Restaurant Review: 139 Fika

I don't give a Fika where it is, it's lovely

I read an interesting piece in the Observer this weekend by guest critic Miquita Oliver about gentrification in the parts of east and west London where she grew up. Streets in Hackney and Notting Hill that once housed squats and were frankly rough now feature million pound houses. And we aren’t talking mansions, we are talking bog standard terraces.

The same could be said for Bellenden Village, a winding sliver between Peckham and East Dulwich. Not that 139 Fika goes for fancy estate agent terminology. Their website clearly states that 139 Bellenden Road is in Peckham. Which is, of course, way cooler than Bellenden Village (if Bellenden Village even exists).

This stretch of Bellenden Road already boasts a couple of decent eateries, Artusi (posh) and the Begging Bowl (easy going nice Thai) and a smartened up pub, the Victoria, which I remember as the rather less smart Wishing Well. The old grocery is now the Village Grocery. there are wine bars and chic coffee shops. You are never more than 10 metres from a slice of sourdough.

But 139 Fika seems to sum up the split personality of this area that hasn’t entirely become gentrified just yet. It’s a cafe during the day which in the evening turns into a destination diner “where the flavours of the Caribbean, the vibrancy of Africa, and the classic tastes of British cuisine come together in perfect harmony” says their website. Sitting outside you also get a view of the nearby bins and the classic old school Chinese takeway opposite where I bet they do vibrant pancake rolls where the deep fat fryer and beansprouts come together in perfect harmony.

The menu in 139 Fika is small but there was plenty on it to entice us. For a starter we decided to share the crispy mild curry lamb balls, with honey cumin yoghurt, yellow curry oil and edible shoots (£13). There also seemed to be a lettuce leaf but I can see why they didn’t boast about that on the menu. The yoghurt was deliciously spicy though I would have liked a little more curry oil. I actually thought the drizzled yellow paste was part of the plate design (it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve tried to lick the pattern off). The balls were, as they say, to die for. In fact with my heart condition I was only allowed one of the three or I would have done just that. They reminded me of some arancini I once had in Rome, but I guess that makes me sound like a pleb. It’s meant as a compliment though.

For mains my partner went for the sea bass with purple sprouting broccoli and grilled lime (£25). Sea bass is, of course, the classiest of fish, though it has become a tad ubiquitous in recent years. but it is also nice. I’ve never been a big fan of fish because even filleted fish has been known to have the ocassional bone, but the white flesh here flakes off easily and melted in the mouth.

I was tempted by the tiger prawns but because they came in garlic butter I went for the healthier option of ackee with wilted spinach, green plantain shards, roast pepper salsa and red dressing (£21). I didn’t really know what to expect, but what arrived was as much a work of art as a main course, with the wafer thin plantains planted into the ackee like flags and the roast pepper salsa swooshed across the plate-slash-bowl making the whole meal resemble a multi-coloured smiley face.

And I’ve got to say I had a pretty smiley face myself after tucking into the ackee, which sat snugly in a light pastry tart. It might have looked like yesterday’s scrambled egg but it tasted out of this world, spicy, sweet and truly scrumptious. I’ve always had misgivings about being able to resist meat, but when there are options like this it seems like a doddle.

We’d arrived early in the evening and 139 Fika seemed quite quiet. But by the time we left it was almost full (like us). I don’t know if this was a quirk of early evening dining, but quite a lot of people were older than you might expect and, I’ll be honest, they didn’t seem local.

The woman who took a seat behind us seemed to be dressed in head to toe leather. I glanced across at her as we left and almost expected Jane Fonda to be her dining partner. I’d say that with 139 Fika Bellenden has finally arrived, but to be honest, it arrived years ago. I’m surprised the much-travelled Miquita has never lived here.

139 Fika, 139 Bellenden Road, SE15 4DH

All meals paid for and identity not revealed before or after.