Kudu offers Modern European dishes with a nod to South Africa

As a South African living in London, Kudu has been high on my list for years. Normally we go away for Easter but as we had two trips planned in May, we decided to stay in London. So it was the perfect opportunity on Good Friday to finally go to Kudu for lunch!

Located in Peckham, south-east London, Kudu is just a few minutes walk from Queens Road Peckham train station, which is just two stops from London Bridge. Living in north west London, it’s always felt like ‘a bit of a trek’ to go there but it was surprisingly easy and hassle-free.

Walking in, I loved the ambiance – it was buzzing – and I loved the decor too. It looks a bit like a rustic but stylish bistro. There are tables, counter seating by the open kitchen as well as a gorgeous outdoor area at the back which will be amazing in summer. Next door is Curious Kudu, their private dining space.

Kudu serves seasonal Modern European dishes with a South African twist. On Fridays at lunch they serve a set menu, priced at £26 per person for two courses and £29 per person for three. The choices were fairly limited with three starters to choose from (although olives was one of the starters, which felt a bit odd), five mains (although two needed to be ordered in pairs and had a supplement), one dessert and then three extra side dishes.

We opted to start with the Kudu bread which came with a choice of melted cultured butter with house cured bacon or melted seafood butter with almonds – or you could even choose both butters. We went with bacon!

Of course, being a South Africa restaurant, there were excellent South African wines on the wine list. We opted for a bottle of De Grendel Brut sparkling wine made in a Cap Classique method – meaning it’s made in the traditional French Champagne method.

For starters we chose the Parmesan churros with a miso butter. I have to say, the dish didn’t look particularly pretty – nor like churros – but they were so good! Addictive really.

Our other starter was the pork belly skewer with cumin and peri peri. The flavours definitely reminded me of home as peri peri is loved by South Africans.

For mains we were contemplating on ordering the Tomahawk chop with chimichuri, which was one of the ones you needed to order in pairs, but we wanted to try more dishes. So we chose the lamb fillet with wild garlic salsa and borlotti beans and the roasted cod with Jerusalem artichoke, confit lemon and dashi veloute.

We started with the roasted cod and it was absolutely incredible. So much flavour and perfectly cooked fish. It was definitely the star of the show!

The lamb was beautifully cooked and perfectly pink. I enjoyed the borlotti beans but my husband isn’t a fan. The sauce was so delicious and we were tempted to order more bread to mop it up with!

We weren’t initially going to have dessert but the dishes are slightly on the small side – which is fair enough, given the price! There was only one dessert option on the menu – salted chocolate ganache with sesame ice-cream and chocolate crumble – and we ordered it to share. It was rich and decadent and the perfect way to end the meal.

My husband ordered a macchiato and, being Italian, he is very fussy when it comes to coffee. He was impressed! He said it was really good – and it looked good too. Beautifully presented.

We had a fantastic meal at Kudu. I honestly don’t why it’s taken so many years to visit but better late than never. We’ll definitely be back! I loved the decor and ambiance and the food was fantastic. The service was wonderful – warm, friendly and professional. Definitely book a table at Kudu – you won’t be disappointed!

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