Red Sea

The Red Sea is one of those London secrets you almost don't want to share, lest it should shed the ramshackle appeal of its MDF tables and workman caff aesthetic for mainstream respectability. The menu offers an intriguing mix of Eritrean, Ethiopian, Somali and Yemeni cuisine, plus the odd bit of Italian (African spag bol anyone?), and the food is an eccentric delight. Here you'll find one of the broadest Horn of African choices around, at almost unreasonably good value. Our selections of spring lamb served with a special pilau rice, and lamb stew with okra and onions, were two of the more conservative options. The four-page menu (a whole page of which is dedicated to 'Abyssinian' cuisine) offers innards in spiced butter, among other delicacies. Customers are a blend of young, urban expats, veiled women of various nationalities sipping on refreshing lemon milkshakes (like a creamy freshly squeezed lemonade), and single men enjoying the hearty cooking of home. Service is languid, the decor a kitsch collage of Eritrean landscapes and London skylines, and there's no drinks licence (but many non-alcoholic options). Still, at such prices these are minor grumbles.