Walking along Camberwell Church Street your options for a hearty meal are endless. Cultures conjoin here to provide a huge variety of restaurants, chicken shops, bakeries, and coffee shops — in other words a nightmare in deciding where to go for dinner after a long day!
Upon moving to Camberwell last September, I set myself the goal of seeking out the best spots to eat out, with flavour and value for money as my priorities. My search led me to an unassuming restaurant with no flashy menus or logos, barely a sign to tell you who they are. The exterior has no name, just a telephone number and a beige-panelled wall. It is truly a hidden gem.
Silk Road allows walk-in diners, but I always opt to book a table as this restaurant can get extremely busy. The friendly staff welcome you to take a seat in the gorgeous minimalist dining room where their service is extraordinarily fast. I recommend coming earlier in the evening as the venue fills up quickly past 7 o’clock.
The menu is simple yet covers everything you may be craving in an authentic Xinjiang-style Chinese restaurant. If you are a spice lover, this is your place to go! Xinjiang cuisine is renowned for its spicy pork and mutton dishes — but Silk Road has plenty of vegetarian options too.
For this trip, you will need to bring some friends. The dishes in Xinjiang cuisine are perfect for sharing, and the portion sizes at Silk Road will definitely need a doggy bag (or in my group’s case a few). My personal recommendations are to try their hand-pulled belt noodles that pair perfectly with all of their dishes, and to try their TikTok-famous cucumber salad. It’s impossible to be disappointed when you can get all of this for less than £20 in Zone 2. My personal choice was to go for the Xinjiang-style salad (£3), double-cooked pork slices (£7), hand-pulled noodles (£2), and some fried dumplings (£3.50). Alongside a drink, this came to around £17 and the leftovers could feed me for days!
If you study at Camberwell College of Arts or live in Portland or Gardens House accommodation, I cannot recommend this restaurant enough. It is a five-minute walk from all of these locations and can be a great spot to satisfy your hunger after a long day of work at uni or just a special treat for completing that deadline.
Noah Shakeshaft
Address: 49 Camberwell Church St, London SE5 8TR