Review: C & R Cafe, Soho

I probably shouldn’t write this review. C & R Cafe is a tiny walk-in only eatery down a little back-alley on the edge of Chinatown that you’d never know was there. Even so it was busy enough when we stopped in for lunch. If my blog suddenly makes it popular, we’ll never get a table!

Luckily my blog has about a dozen readers, if that. So no need to worry.

The menu at C & R Cafe goes a bit pan-Asian and I’m willing to bet that it’s all amazing, but we stuck to Malay dishes because it’s a Malaysian restaurant primarily. The decor is basic, the seating and crockery and cutlery is basic, the service is basic but effective. The food is TO DIE FOR and also RIDICULOUS VALUE.

My nasi lemak was an absolute feast on a plate, pungent and powerful sambal, beautiful coconut rice topped with a lip-smacking satay sauce, small but perfect pile of chicken curry off to one side, beautifully dark roasted peanuts (I mean, just peanuts, but these were seriously good!) and crispy-fried teeny tiny fishes. They probably have a special name but I don’t know it. I scoffed the lot, happily.

Until I took a bite of Maureen’s beef rendang, that is. Because it was EVEN BETTER and I was BOILING with envy! It’s hard to describe just how wonderful a really top notch beef rendang is, rich and silky and fiery and earthy and fragrant. This was a top notch beef rendang.

The couple of side dishes we had added to the sense of everything here being delicious, I particularly loved the rujak salad with it’s crispy-fried pieces of silky tofu, juicy bits of fruit and super-tangy dark sweet/spicy dressing.

You only need to pay £18 for a meal and a side. Cold teh tarek is a great drink to slurp down with it, if you want my opinion. Sssssssh… don’t tell anyone C & R Cafe exists!