Rating
Cuisine
Goan / Indian
In a Word
Informal
Appeals to
For those working in the Lambeth area who enjoy interesting and exotic flavours, but also want something quick and easy.
Any theatre goers visiting the Old Vic looking for a pleasant meal without fuss and formality. Although if you’re seeing King Lear, I’d avoid eating anything beforehand as your food may end up making a rude appearance during Gloucester’s eye mishap.
Tasting Britain Learns History ‘N’ Stuff
I notice while walking down Waterloo Road to meet Jack the number of people congregating outside one of the buildings on the street. I later realise that it’s the Old Vic and everything starts to make a bit more sense. I think to myself, “I haven’t actually visited the Old Vic yet – maybe I can still get tickets to that play with the guy who was in the thing?” Focus, Dominic, focus – we’re actually reviewing Cyrus Todiwala’s new concept, Assado. Jack, do you think you can get in touch with the Old Vic’s PR so you can get us in? They must have a bar we can write about?
Anyway, back to it… Celebrity chef and co-owner of Café Spice Namasté, Cyrus Todiwala, has introduced us to the delights of Indian cuisine and the exotic flavours and spices that accompany it, and now he’s giving us his own take on casual dining. My understanding of Assado is that people can enjoy the convenience and ease of a casual dining experience – whether that’s taking it back to the office or popping in for a quick lunch or dinner – without the worry of having to compromise on quality.
Jana, the head chef of Assado, prepares everything from sandwiches (or ‘naanwiches’ as they call them) to a full three course meal to ensure everyone leaves with real exotic flavours. For the record, Jana is just a nice guy… probably in the top ten of nice guys; we instantly give Assado an extra half star as a result.
Located only a stone’s throw away from the Old Vic, Assado is very easy to find and you’ll quickly find yourself in the company of the friendly staff.
Decor
The environment itself is very Mediterranean, with bright colours and decorative tiling throughout the restaurant in a deliberate attempt to pay homage to Portuguese culture. Unbeknown to me, the Portuguese were intrepid explorers during the 15th and 16th centuries, and with that came the exchange of different spices, food and cooking techniques with the different countries they visited; one of them being Goa which is why Cyrus has made conscious effort to show how influential the Portuguese were on modern cuisine as we know it.
Trying to maintain the casual feeling as well, the furniture and decoration is simple and uncluttered – it does actually feel more like a cafe than a restaurant while we’re there. We also notice a ‘grab and go’ section intended for anyone looking for a quick nom while working at their desks; kind of like what I’m doing right now? Erm… I’ll be back in a second…
Assado also shares its space with the Hampton Hotel’s bar, and both of us notice throughout the evening many of the guests making the short walk through the corridor to avail themselves of Assado’s hospitality for the evening. I can’t stress enough how short the walk is – it’s this |……| long.
The Food
A glance of Assado’s menu reveals an eclectic mix: obviously the Goan theme with a range of curries and naan sandwiches (which are available for takeaway), but also a choice of neutral’ish dishes such as raviolis, burgers, fish and chips, etc. At first I think, “blimey, the Portuguese really did have a big influence on cuisine as we know it – I wonder if they invented the egg, or the chicken… whichever came first.”
A confab with our buddy, Jana, informs us that, because the restaurant frequently caters for the hotel’s guests, they offer a lighter option for the less adventurous diner; comforting to know, in that respect, that you have a safety net if the heat levels are on the firey side of the spice spectrum. I certainly have my limits at times – I’m looking at you, scotch bonnet.
The menu isn’t obnoxiously expensive either: starters range from £3-£5; main course between £10-£14; and desserts from £4-£7. I can’t remember the prices of the wine, but it certainly wasn’t outrageous and fairly typical as far as I can recall. As for our experience, Assado prepared a taster menu to give us an idea of the variety they had to offer.
Potato, Leek & Spinach Soup served with Toasted Naan
Firstly, a very good start on the tiny cup – I like anything that makes me feel like a giant. As for the soup itself, it’s fairly typical – crunchy vegetables, good seasoning, nice flavour. It’s a soup really; nothing amazingly wonderful or original, but well prepared. The toasted naan is a nice complement with good flavours and a crunchy texture that resembles a cracker more than naan.
Chicken Cafreal Sandwich (Naanwich)
This is definitely a game changer when it comes to sandwiches. There are so many varying textures as you bite into it: first starting with light, fluffy naan bread, then gradually working your way to tender chicken pieces and crispy salad. As for the flavours, it’s like my mouth is a party that’s been gate crashed – there are so many coming through but I can’t discern all of them (though the most prominent is definitely garlic). There’s supposed to be a green chilli marinade as well, but neither of us can taste it, except perhaps for a light spice in the aftertaste.
Apart from that, though, very good – I could definitely see myself buying one for lunch screaming, “my naaaanwich!” (Futurama fans, that’s one for you).
Octopus, Prawn Rissoles and Beef Croquette
Apologies up front as we were a little too keen and ate the octopus before taking a picture – although if you can picture amazing on a plate that should suffice. It’s interesting going back and looking at the menu as I can’t actually find the octopus – perhaps this was something new they were testing on us? I can’t be sure to be honest. The only way I can really describe it is octopus tartare with a tuna-esque texture (very meaty and shredded as opposed to chewy, which I’ve normally had with octopus). There’s a marinade on it that’s more Mediterranean in flavour, but very nice nevertheless.
Moving on was the prawn rissole (basically a goujon) – wonderfully meaty prawn with a crispy bread-crumb coating which lay on top of a goat’s cheese sauce, although it’s only noticeable by eye rather than taste. Finally, the winner of this little triptych of flavour was the beef croquette. Oh my, just… oh my. At first I thought it was falafel because of all of the middle eastern flavours, but the texture wasn’t even vaguely similar (falafel’s normally very dry whereas this was moist and succulent). Overall, a really nice balance of flavours and wonderful contrasting textures, with the soft filling and crunchy coating. I would definitely describe it as moreish ’cause, buddy, I would eat MORE – just let me know and I’m there.
Pork Belly with a Sticky Sweet and Sour Sauce
If I was to liken this to a relationship, it would definitely be a one night stand: blissful in the moment, but you only do it once. The sauce is very much a guilty pleasure with the sweetness and sourness, which when combined with the pork belly and crackling is pure bliss – this can’t be healthy for me, but what a temptress. It’s served with a side of fresh vegetables which I would definitely recommend mixing with the sauce as it helpfully cuts through the stodginess (a bowl of rice would definitely be a good idea as well).
This is another one I can’t find on the menu, so perhaps they were testing this one as well… I can’t be sure, though, to be honest.
Goan Prawn Curry
If the pork belly was a one night stand, then the Goan prawn curry is the one you take home to meet your parents; I’m sure it won’t fail to impress them either. There are so many wonderfully exotic flavours coming through with the coconut milk, lemongrass and a few others I can’t quite pick out. It tastes very fresh, healthy and more so when you add the fresh vegetables (I actually really like this touch). The prawns are very tender as well, but the sauce is definitely the winner here.
Dessert
Dessert consisted of bebinca (an Indian layered pancake), custard tart and a scoop of coconut and cardamon ice cream. The bebinca was pleasant with a nice texture, although I’m guessing it would have been more substantial as a full portion? It was pretty small, otherwise. The custard tart had a lovely crispiness to it with custard oozing all over the plate as soon as you cut into it; a nice sprinkling of cinnamon on the top gave it a good spice as well.
Neither of us really understood the ice cream; it was a bit nondescript and tasted like vanilla ice cream to be honest, without any sign of cardamon or coconut. Assado did falter in their service at this point as well – we were waiting for about half an hour and had to ask when the dessert and drinks were going to arrive (it felt like they had forgotten about us).
The Drinks
I can’t even remember what we drank on the evening. It was something dark, red and resembled wine… ah, right. It was medium to light bodied and had a slight spice – there wasn’t anything particularly distinguishable about it, but that’s also to its advantage considering it had to be paired with so many contrasting flavours and spices. I tried to see if they had a wine list on their website but to no avail. It might be advisable to pop this on as people usually like to have a glance of the menu and wine list before they go (well, I do anyway – that isn’t weird, is it?).
We closed the evening with a Bailey’s coffee and a green tea. The coffee was nice; as for Jack’s tea… well, a tea bag and a mug of boiling water wasn’t quite what we were expecting! Looking back at our notes it just says, “fucking lol”, and I think I agree with this sentiment. Assado, we know this is supposed to be a casual experience, but a few formalities wouldn’t go amiss – i.e. make the tea for us, please!
The Verdict
With the exception of the tea debacle and a few delays in the service, Assado is actually very good for what it is, which is basically an exceptional canteen. The food is very well prepared with interesting flavour combinations, the environment is relaxed and casual, and the prices are very reasonable.
As previously mentioned, if you work in the Lambeth area and like good food but need something relatively quick, then do give Assado a try. Again, this will also be very convenient for anyone visiting the Old Vic.
I can come to the Old Vic as well if you need some company. Please…?
The Details
Assado
157 Waterloo Road
Lambeth
SE1 8XA
0207 471 8730
http://www.assado.co.uk/