Silk Road, Camberwell

I have ventured outside New Cross! Success! In this post I'll be talking about Silk Road; an authentic Chinese restaurant in Camberwell.


Now I'm no Chinese food expert, but you can't help but feel that the food at Silk Road really is authentic Chinese food as it should be. Silk Road is free of neon orange sweet and sour sauce, chicken chow mein and prawn crackers - instead it serves a variety of food from the Xinjiang area of China which, as far as I can tell, is all very, very spicy! If you love your spice, then you'll love Silk Road. The actual restaurant itself seems to add to the authenticity of the place - I'll be honest, it doesn't look like much inside. There are communal wooden tables to eat at and the menus are anything but complicated. On first glance, Silk Road might look like your typical greasy British-Chinese restaurant, but it's clear from the simplicity of the place that all they're about is good, honest, authentic Chinese food.




Despite some slightly dubious sounding dishes (such as Big Plate Chicken and Chicken Cubes), the food here is amazing. I've been to Silk Road twice now and the different food I've had both times has been delicious. Be warned though - if spicy food isn't your thing then Silk Road probably isn't for you!



Tonight I went to Silk Road with three of my friends; one of whom is vegan, and we all had plenty to choose from. The portions here are absolutely huge - the bowl of noodles you can see in the photo above is "Middle" Plate Chicken which we shared between two of us and still had loads left. Who knows just how big the "Special Big" Plate Chicken is!

The prices are a definite bonus here - for example, you can get 10 beef and onion dumplings for £3.50, most main dishes are less than £10 and beers are £2.50 - everybody wins!

Happy, full customers!

I really cannot recommend this place enough - Silk Road is the perfect place to go if you're on a budget and fancy some authentic, honest food in a cosy, no-nonsense environment. And if you don't believe me, then a quick Google search will show you loads of blogs that have raved about this place, including The Guardian and Time Out! (Click for links)


Tips

• Silk Road only accepts cash so make sure you get some money out! If you forget then no need to fear, there's a Lloyds TSB just around the corner by Camberwell Green.
• Book in advance. Silk Road is very popular and the first time I went without a booking we were given a 15 minute time frame by the manager to have our food in!
• Silk Road has loads of dishes which are great for sharing, so bring some friends!
• The nearest station is Denmark Hill but it's probably easier to get a bus - get off around Camberwell Green and Silk Road is just down the road.

Address: 49 Camberwell Church Street, SE5 8TR