Chakalaka

Sarah_W

Taste of South Africa in London 7th February 2009

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This is a bright, buzzy restaurant serving traditional South African dishes. On a recent visit on a freezing cold February evening it was perhaps hard to imagine ourselves anywhere in Africa, but the warm red walls and decorative touches such as wooden masks and animal skins helped create a good atmosphere, and the company of friends and a few glasses of house red provided some much-needed warmth.

Most of us took advantage of the special menu available, with two courses and a glass of wine for just £15. I chose a warming butternut squash soup and followed this with a traditional dish of Lamb Bobotie (lightly curried minced lamb and almonds, served with rice and a platter of extras including chutney, coconut and banana). This was perhaps not the best of choices, as I like spicy food and was disappointed at just how mild this was. I added a dessert to the set menu, a creamy dish called Dom Pedros which I liked on initially tasting but found a little too sweet despite the addition of whisky (it comes with the liquour of your choice).

Despite my disappointment with a couple of the dishes, I had a good time here and would certainly go back, but would probably choose from the main menu another time.

jennipenni at 07/04/09

Lamb Bobotie is a fruity curry, not meant to be a spicy hot curry. I have been here 5 times since December and the service the night you were there was the worse I think. I wrote about that too, have to be objective. Have had fab times since - the manager even said next time I go I'll have a steak on the house :)

Sarah_W at 07/04/09

I guess you're right about the bobotie. I'm sure it was just as it should be - just not a good choice for me. Would certainly like to go back and try some of the other dishes :-)

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sue

South African Grub 3rd June 2007

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Chakalaka is a colourful South African restaurant in Putney. We had an enjoyable meal there one Friday night with friends who had recently moved to the area. The restaurant had been on my radar for a while, so we were really looking forward to the Chakalaka experience.

We were given a warm welcome, and service continued to be friendly and helpful throughout our meal. The décor is vibrant, with bright painted walls, African art and a giant zebra skin complete with tail.

To start, we had the Boerewors and Chakalaka (traditional South African sausage served with chakalaka spicy sauce), the Spicy Salmon and Crab cakes, and the Chakalaka House Salad. All were good, with the fish cakes being particularly tasty.

Main courses were the Springbok Loin (a type of antelope), and the Char grilled Kudu Steak (a bigger antelope). The meat was cooked perfectly, and I loved the sweetness of the Springbok, which was perfectly paired with sweet potato mash.

The wine list consisted of entirely South African wines, with a decent spread of styles and prices. We really enjoyed a couple of bottles of the 2002 Nederburg Cabernet Sauvignon (and were pleasantly surprised by the 2002 vintage as we were expecting the 2004, as per the wine list).

I really wanted to try dessert as I had spied the 'Peppermint Crisp Surprise' on the menu and am a big fan of the good old Peppermint Crisp chocolate bar which I grew up enjoying in Australia. Unfortunately, the dessert didn't quite live up to expectations - there was not enough of the peppermint chocolatey goodness, and a bit too much of some sort of rich, condensed milk type substance. Oh well, next time I will have to try the Malva Pudding or Milk Tart instead.

At the end of the night everyone was given a complimentary Springbok cocktail - a small shot glass with Crème de Menthe and Amarula layers - sure beats the usual 'mint with your bill' offering!

jennipenni

South African traditional fare! 16th March 2007

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This restaurant used to be called 'Madiba'... until Madiba's own lawyer phoned the owner and asked him to change it! Nelson Mandela's nickname is not copyrighted but they are trying to protect it from any kind of overuse or possible abuse, which is perfectly understandable I feel.

Hence the birth of 'Chakalaka'! Hence the name 'Chakalaka' .. a tangy African sauce.

This restaurant is top notch... the food, decor, service... and *gulp* the prices. But for a special occasion (ours was Christmas Eve dinner), it is worth every penny!

To eat traditonal South African food whilst listening to traditional South African music, with wildlife paintings on the walls... I was in heaven!

We have had a variety of good dishes here, my favourite being their bobotie (South African stew) and my husband's favourite, their pork spare ribs. The vegetables are fresh and smack of quality.

We had delicious Amarula Creme brulee for dessert, which was absolutely scrumptious.

This place is expensive and we would only go here on special occasions, but for the ambiance and home-from-home feeling, those extra few £ are worth it.

UPDATE: We have been a few times since and here is our experience from last night.

We had crocodile skewers for starters - we shared a starter as we wanted mains and dessert too and knew we wouldn't have space! The crocodile was very tasty (chickeny in flavour, altho not texture).

Onto the mains and I had a chargrilled ostrich steak ona giant mushroom with mash, fresh veg and a rich venison sauce. Sister had a lamb rump steak. Hubby had a succulent kudu steak - both our steaks were juicey and tender, we asked for rare to medium rare as gamey meat gets tough when cooked well. Good choice! Went down very well.

Then came our desserts! Milk tart for hubby and I, a peppermint crisp surprise for my sister... which we had last time we were there. Lovely lovely lovely - but far too much food in all and I couldn't finish mine.

We had red wine which was smooth and tasty.

Our waitrons are usually South African (as are the managers), this time we had an Aussie waitress and she was fab! Friendly, helpful, not in your face. Not too sure if she liked having the huge Saffa flag plastered on the back of her tshirt though ;)

All-in-all, we have been here a few times now and every time tried different dishes and wines and are always fulfilled and happy... albeit with a lighter wallet, as this place aint cheap. We averaged £40 per person.

This is an article re the restaurant:
http://www.southafricatimes.co.uk/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=40&Itemid=2