Has anybody tried the new African restaurant in Perry Vale?
Their menu seems really authentic (meaning I barely recognise most items on the menu) and quite different from other restaurants in the area.
I hope the business succeeds as it is nice to see different types of food in the area offering lots of choice.
I see this now has an alcohol licensing application on the window, but a bit of sleuthing suggests it is being requested by the owners of The Crooked Well in Camberwell (which has a favourable write up in the Michelin guide). Maybe a change of hands is imminent?
Sad to say that whenever I go past this place, it's always empty. If the building is being taken over by someone else, although sad for the current restaurant owners, it might be for the best. It would be great to see this side of the railway tracks get a bit of a boost, and a busy restaurant/bar might do the trick.
No idea re what's happening but it was only a matter of time before the unit became available again - in the 6 or so months it's been open I have never seen anyone dining in there so the tenant must really be struggling to pay the rent.
A great pity they couldn't get the business off the ground but let's hope that whatever comes next is a success.
I suspect they would have done better if they'd started out as a takeaway business and gathered a bit of a local following before branching into a sit down restaurant.
I notice that the Chinese/Japanese takeaway on London road 'Helga' (such a peculiar name for such a place) is now empty it would be nice to have something interesting open there.
It's a pity that Helga has gone as most of their Japanese food was quite good.
Its always sad when a venture fails to take off, never saw any one venture in.
Interesting that someone mentioned The Crooked Well in Camberwell, very nice pub, selling really great food.
Will await developments with interest on this one!!
Inept marketing and a breach of regulations. The law requires that a restaurant has prices which should be on prominent display, giving you a a chance to check them before you reach the table. There was a list of dishes on display for a brief period at the beginning of the tenancy but never any prices.
Unfortunately a lot of restaurants in Forest Hill and environs do not display their prices. Is this caused by ignorance or are they trying to hide something? Are Trading Standards too busy to enforce these regulations?
Certainly not good marketing. I would be chary about venturing into a new restaurant unless the menu and prices were on display. If it was empty also then no chance. So, apart from Food Standards officers probably having better things to do, perhaps that is why it is not so widely enforced - the party this hurts most is the restaurant itself.
Walk past this daily, literally never seen anyone eating in there. Hopefully someone can make a success of the space as it is in a good location and that side of the tracks could do with somewhere like it.
Does anyone know anything further about what will be taking the place of this restaurant and when?
Consultation on the Licencing application ended on 6 Feb so I imagine that will be granted reasonably soon and then maybe we'll start to see something happening.
From the Licencing application it looks like it's going to restyle itself and be known as Perry Vale Bistro and Bar - beyond that, I know nothing...
Not that I don't have much to do at work today, but I looked at the list of current apllications on the council website, and it was nowhere to be seen.
So I checked the list of licensed premises in Lewisham. Perry Vale Bistro and Bar is now on that list as a restaurant.
So I'd guess it's only a matter of time before Beulah closes and work on PVBB (say it out loud, it's kind of catchy) gets underway. Hope it turns out well.
Yes, here's hoping. It's kind of a critical location and can make or break that side of the tracks. The African place opened up last May, so they might have had a year's lease that they will see through to the end.
I've got no experience or knowledge of retail leases, but wouldn't the people behind Beulah have had the lease for a month or so before opening, in order to fit out the unit to get it ready for use? In which case they might be ready to hand the shop over pretty soon.
At a guess the current tennants are losing money on the restaurant, so they'll probably want to get shot of the lease asap. So is it possible they might have come to some arrangement with the landlord to get out of the lease early?
Obviously, this is pure speculation, born of a very quiet afternoon at work.
Whatever happens, it would be great to have a thriving new bar and restaurant on this side of the tracks. Hope it does well. It's a shame Beulah didn't take off.
If it's still to be from the Crooked Well stable I look forward to it - their Camberwell place is great
Would love it to be run like the old Foret des Amis - quirky with great food. Always went for the mussels.