Food and Drink

Bitesize ―

Cara Cummings

SOUTH LONDON GELATO STAR TO ENTER WORLD MASTERS

p Kudu Grill Psst: want to know a south London secret? The UK’s top-ranked gelato maker - and a bloody nice man to boot - calls East Dulwich home. If you haven’t visited Fabulous Ice Fires to try Taseer Ahmed’s frozen delights, you’re seriously missing out. Not only has Taseer won more Great Taste Awards than you can shake an ice cream scoop at for his entirely handmade, fantastical creations, in December he’ll represent the UK in the Gelato Festival World Masters Final. And if his previous competition runs are anything to go by, he’ll be actively testing new flavours on lucky customers in his beautiful East Dulwich store - and a soon-tobe-announced range of Peckham venues, too...

Fabulous Ice Fires, 54 East Dulwich Road, SE22 9AX

NEW KUDU OPENING IN NUNHEAD

There are two types of people in south London: those who have visited a Kudu venue, and those who are still desperate to. The South African sensation has taken Peckham by storm, with its signature restaurant and sister cocktail bar Smokey Kudu routinely wowing customers. Now, a brand new Kudu venture looks set to get foodies flocking to Nunhead. Kudu Grill will serve food cooked over an open fire, South African braai-style, with produce sourced from a local allotment. And boy, what a menu the braai stars have promised: fried pigs’ tails with honey mustard, duck terrine with biltong scratchings and whole black bream with zhug butter naans have our mouths watering…

Opening this month at 57 Nunhead Lane, SE15 3TR

BELLEfIELDS BRINGS THE MED TO BRIXTON

Decided to ditch a European break this summer? Get your dolce vita fix in SW9 instead, courtesy of new family-run restaurant Bellefields at The Department Store, Brixton. Park yourself in its charming cobblestone courtyard and nibble Medinspired dishes like burrata caprese salad, crab tortellini with courgette and Castelfranco radicchio and bitter leaf salad, washed down with tipples from a wine list that’s basically pure sunshine, and you could almost be in Ibiza. Almost.

9 Stockwell Avenue, SW9 9SY

BIG HAPPY HOUR ENERGY AT TUPI

Whilst we’re at it: why not go the whole hog and behave like you’re actually on holiday, with local South American restaurant chain Tupi’s new Monday-to-Friday happy hour? Their drinks list packs some serious #vacay punch, with signatures like the Ruiva Picante (cachaca, chilli syrup, passion fruit and ginger), Blue Diablo (Jose Cuervo Clasico, blue curaçao, lime and lemon juice, club soda) and The Chai Hustler (cognac, oat milk, chai syrup). And with all Tupi’s cocktails - yes, all of them - on offer for just £5 from 4-8pm, midweek drinking has never been so sensible.

Tupi Elephant & Castle: 2 Castle Square, Elephant Road, SE17 1EN

Tupi Peckham: 206 Rye Lane, SE15 4NL

Tupi Boxpark Croydon: 99 George Street, CR0 1LD

NO. 241 OPENS IN NORWOOD

Coffee fans, listen up: South Norwood has a seriously swanky new artisanal cafe and wine bar on the block, and it’s about to become your new neighbourhood fave. No. 241 is set to open its doors at 241 Selhurst Road this autumn. Expect top brews during the day, made from beans handroasted by specialists like Alchemy Coffee and Origin Coffee Roasters, and curated wine lists plus woodfired pizza from The Pizza Project by night.

241 Selhurst Road, SE25 6XP

...AND PECKHAM GETS A NEW PANORAMIC BAR

Big news, rooftop fans: Peckham has a new high altitude drinking and dining venue, this time atop the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts building. And it’s a whopper - 250 people can fit inside Skylight Peckham’s restaurant, bar and wraparound terrace. In-house mixologist Sebastian Hollingworth has designed a menu of signature serves, including the South London Iced Tea, and a Clarified Bee’s Knees featuring Belvedere Vodka and local Peckham honey, served martini-style and garnished with lemon bees’ wings. Scrummy with sunset.

120 Peckham Hill Street, SE15 5J

Wall cladding, drinks cabinet, banquet seating and dining table by Goldfinch Furniture

Holy smoke! ―

As told to Cara Cummings

Ruben Dawnay launched his hand-delivered smoked meat and fish company during lockdown with nothing but a domestic barbeque, a bicycle and big dreams. His taco kits, Reuben sandwiches, salt beef and smoked salmon are taking south London by storm - and Ruben’s only just turned 20. Meet the fresh-faced foodpreneur you’re definitely going to see big things from in the future…

“Ruben’s Reubens is a south London smokehouse that specializes in salt beef and pastrami. I smoke really high-quality meats and fish, and some veg. At the moment, I’m just doing deliveries; there's no real bricks and mortar yet.

When I was doing my A-levels back in 2018, I saw a poster for the Brixton Kitchen Competition, with a chance to win a spot in the Market if you could come up with a cool food idea. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do after my exams, so I thought it could be really cool to enter.

I went home, brainstormed and came up with Ruben’s Reubens. I knew about the reuben sandwich, a New York deli sandwich piled high with salt beef, sauerkraut and sauces, and I thought - what the hell, I’ll try it! I’d never made one before but I sent in the dream and they really loved it.

Entering the competition sparked something in me. Food was always an important part of my life; my parents are fairly “foodie”. My mum’s halfPolish, so we eat a lot of rye bread and beetroot - Jewish New York deli type of food. Because that was part of my life, it was easy to embrace.

“When I first started I was doing all the smoking on a home BBQ. I’d put three pork shoulders in at once, on a rotation system. I saved up and bought a big smoker from the states - not too big though, because it’s still my mum’s garden!”

When I finished school I started training in kitchens, whilst building the brand on the side. And then Covid happened, and I thought: oh my god, everything I’ve done this year is gone.

But when I did a few sides of salmon for neighbours, I realised I could go down the delivery route. I started twisting it up with taco kits; it’s super social, fun food. The business has grown from around 400 followers pre-lockdown to 4000 now! I feel so overwhelmed and grateful. All the support has been amazing.

When I first started I was doing all the smoking on a home BBQ. I’d put three pork shoulders in at once, on a rotation system. I saved up and bought a big smoker from the States - not too big though, because it’s still my mum’s garden! But it doubled my capacity and made it easier. I do all my smoking in 1-2 days, getting up at 5am. It takes a crazy amount of time, because you’re cooking at the lowest setting and letting the meat do it’s thing.

The spice rub is important. At first I did super complicated spice rubs, but I think that actually masks the taste of the smoke. Now I use paprika, black pepper and salt mostly, with a little Mexican chilli powder for a taco kit. It’s about letting the smoke do its work.

It’s cool to think about Polish smokehouses, and wonder if there’s anyone in my family who did it in the past. It used to be a way to preserve food - smoked salmon wasn’t a luxury thing, it was so it would last for months. Same with fermenting things: it was all to be able to eat veg in the winter. It’s cool to think that here I am in Brixton, doing similar things now.

Brixton has been the perfect place to do this. The support has been crazy. The best bit is giving the kits to customers. When you see how happy it makes them, and they send you texts saying they enjoyed it - that’s so rewarding.

The best place to find me is on Instagram, @rubenzreubenz. My menu changes every week - usually on Sundays at 6pm I’ll do a post all about what I’m doing the following week. It could be salmon, tacos, Reuben sandwiches... it’ll all be in the post. If people are keen, they send me a message. Or just get in touch and find out what I’m up to - let’s start a conversation.”

Follow Ruben’s journey - and order from his weekly menu - on Instagram: @rubenzreubenz