Camberwell news and chitter-chatter

[Onket]

I think I ate there after him.

 

[George & Bill]

Have you eaten in the Khan's on Brixton Water Lane before slowjoe?

No. Without wanting to sound blunt, this is a thread about Camberwell, and it's the restaurant in Camberwell on which my comments are based. If your contributions are based on experiences you've had at another branch, you should say so.

 

[George & Bill]

I think I ate there after him.

Sorry, what are you talking about? If someone has told you that your purpose in life is to be a pointless imbecile, you don't have to take them so literally, you know.

 

[Maggot]

No. Without wanting to sound blunt, this is a thread about Camberwell, and it's the restaurant in Camberwell on which my comments are based. If your contributions are based on experiences you've had at another branch, you should say so.

Everyone's experiences are based on the other branch, cos the Camberwell one has just opened and the Brixton one is a regular Urban haunt.

 

[Onket]

Sorry, what are you talking about? If someone has told you that your purpose in life is to be a pointless imbecile, you don't have to take them so literally, you know.

Oh, you're a prick. I did think that might be the case, but cheers for clarifying.

 

[George & Bill]

Everyone's experiences are based on the other branch, cos the Camberwell one has just opened and the Brixton one is a regular Urban haunt.

In common, I suppose, with most users of this forum, I don't hang out at 'regular urban haunts'. It's clear from my posts that I'm talking about the impression I got from the sign on the restaurant in Camberwell.

If you wanted to be constructive you could have explained that you were speaking as a patron of another branch of the restaurant - that would have made sense and made me think that maybe I should give the place a go. Instead, what you actually said just made me doubt your ability to reason, especially after your recent claim that 'positive stereotypes can't be racist'.

 

[George & Bill]

Oh, you're a prick. I did think that might be the case, but cheers for clarifying.

We all have our crosses to bear, but I'll take mine over yours

 

[Onket]

I'd probably leave it if I were you, and stop digging.

 

[George & Bill]

I'd leave the advice-giving to someone else IIWY, you don't make a convincing job of it.

 

[Orang Utan]

Just been past the new Khan's and the Colour Free Cuisine is the only thing on the sign apart from Khan's. It is very odd indeed.

 

[golightly]

I'd leave the advice-giving to someone else IIWY, you don't make a convincing job of it.

wow! all this over a restaurant sign. Wind your neck in, there's a good chap.

 

[George & Bill]

wow! all this over a restaurant sign. Wind your neck in, there's a good chap.

Forgive me if I ignore you.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

Erm....the existing Khan's menus have had the phrase "Colour-Free Cuisine" printed at the top of the front page for years. It's hardly new. And it's quite a good differentiator, given the number of curry houses in London.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

"Colour-Free Cuisine" ... is quite a good differentiator, given the number of curry houses in London.

I think it's also better than saying "organic/gluten free/lovingly prepared/locally-sourced/blah blah" which all sound pretty shit and would have had the piss taken mercilessly on here.

 

[gaijingirl]

we had Khan's for dinner last night with the footy and as always it was yummy. It's nice to get pilau rice that isn't some radioactive colour!

 

[George & Bill]

The one in Camberwell is open, and looks as uninspiring - and empty - as its predecessor in the location...

 

[Maggot]

What was it's predecessor?

 

[Onket]

I've only had Khan's food 2 or 3 times. Once it was delivered and very average. Enjoyed eating in though. Maybe it was the company.

 

[George & Bill]

I think it's also better than saying "organic/gluten free/lovingly prepared/locally-sourced/blah blah" which all sound pretty shit and would have had the piss taken mercilessly on here.

If you want to differentiate, why not try serving dishes that haven't been the staples of 90% of curry houses since the 70s? Khan's doesn't look bad now that it's opened, it - and its menu - just looks much the same as Ambrosia before it, and Nisa before that, and the majority of British curry houses I have ever seen. They did well in an era when the competition was fish n chips or pie n mash, but they now rarely do more than get by.

 

[George & Bill]

What was it's predecessor?

See above

 

[Brixton Hatter]

If you want to differentiate, why not try serving dishes that haven't been the staples of 90% of curry houses since the 70s? Khan's doesn't look bad now that it's opened, it - and its menu - just looks much the same as Ambrosia before it, and Nisa before that, and the majority of British curry houses I have ever seen. They did well in an era when the competition was fish n chips or pie n mash, but they now rarely do more than get by.

Khan's Tarka Dhaal is out of this world - one of my favourites. The menu may look like many menus you've seen before, but the food is generally pretty good...better than your bog standard curry house imo.

 

[George & Bill]

Khan's Tarka Dhaal is out of this world - one of my favourites. The menu may look like many menus you've seen before, but the food is generally pretty good...better than your bog standard curry house imo.

But I know plenty of curry houses that have some great dishes, but which still struggle for customers because they and their menus look uninspired. Often there are also lots of rubbish dishes as well as the good ones, so if Khan's avoids then it'll have done one thing right.

Only time will tell. If this place is more than half full more than twice a week in a year's time, I will retract everything I've said and look on the world afresh.

 

[Maggot]

Maybe you should judge it by visiting there rather than it's appearance.

 

[Crispy]

The house/chef's specials take up more than half of the Khan's menu. So you can get you lamb/chicken/prawn/veg jalfrezi/madras/balti etc. there are all sorts of interesting dishes too.

 

[George & Bill]

Maybe you should judge it by visiting there rather than it's appearance.

Jesus, all along I've been commenting on how appealing it looks and how likely or otherwise it is to succeed, not whether I think it's a good resaurant. They're making lots of very obvious presentational mistakes, and I'm unhappy about that, because Camberwell's my local area and I'd like businesses here to do well. Try to take a step back.

 

[golightly]

You're rather easily wound up, aren't you. Why don't go and have a lie down?

 

[Maggot]

Surely the food is more important than the look of the restaurant and if you want it to succeed you should go eat there and not just talk about it.

 

[George & Bill]

You're rather easily wound up, aren't you. Why don't go and have a lie down?

The joy of mobile computing is that I can type lying down.

 

[George & Bill]

Surely the food is more important than the look of the restaurant and if you want it to succeed you should go eat there and not just talk about it.

Yes. Apologies if I am not talking about the thing you consider most important, but I think you'll find it's extremely common on here for people to comment and speculate on all kinds of developments before they have opened or reached fruition. And ultimately, until I get a food column in the Observer, me going there is not going to stop it from failing as a buisiness if it can't communicate the appeal of its food.

 

[Orang Utan]