Restaurants

Restaurants dont come any friendlier than Cah Chi. Just around the corner from Raynes Park station, this welcoming canteen looks more like a kindergarten than a restaurant, with childrens drawings on the walls and a noticeboard of family photos. Signs of loving care abound; the blue-green frontage always looks freshly painted and the pine-filled interior is spotless. The menu has the full range of stews, soups, noodles and barbecues including two-person specials like bosam (pork with mixed vegetables and Korean condiments). Staff are delightfully attentive. Cah Chis yukkaejang (spicy beef soup) could well be the best in London: a tangle of tender beef shreds and spring onion in a fiery, chilli-rich broth that tingled on the palate. We also enjoyed the bulgogi, lean slivers of barbecued beef that we wrapped into parcels with lettuce leaves, denjang (fermented soy bean paste) and pamuchin (zesty marinated shreds of spring onion). Food is usually cooked in the kitchen for solo diners, but groups can use the table-top barbecues. Namul and kimchi come free with most meals, but its best to order some nutty red rice as well.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008