Gay Camberwell

A restaurant serving genuine Xinjiang food (i.e. northwest China) is a rare entity in London. Silk Road has been much lauded of late for doing it very well indeed. And so one rainy Sunday night, we turned up and, stepping through the door, worried that our mission might have been in vain. The place was very packed and bustling, and what was most encouraging, packed largely with Chinese people, which was a clue that we were about to have a genuine Xinjiang experience. Silk Road is decorated very simply with some Chinese hangings, bright lights, and cheap wooden benches and tables. A romantic ambience it is not, but it is certainly cheerful. We were asked if we had a reservation and clearly a lot of people call in advance. However, a table was found for us by friendly staff, and we took our place on the benches and perused the menu. Lots of noodle dishes, some rice dishes, and none of them the standard Chinese food fayre that one encounters at other restaurants. Not for Silk Road the sweet and sour chicken in fluorescent sauce. From the flimsy paper menus, with food descriptions in kanji characters with brief English translations, we established that Xinjiang isn't big on vegetarians, but they did have a couple of vegetable noodle dishes, which we ordered. Our meat eating companion went for lamb and vegetables. We had not planned on a starter but the waitress convinced us to have the cabbage, a specialty of the region. We ordered a portion to share. When it came it was, well, a big plate of cabbage.  Nice, fresh cabbage, with a delicately flavoursome sauce. The main courses were huge, and freshly cooked, with a base of big thick noodles, in a spicy, tasty sauce. To drink they have a brief menu of soft drinks, Chinese teas, Tiger Beer, a Chinese beer, and a bottle of house red. Note that they only take cash. The price was fair, food was tasty, and by all accounts genuine, and the experience was friendly and cheerful. One of our party likened it to a quirky version of Wagamamma.... It's been reviewed by Time Out here and they seemed even more excited than us by the food. We have met many Camberwellites who swear by it. Silk Road is a fun, relaxed, tasty dining experience, and it holds its own on what is swiftly turning into Camberwell's restaurant quarter.


Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 3/5
Gay Friendliness: 2.5/5