"All Allergens Alert, ALL of them are here. Sustain businesses and keep safe. Whole peanuts are next to the chili oil. Where- take a left from Elephant and Castle tube, past the empanada emporium and another foodie kiosk, down the left side iron stairs and...go in at the French doors on your right. Pay cash upfront at the till, as at October it is evening buffet, lunch very slightly less. There is plenty of leg room for tall diners, widely spaced large round tables can seat six, there are seater tables and date night people tables. Anyone who is anyone eats here, from hi-vis jacketed squads to families with toddlers, suited and booted, the vast student demographic. Pushchairs will be a struggle, papooses perfect because of the stairs. Or bring a whole doting Team Baby to help. I like the lighting in this basement which is even, bright and warmed by the deep apricot painted walls. There is no draught from the air con. When there is music it is low level mellow oriental pop in the Enrique Iglesias style or re-purposed oriental folk, possibly. Signature dish is a no holds barred slabs of chunky beef shin curry It tastes of complex spices, sometimes you will see and scoop up by mistake a finger sized woody curl of cassia bark or a whole chunk of ginger. Try a little of the sauce before you commit meat to your plate, my view is that if you adore star anise and cinnamon in mains courses it will suit your palate. It may be the chef's own spice blend, as it does not totally resemble chinese five-spice or massaman malay curry. I like going with an Afro or Pinoy kare kare vibe by having this topped with the crunchy PEANUT satay sauce and Shito-like grainy chili oil. There are sweet potato fritters on offer next to the fat chips. Whether you like melty soft meat or a tussle with bouncy meat, you can check and choose by a gentle prod with the serving spoon as both types are often in the same serving dish. You can also break off small chunks, to give you eating space for the other dishes. You still get to eat beef on black bean, always. The Duck currently, the skin on bone in duck looks like a gentle roast crossed with a slight braise. It lets the flavour come through, with mild seasoning. Decadence is choosing an unmeaty piece and placing just the skin on your chinese pancake before rolling up. There is also also pulled duck for the pancakes in the evening. Duck two ways for under a tenner, guys. Chicken deep fried in mild dredged flour, stir fried, in jammy sweet and sour, sometimes with black bean . Mackerel on-the bone cuts, is quite chili-hot, beware what looks like spring onion may be green chili. Prawns are deep fried po-boy style with a puffy succulent batter. The evening gives you prawns two ways, adding headless but shell-on saltnpepper prawns. The special fried rice is my personal simple favourite, something to hoover down knowing that there is duck, chicken EGG and char shiu pork with plump peas . Easygoing vegetarians can have a goodish time, mushrooms and the rustic haloumi-like stolid tofu are treated like honorary meats, flavourful. I'm with the former President Bush regarding broccoli. Currently, there is a one raw veg at-a-time policy, if you discount the daily julienne of cucumbers and spring onions. One day I saw quartered tomatoes, another day I saw finely grated fresh carrot. If you take all three and the two or three different mixed stir fried vegetables, that is a respectable choice.You can go PEANUT satay, sweet and sour, curry or even ketchup and mayo with your plate. You style it. There is fresh apple and orange for dessert, with jewel-like dazzling little stripey gelatine jelly definitely not vegan agar agar). Just one piece of chilled SESAME brittle cased apple is enough of a sugar hit for me to end all my splendid times here."
