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African/Afro-Caribbean

Exceline Restaurant, 175 Mare Street, Hackney, London E8 3RH

Exceline Restaurant, 175 Mare Street, Hackney, London E8 3RH

175 Mare Street, Hackney, London E8 3RH

I've eaten here twice. The first time my Ugandan friend brought me because we wanted East African food and she recommended this place. The parking is lousy, but that's not the restaurant's fault - the little side street of Hackney look like a cruising spot for twocers, and I was nervous about leaving my nice little car there.

Anyway, once in the restaurant, the owners were nice to us, and soon brought us Tusker beers, which made me forget about my car. My friend had lots of meaty things and I had tilapia fish. We had little samosa starters, and we ordered the African beans in rich tomato sauce as well. The portions were generous. It wasn't long before I couldn't move, and was forced to drink another beer. Overall very enjoyable, and afterwards my car was just where I'd left it.

Mango Room, 10-12 Kentish Town Road Camden Town London NW1 8NH


10-12 Kentish Town Road Camden Town London NW1 8NH

At my school they made us sing this song that went: ‘My brother did a tell me dat he go mango walk an’ steal all de number ’lebbens.’ It was supposed to be a jolly calypso but had something of the Black and White Minstrel Show about it when we sang it. I still don’t know what it was all about except that mangoes featured. Anyhow I was with C and she said there was this excellent Caribbean restaurant we should try. Amazing there aren’t more of them in London, and since I had never been to one, we went. Mango Room is at the arse-end of the Kentish Town Road, close to Camden Town tube. We were earlyish on a Tuesday but they were busy and said we could have a table just till 9pm. Which was fine by us. The restaurant has several comfortable rooms, cosily lit. The menu is on two sides of A4, which means you don’t have to torture yourself deciding. I went for the crab-and-potato balls to start, followed by carpachio of salmon with mixed leaf salad and peppers, from the specials menu on side 2 of the sheet. Don’t know where the word ‘carpachio’ comes from. It sounds a bit like that Venetian painter, but what it was was a bosom-shaped mound consisting of smoked salmon on the outside and a dressed salad inside. I ordered some peas and rice to go with it. C opted for salmon fillet with pickled mango, sweet pepper, scallions, garlic and balsamic vinegar. She had some stir fried veggies too and thought she would try yams. A bit like eating a sliced tree we decided. The food is described on the menu as traditional and modern Caribbean and it was just that. Familiar-sounding things such as ackee and saltfish, and char-grilled jerk chicken, are cheek by jowl with unfamiliar (to me) ones like Creole snapper, and ebony wings. Much garlic in evidence. Wines were the usual selection as far as I could see. We had a red plonky Frog one. By staring rudely at what others were eating I could see that everything was beautifully presented, and the food I had was original and delicious. The waiters are young and helpful (well mine was both) and the atmosphere confidential with a modernish, young-person’s feel to it. Toilets respectable. I would heartily recommend Mango Room. We spent £60, which could be a bit on the high side, but if you fancy plantains, sweet potato mash or ‘Camden’s famous curry goat,’ this is a restaurant worth tubing it to. For the nervous there are non-frighteners such as lamb with red wine and thyme sauce, and for the meat-averse there’s loads of fish, or spinach and okra with rice coconut and garlic. Or a plate of yams! PERRY STALSIS 2002

Paloma Blanca, Marokkaanse Restaurant, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Paloma Blanca, Marokkaanse Restaurant, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Jan Pieter Heyestraat 145 1054 MG Amsterdam

This area of Amsterdam corresponds approximately to Green Lanes in London, and there's a high proportion of Turkish and Arabic food. Despite the Italian name, Paloma Blanca is Moroccan. We both chose a tagine: L had fish, potatoes, green and red peppers; I had lamb, roast almonds and prunes. The owner warned us it would take 30 minutes and brought bread, olives and fish paste to keep us entertained while we waited. With a bottle of Tunisian Syrah as well, the 30 minutes passed swiftly, and our food arrived when promised and piping hot. So hot in fact that we couldn't actually eat anything for a few minutes, so we sat back happily and just inhaled.

African Kitchen Gallery, 102 Drummond St, Euston, London NW1 2HN

African Kitchen Gallery, 102 Drummond St, Euston, London NW1 2HN

102 Drummond St, Euston, London NW1 2HN

It's very easy in the general run of restaurant going to get locked into a progression of familiar flavours - Italian, Indian, Thai. Chinese, whatever, even English -and they eventually all bed down and become a comfortable round of experience. So it is refreshing once in a while to get hit by a broadside of textures and flavours that are different and make you sit up a bit. The African Kitchen can do this. Unless you're African of course. And it still may then.

Boombar, 18 Crouch End Hill, London N8 8AA


18 Crouch End Hill, London N8 8AA

The Boombar is a South African restaurant up the hill in Crouch End. It has the loudest frontage I've ever seen (heard?), made of Mosiac like the end product of a children's community Art Project. This groovy hippy feel is continued inside where there is a cosy unpretentious feeling; the staff are friendly and laid back. The pictures on the wall are a strange mix of macho white South African rugby players and black African Art, which kind of works actually. We ordered our food and a couple of Hoegarden beers and waited and waited and….the laid back feel had unfortunately infected the kitchen staff and half an hour after ordering we still hadn't received our food.
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