What's the draw
Chef Oli Brown earned his stripes in the kitchen at The Continental in Hong Kong, which means he's well-placed to create a restaurant based around the region's old-school cafés. Head to the space, housed in a shipping container at community project Pop Brixton, and you'll find formica booths, pegboard walls and low-hanging red lights – and a gargantuan, custom-built air dryer that dries the meat before it's roasted in the equally gargantuan and custom-built oven.
What to drink:
This being Brixton, there's a selection of local beers: Canopy Beer Co's Brockwell IPA and Sunray Pale Ale, to be exact, although we opted for the Tsingtao to go with the food. There's a small wine list, too, with choices ranging from a 2015 Riesling from Mosel, Germany, to a 2015 Argentinian malbec. Or if you're feeling soft, try the ginger beer – it was an excellent foil to the richness of the roasted meat.
What to eat:
Cantonese barbecue is the name of the game here, so don't hold back when it comes to the meat. We advise going for the selection, which features them in all their glory: char siu pork, roast pork belly with five spice, and roast duck (goose is sadly only available on Saturday nights). Elsewhere, the starters made for an intriguing start, with salt and pepper salsify, and the restaurant's signature 'prawn toast revisited' – a giant prawn toast (obviously) made of sliced white bread topped with a layer of prawn mousse, dressed with kewpie mayonnaise, and then topped with curly endive and pickled kohlrabi. This is elevated comfort food, Cantonese-style – and damned good it is, too.
Mains from £6.50; beer from £3.50. Pop Brixon, 49 Brixton Station Road, SW9 8PQ; duckduckgooselondon.com
