The South Londoner editor Eliza Frost heads to Camberwell’s The Crooked Well for a Nepalese taste sensation
Inside an inconspicuous Camberwell pub, Rajiv’s Kitchen is working overtime on flavour.
Sat in a window booth at The Crooked Well, my diners and I settled down to do what we do best – “Shall we get lots of different bits and share?”
A love language, if you will. And this menu feels like it was built to be shared and savoured.
Sipping on a local IPA, shout out to Brixton Brewery’s Reliance, we let out oohs and ahhs over Chef Rajiv’s menu. He tells us that “most of my inspiration for the menu comes from learning to cook watching my mum and grandmother”.
Plate after plate came to the table, forks hovering in our hands for a first taste.
Something I was excited about was the Momos; if there is a filled dumpling on the menu, it’s a safe bet that I’ll be ordering it.
Nestled in a tangy and spicy broth, the Momos looked cosy, as dumplings should. And as I took a bite through the delish dumpling, the flavour of the chilli chicken Momos danced around my palette.
Next to try was the Bhyanta – a slow-roasted aubergine with a hemp seed sauce, Nepali salsa, pomegranates and garlic yoghurt. Soft and smoky and saucy, how aubergine should always be cooked.
Bheda – spicy lamb chops marinated in yoghurt and spices – paired with a green salad was succulent, with the Sekuwa – chicken marinated in timmur, lemon and spices – absolutely melting in your mouth.
Parathas and chat chips graced the sides of our plates as we dipped and dunked and scooped up the different flavours of Rajiv’s Kitchen.
A shared dining experience that will stay with us.
16 Grove Lane, Camberwell, SE5 8SY
More Momos: Rajiv explains his favourite dish on the menu:
“My absolute favourite dish on the current menu, or any menu, is the Momos (Mo:Mo in typical Nepali language). Because Momos are the unofficial national dish of Nepal!
“They say they have more Momo shops in Kathmandu alone than all the McDonald’s and KFCs combined in North America. I grew up eating Momos for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
“The nickname I was given growing up was ‘Momo Man’. We used to have family parties every Friday night and, usually, our cooks would make Momos and we would help out. So far, I am still the winner of the most Momos made in one night as my record is 150. I was around 13 years old then. But even 25 years later, I reckon I can still smash that record myself.
“Ask any Nepali, and they will say the same thing, it’s the Momos that define us, that explains us, that is in our blood.”
