Noko

Camberwell of South London, being the trendy area it is, is not short of good places to eat. NOKO Asian Street Food & Bar is relatively new on the scene and fits in accordingly to Camberwell’s algorithm of exciting restaurants.

Serving an amalgam of Asian street food, NOKO merges together classic Korean, Chinese and Japanese dishes, staying true to each cuisine but making it modern. It’s an intimate spot, a shoulder-to-shoulder sort of vibe, but the staff keep it wholesome and flowing like water.

NOKO as they claim on their website are the “Masters of cooking over fire”. After tasting some dishes from their ‘Robata’ section of the menu, which when translated from Japanese to English, reads ‘fireside cooking’, you see they’re deserving of this title. One bite of the Iberico Pork Belly skewer sent me straight back to my Shanghai days, half-cut, outside a club and munching on charcoal-grilled meat and veg skewers. Simpler times. Each Robata dish is served on skewers, piping hot and with a charcoal aroma floating off it. There are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options as well as carnivorous ones, we tried the Broccoli Tahini and the Tofu Skin & Asparagus. Crunchy, spicy and delicious, and even served on top of paper themed off the inside of a Battenberg Cake.

This might just be the best smacked cucumber in town. It’s everything you want it to be. Pickled, perfumed with Sichuan and sesame oil, and with a strong punch of garlic running through it. Chunks of fragrant cucumber disappear in a matter of seconds. My brother and I almost fought for the last piece. They’ve even got Korean Chicken, three variations in fact. Rising in popularity amongst Londoners, this dish is a welcomed addition and successfully completes the menu, satisfying that indulgent desire for fried food we all work daily keeping at bay.

But the cherry on top goes to the Dan Dan noodles. Served with fresh garlic, soy and a peanut and sesame sauce, it’s nothing short of just really fucking tasty. The thick noodles have that satisfying al dente texture that so happily greets the peanut and sesame in all its glorious decadence. Pair that with the crunch and mild bitterness of the pak choi, your mouth is in nirvana. There weren’t many words said between us at this point.

All this and more could be yours, and at a perfectly reasonable price. The dishes are generously proportioned, beautifully balanced, and don’t take a significant chunk out of your weekly budget. NOKO is somewhere really worth checking out if you fancy sampling the best food cooking on the flame can produce.

Another little tip. NOKO doesn’t serve pudding. So if you fancy a dessert after, pop across the road and into Theo’s. A popular Italian restaurant that serves a very good tiramisu. If you’re lucky like I was and have a brother who just lives up the road, order it to go and devour it at home like a beast without the constraints of social standards.

15 Camberwell Church St, London SE5 8TR