Has Sorsi & Morsi closed for good?

[derwentgrove]

I have been past the restaurant a few times in the last week or so and it hasn't been open. Then last night another Lordship Lane restaurant manager suggested to me that they had in fact closed down. I hope that isn't correct (I've had half a dozen decent meals at Sorsi & Morsi) but I guess it could be the Franco Manca effect in action. Perhaps there is a limit to how much 'posh cheese on toast' SE22 can take after all? :)

[DulwichFox]

Its what I've been saying all the time....

Whilst posting here they will 'Defo be using..' a new business and hope they survive and do well. They don't.

People said they would defo. be using The Patch.. they didn't

same as:-

Indian Mischief,

The Chinese before that,

The Draft House,

Black Cherry,

The Big Fat Greek Place

Other places gone...

East Dulwich Deli

Adventure Bar

Boho

Scoop Ice Cream killed off by Oddono's

Peoples desire for constant change... means that as soon as a new outlet opens they move on.

Every new business will be at the expense of another business.

Old pictures of East 1930--1960 show that things stayed the same for many years...

Try building a Blog of E.D. in 2015. it would be out of date in 6 months.

Apart from a few long established Indian Restaurants, Iceland' and a couple of pubs..

Lordship Lane is more or less a 'Pop-Up' Place with short term businesses and Charity Shops

DulwichFox

[lpool]

Main website seems to be down. Unless shut for January my guess it has been forced to close. Since Franco Manca opened it has been noticeable how empty the place has been. A shame as in the summer months it is the only place on Lordship Lane with a decent outdoors area.

[jimbo1964]

Mr Liu, Franklins, John Barnett, LL Carpets, Cheese Block, SMBS, Le Chardon, Cherner Books, John Alan Florist, Palmerston, Thai Corner Cafe. Just a small selection of fly by night pop ups blown in on the wind of trend. I feel for Sorsi and Morsi if they have gone. There's no doubt that Franco Manca will attract a lot of business. Mainly because it does what it does very well.

[Sue]

DulwichFox Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Its what I've been saying all the time....

>

> Whilst posting here they will 'Defo be using..' a

> new business and hope they survive and do well.

> They don't.

>

> People said they would defo. be using The Patch..

> they didn't

> same as:-

> Indian Mischief,

> The Chinese before that,

> The Draft House,

> Black Cherry,

> The Big Fat Greek Place

>

> Other places gone...

>

> East Dulwich Deli

> Adventure Bar

> Boho

>

> Scoop Ice Cream killed off by Oddono's

>

>

>

> Peoples desire for constant change... means that

> as soon as a new outlet opens they move on.

>

>

If places are good, they will (usually) stay open, because people want to go there.

If they are not, they will (usually) close, because people don't want to go there.

Apart from Indian Mischief, which I thought was quite good but clearly others didn't, all the others you mention had, in my opinion, issues with either poor food or a poor space or poor service. Or a poor location.

I'm afraid I didn't really rate Sorsi Morsi. I'm not sure it was doing that well even before Franco Manca opened. I never saw many people in there. I ate there maybe three times and wasn't that impressed, though admittedly I didn't have their pizza.

[Jeremy]

Scoop closed down long before Oddono's came along. Boho/Adventure/BigFatGreek were all shite. Draft House was too expensive and the space didn't work. Chopsticks was poor too.. mutton dressed as lamb. As Sue says, the good places keep going. Survival of the fittest.

[llyamah]

Agree with Sue and Jeremy. Sorsi & Morsi was very average (in my opinion) and, whilst I loved Draft House, the beer was too expensive.

[Earl Aelfheah]

That's a shame, they were nice people and the service was great.. although the food, though not bad, wasn't anything to get excited about either. We could do with a good Italian (other than pizza) on the lane. The place in the Village is great. Agree with Sue and Jeremy though, it is the good places which survive. I don't mourn Boho or Adventure bar.

[Jeremy]

S&M was perfectly OK. But "perfectly OK" isn't always enough to get people to part with their cash these days, is it? Especially in a residential area.

[edcam]

The space was rubbish too. That was the problem for Indian Mischief and Chopsticks before it. Those two did really quite good food and offered something different but if people don't want to go and sit in there, the trade will quickly run dry. I still miss Indian Mischief and agree with rahrahrah that a good Italian is missing from the area.

[jimbo1964]

Burro e Salvia may prove to be a good Italian option. I like Il Mirto too.

[Dan G]

I'm bitterly disappointed to hear about this. The pizza for me, is better than Franco Manca, which I find a bit too sloppy and undercooked. The bases at Sorsi and Morsi we're thin and crispy - just how traditional Italian pizza should be.

I think it's as much a problem with the restaurant site itself, which is dominated by an overly large bar and feels more like a canteen than somewhere inviting you want to sit for any length of time. A big shame, I ate there or collected from them most weekends last summer but it was rarely full, I figured it would be curtains for them when Franco Manca came to town.

As far as Franco Manca is concerned it's a meh from me so far. I've been twice to this particular branch of the chain. First time queued 25 minutes then had people lining up over my table, while they waited, not exactly the ideal setting for a meal. Then the pizza took ages and was thoroughly underdone. Not a patch on what I've had in Brixton. Perhaps they'll improve over time but the last time I went with my 8 month pregnant wife we walked after being told it was over a 20 minute wait and there being nowhere for her to sit while we wait. The guys ahead of us who were clearly irritated at how long they had been waiting weren't in the mood to let us go before them.

I personally can't be arsed to queue up to 30 minutes for below par pizza with no bar area to sit and have drink while waiting. RIP Sorsi and Morsi

[Jeremy]

"thin and crispy - just how traditional Italian pizza should be" - yes, if you're in Rome..

[DulwichFox]

With a Thin and Crispy base you have to put on more Toppings to make it a meal..

Thick Doughy base will fill you up and give the impression of having had a hearty meal

without the need for 'expensive' toppings.

A quick spread of tomato paste and a couple of blobs of mozzarella, some Oregano ,

Basil leaf and a twist of black pepper and you are done.

Restaurants used to give you FREE bread to make you feel full.

Most places charge for bread these days.

DulwichFox

[Louisa]

I know fox it's an absolute disgrace. It's appauling that you have to pay for bread and indeed water, I've been tricked more than once with "would you like some water for the table?". I now always ask for it straight out the tap or not at all.

Louisa.

[Jeremy]

Surely any restaurant is happy to give you tap water if you ask. Off the top of my head I can only think of one that doesn't.

[MrBen]

Three visits...three times the wrong main dish brought out for me. Three times they smiled and said it was what I ordered. Three times I smiled back... ate it anyway and enjoyed it...always nice to try new dishes :-)

I think to make this place work it needs a proper refit and something new - the last two owners have only invested in low cost updates.

[Jeremy]

I actually thought the decor was OK-ish when Chopsticks first materialised. But that was a while ago... times have changed and it's looking dated. Subsequent tenants have only really made token efforts at putting their own stamp on the place. It needs a proper refurb. Ditch the stainless steel (or whatever the hell it is). Open it up, create more space.

And give us something more interesting than the same old generic pizza and pasta.

[DulwichFox]

Only used Chopsticks once.. A take away. It was dreadful..

Indian Mischief kept the benches with no backs.. Not the best for a relaxing meal..

Never went there.

Sorsi & Morsi looked nice enough, but you all know by now, I do not eat Pizza.

Even the benches in Manze's Pie Mash & Eel Shops have backs..

If someone were to open a Pie & Mash shop in E.D. it would do well.

But would probably cost ?12.75 for Pie & Mash.

DulwichFox

[Jeremy]

A pie shop would indeed do well... if they served good pies. I'm thinking more The Windmill (Mill Street) than Manze's though.

Would rather pay ?12 for great pie and mash than ?4 for school dinner standard.

[DulwichFox]

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> A pie shop would indeed do well... if they served

> good pies. I'm thinking more The Windmill (Mill

> Street) than Manze's though.

>

> Would rather pay ?12 for great pie and mash than

> ?4 for school dinner standard.

The whole point is its ?4 for school dinner standard. A good pre football meal...

Not some Ponsy Buggy filled Creche

Big bottles of Chilli infused Vinegar.. Big Salt / Pepper pots.. Wooden Benches, Marble tables / white tiled walls.

At Manzes, we still use the same recipes today for the pies and liquor as were used in 1902, the only changes made have been to improve quality and to meet the higher food standards of today.

DulwichFox

[Sue]

Please don't bring Manzes to ED!!

I ate there once, I think it was in Walthamstow, and have no wish to go back.

One of my friends had to go out and wait in the street while the rest of us ate, as she couldn't stand the smell of the food :(

I only went there to try eels, but the day we went they only had pies.

[Louisa]

Manzes wouldn't do in ED the snobs wouldn't eat it, they like their pies artisan and organic. Btw Sue L.Manze in Walthamstow is not connected to M.Manze which has a branch in Peckham.

Louisa.

[DulwichFox]

M. Manze has been going for 113 years...

I used to take my mum to the one in Tower Bridge Road. She liked the Stewed Eels Mash and Liquor.

She was 85 when she died in 2012. But used that shop and the Peckham when she was a child 1930's.

She once worked in the Book shop Levison's next door to the Peckham shop Hill Street.

Good to see it is still a favourite of The elderly and young people, girls and boys..

I can understand why Sue would not like it. It's cheap and used by ordinary people.

The thing is you can walk in on your own. Sit on the benches, eat your 'Grub' and no one takes any notice.

Love it...

All there shops are well established and presume they own all of their premises.

They would NEVER come to ED. They don't need to.

DulwichFox

[jimbo1964]

An organic pie shop with a hunk of sourdough to to mop up the jus. Rustic challenging wine in tumblers and you'd have the pefect fast food eat in out restaurant on the Lane.