comparing pubs/restaurants on forest hill road!!!

[fatfightersforever]

it may soon be ponced up when the manhattan loft company arrives-v posh! also new development at top of hill....Turkish shop is fab, great veg and so much cheaper than sainsburys. anyone know what unwins site is yet? thanks

[susyp]

My boyfriend went in the co-op recently - a lady was asking where she could find some frozen yorkshire puddings and they had no idea what they were - like it was some exotic food (garlic maybe- but yorkshire puddings?!) ..... it's hopeless in there - big queues and staff standing around doing nothing... Turkish supermarket is great for veg but pricey for anything else - staff are really nice in there too.

i like omrith, the food is lovely - although to be fair i haven;t been there for year since we went in there for a chilled out curry after a day from hell and the waiter did not stop talking to us as we were the only people in there.. nice chap, but it got a bit wearing...

looking forward to trying the italian - it's always busy, which i guess is a good sign.

the turkish place was good and very friendly as we had no money, they didn;t take cards, and the cash machine was broken (again), so they said i could nip back with the cash the next day ! however was spoilt by smokers - so probably good now that they have to go outside in the rain >:D<

[MadWorld74]

the turkish place was spolit by smokers?......ay?

[susyp]

french types smoking cigars next to our table - gross...

[MadWorld74]

what will the Unwins be and the old launderette i wonder? they could do with a deli/cafe. Give bloody co-op a run for their money. Maybe then they'd actually sell something.

[neil]

Omrith doesnt get much of a mention in this thread and I think its a shame, there are some comments and I have to agree with the ones about the chatty waiter but I would certainly recommend the food. Omrith is a nice change to the same old menu you get in many of the LL lane restaurants. The lamb shank, lamb pancake kebabs and panir mirch masala are great, I've never had a bad meal or takeaway from there and would recommend giving it a try if you havent already.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Neil - I certainly concur on the Omrith front but don't feel too bad for them - they may not have got too many mentions onthis thread but there have been several curry house threads where we Omrith-ites have bigged it up

And with the FHT next door it doesn't have to be a trip out of the way for some people just for a meal

[Marmora Man]

Forest Hill Road shops & restaurants suffer, at least in part, from a lack of regualr footfall. Those very local will walk past but otherwise it's not "on the way to .... wherever " so aspiring restauranters / shopkeepers presumably don't see it as a prime location.

As it is my local area we do use it:

I'd support Omrith raves, always had a good meal there, staff friendly but I assume they make their money from takeaways as

it is never even half full.

The Herne - good middle range gastro pub that isn't aspiring for a Michelin star. Well kept beer, helpful staff.

Si Mangia - an excellent addition to the choice. Waiting to see how it develops but it has the potential to become a favourite local eaterie.

FHT - OK for a beer, but I'm not a fan of pubs with TV screens. Menu is OK but not up to Herne standard.

Turkish shop is alway open, always helpful.

New owners of the paper shop next door are more on the ball than the previous owners. Always good for a bit of chart about cricket - tho' the Sikh owner is not sure whether to support Monty Panesar (and England) or India, tends to depend on the results.

Co-op - is awful.

Post office is much better than the LL branch. Long queues as a result but more interesting conversations.

Haven't tried the barbers - never see anyone in there.

What we need - a bookshop of similar calibre to Dulwich Bookshop in West Dulwich. A chinese restuarant - to compete with Chopsticks on LL and provide a more local takeaway for us on the East Side. A general sprucing up of the shops next to the Herne, along to the co-op and the odd yellow painted place next to the Post Office.

The old Unwins is being refurbished but no clues, as yet, as to what is to become. The seond hand furniture / antique shop is closing - again no clues on a successor.

[Doodles]

Can recommend barbers shop. Got no hair to speak of myself, but dragged reluctant teenage son there and found the barber tolerant, diligent and, in the circumstances, diplomatic.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Mm

a great post and one i cant find a single thing to disagree on. Its such a bang on review of the road they should post it on lamp posts for people new to the area

[East Dulwich Dweller]

The Park Side Cafe was recommended to me the other day. A good butchers and bakers would be nice and... a few hanging baskets! It will be interesting to see how the new traffic lights (at the junction with Colyton and Dunstan's road) fare in tomorrow's rush hour!

[susyp]

Went to Si Mangia on Friday night - absolutely fantastic - mainly because the service was spot on and it just made the whole experience a treat. They even poured the wine for us - which doesn't always happen in super expensive restaurants when it should! Really good staff - and very handsome to boot!!

[Jah Lush]

I can concur with you on that susyp. Si Mangia is already a favourite with me.