls with a heap of rice on top of a banana leaf, and it turned out that they were identical apart from one dish. We both got rasam (a thin, spicy soup), dhal, a wet vegetable curry, a dry mung bean curry, raita, and a couple of relishes. Bob had in addition a lamb curry which he seemed to rather like, while Kake had a tasty, smoky fish dish made with firm-fleshed fish in a thin spiced gravy. (A vegetarian thali is also available, at £12.)

It was all pretty good; none of it stodgy or greasy. Nothing was mind-blowingly delicious, but it was a great, simple, no-nonsense meal. They do have more exciting-sounding dishes on the menu, for example guinea fowl with fenugreek leaves (£11) and paneer, beetroot, and red pepper masala (£9.50 including paratha and relishes), which we should come back and try. According to their website, they change the menu about once a month. Laura highly recommends the curd rice!

We accompanied our food with a bottle of Indian Zinfandel (£13), which was perfectly fine. They also offer a number of beers from the Meantime brewery (which is based fairly nearby in Greenwich).

We finished with a plate of Indian sweets (£2.50) photo for Bob, and a mint tea (£1.80) for Kake. Both were very tasty.

We also got a piece of their chocolate, chilli, and cardamom cake to take home for doop, who adds: the chocolate cake is unbelievably good. Perfectly moist without being too dense or soggy, there's enough chilli involved to give it a decent fire (although you can remove it if you prefer), and the cardamom balances it beautifully. I am beyond merely liking or disliking it, and in some advanced state of chocolate cake enlightenment.

Poppadoms and chutneys, two thalis, a bottle of mineral water, a bottle of wine, a plate of Indian sweets, a piece of chocolate cake, and one mint tea came to £60 including a 10% tip (automatically added to the bill).

As of April 2009, their website states that they are "not a takeaway restaurant" and although they will try to accommodate customers wanting takeaway, this may not be possible at peak times, and even if it is possible the waiting time may be "longer than you expect".

Getting here: Holly Grove leads west off Rye Lane just to the north of Peckham Rye Station. The street looks unpromising to start with, being very residential-looking. Persist! Ganapati is about 200m further down, on the corner of Holly Grove and Bellenden Road.

See also:

Last visited by Laura, 18 April 2009. Opening hours taken from the Ganapati website, April 2009.

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