Don’t be put off by the fact that it’s down a little alleyway – I guarantee there’s a few people already in line. I’ve been eating at C&R Café with my friends and family ever since I was smaller than I am now, and these days, I bring along my two-year old niece who’s the ultimate judge. I can confirm, she loves the ‘noo-noos’ aka noodles.
Every time I bring someone here, not long after I’ll get a message asking, “When are we going back to C&R?” or “So, I brought ‘xyz’ to C&R the other day, thanks for introducing me!” Whilst it’s not the sexiest restaurant to sit in and there’s a no-frills style of service, the food is always good. It’s an authentic Singaporean/Malaysian spot where I pretty much order the same meal every time (as long as I have at least one companion) starting with either a roti canai, a flaky flatbread served with an unctuous curry dipping sauce and/or the bean curd satay. I promise you, tofu can be delicious, and this is one of my favourite ways to eat it – deep fried and served with my favourite place to get peanut (satay) sauce. It also comes with chunks of raw onion and then cucumber to cool down. If you really don’t want the tofu, you can also get chicken or prawn satay – I just urge you to order one for the sauce alone!
Next on the menu for me is a Singapore Laksa. It’s a huge bowl of coconutty, spiced broth filled with vermicelli noodles, king prawns, fish balls, chicken and tofu, topped with beansprouts and cucumber. I’ve had a few laksa’s in my time, but C&R’s is my all-time favourite. The other main that I order is the Nasi Goreng Kampung Style, meaning Village Style fried rice. Another spicy dish, it comes with a traditional runny fried egg, deep fried anchovies and the protein includes chicken and prawn. It’s dark brown in colour due to being cooked in Kecap Manis, an Indonesian sweet soy sauce, a nod to my roots.
Lastly, I have to wash it all down with their Iced Lemon Tea. I don’t know why it’s so good and I’m not really a sweet drink fan, but honestly, the sugar against the lemon is so addictive. I once asked a waitress how they make it, and she awkwardly walked away from me. Either it’s super-secret or from a packet, but honestly, I don’t care – I love it.
This meal would come to less than £50, so between two of you, it’s a steal – plus the portions are very generous, making it my ultimate cheap-eat restaurant in London. There’s a no booking policy here, so if you plan to rock up, do so before you get really hungry as there can be a big queue sometimes and most importantly, if you ever need someone to dine with you here, I’m always down 😉