Chew and Chow
Peter asks:
This is a little way off your Greenwich patrol, but do you know anything about recent changes at Chew and Chow ?
Chew and Chow has been a small licensed Spanish cafe in Charlton Church Lane, just up the hill from Charlton station, serving simple but good quality food for the last 10 years or so. The interior and furniture define basic, but its always been a treat to have a neighbourhood cafe providing authentic Spanish fare using excellent ingredients. Charlton Church Lane probably isn't the best location for an enterprise of this type and in recent years the cafe scaled down to weekend only opening.
We went there for lunch today first the first time for a few months. The menu still offer the same tapas dishes and salads as before, but there is also a "Thai Tapas" menu. The Spanish breakfasts have gone from the menu, as have the omelettes and filled rolls, but there is a new short listing of Thai curries on the menu. We ordered our favourites from the tapas menu and the quality of ingredients and cooking was pretty much the same as before.
So my questions are;
Has anyone else eaten there since these changes and what was their experience ?
What's the storey behind the changes ? Is it now a partnership between the previous and new operators, or has the previous owner sold on the business and recepies ? And if so has the previous owner set up somewhere else locally that would be worth knowing about ?
Peter, I don't know this place, but it sounds intriguing. I will review it asap and find out what I can...
In the meanwhile, I bet someone else here has tried this place and can give you an opinion...
This is a little way off your Greenwich patrol, but do you know anything about recent changes at Chew and Chow ?
Chew and Chow has been a small licensed Spanish cafe in Charlton Church Lane, just up the hill from Charlton station, serving simple but good quality food for the last 10 years or so. The interior and furniture define basic, but its always been a treat to have a neighbourhood cafe providing authentic Spanish fare using excellent ingredients. Charlton Church Lane probably isn't the best location for an enterprise of this type and in recent years the cafe scaled down to weekend only opening.
We went there for lunch today first the first time for a few months. The menu still offer the same tapas dishes and salads as before, but there is also a "Thai Tapas" menu. The Spanish breakfasts have gone from the menu, as have the omelettes and filled rolls, but there is a new short listing of Thai curries on the menu. We ordered our favourites from the tapas menu and the quality of ingredients and cooking was pretty much the same as before.
So my questions are;
Has anyone else eaten there since these changes and what was their experience ?
What's the storey behind the changes ? Is it now a partnership between the previous and new operators, or has the previous owner sold on the business and recepies ? And if so has the previous owner set up somewhere else locally that would be worth knowing about ?
Peter, I don't know this place, but it sounds intriguing. I will review it asap and find out what I can...
In the meanwhile, I bet someone else here has tried this place and can give you an opinion...
Labels: Ask The Phantom, Eating Out, Not-Quite-Greenwich
posted by The Greenwich Phantom at
17:10
8 Comments:
Hmm, yes, the changes at Chu and Cho. Used to be a slightly odd mix of tapas with a Bulgarian influence - but it worked, and was generally mobbed.
My understanding is that it's been taken over - a couple of nice Thai ladies doing front of house, as well as one of the previous waitresses, and a change of chef.
However, we've been a bit disappointed in it since the change. The menu's more limited, and we've been uninspired by the quality of the food or the cooking.
Somehow the Spanish recipes aren't quite the same as they were, although apparently old and new chefs worked in parallel for a while, and the house white wine was rotten.
The Thai 'tapas' is decent enough (though heavy on the batter) - we haven't tried the Thai mains.
But the big disappointment is the fact that the magic doughnut machine has gone - how can they keep the name Chu and Cho when they don't serve churros and chocolate any more?
Last time we were in we had quite a long chat with one of the new owners and expressed our feelings about it all: I reckon we owe them a return visit, but to be honest, if we don't enjoy it any more than the last time we won't be back.
It would probably be better going fully Thai than trying to maintain the current dual identity - a shame, I reckon. And sadly, I've no idea where the old owner has gone, or if he's set up elsewhere.
John
I have got to say I'm intrigued, all the same. I'll pop along when I have a free evening and test it out (mind you - no doughnuts? Dear oh dear...) Thanks for the update, though, Mr/Ms Anon. I knew someone here would know the place...
Strangely enough I went to Chu and Cho's last week.
My thoughts on it were posted here:
http://charltonaverage.blogspot.com/2007/04/chu-chos.html
Your review intrigues me even more. I'll try to get over there. Of course I don't have any past to compare it with, but maybe that will lead to a different angle. Sounds like I missed a trick here though. Despite there being several Tapas bars in Greenwich the standard is generally low - we could have done with a good'un. Thai tapas - well - it's original, I suppose...
Like the blog btw...
Looks like I should take more care with my spelling and not depend on an unreliable memory. I think "not as good as it used to be but still worth a visit" sums up my feelings
Well I'll be going, anyway, even if only to find out what the hell a Thai Tapas tastes like...
Hi, my wife and I are reasonably regular followers of this blog. This would be our first post on the site, or comment, rather.
I searched your blogs for references to Tapas, primarily to notify you of this gem of a neighbourhood Tapas place. The campaign for this restaurant seems all the more relevant, in particular to your posting about Chew and Chow, given references such as "serving simple but good quality food for the last 10 years or so. The interior and furniture define basic, but its always been a treat to have a neighbourhood cafe providing authentic Spanish fare using excellent ingredients."
You may have already heard about this restaurant, or visited it too. It is called Dos Tias, and is situated right next to the Deptford Bridge DLR station on the A2. Your description above of Chew and Chow would be apt for Dos Tias too. To see what my wife and I think of the place, please see http://www.london-eating.co.uk/32007.htm
The place is run by this charming lady called Cloe, and she has a very talented chef working behind the scenes (I forget his name.) The chef is very open to trying new receipes, but they are facing many constraints. Prime among them being the lack of footfall in the restaurant.
It's a shame that such a gem is located right opposite the One SE8 development, with thousands of people between the ages of 20 and 30, but hardly anyone knows about it. I urge you to try this place. Hopefully a good review from you would get more people and make this place successful.
Mammimar - thanks for this. I am ALWAYS on the lookout for exciting, secret new places to try out. I will definitely visit - probably in the new year now though,as I sem to have got a bit behind.
Nice to see you post - don't be a stranger, now, will you!
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