London Lounge: Southall
If you have a free afternoon, an empty fridge and a liking for Asian food, you could do worse than take a trip to Southall.
Before our visit to Quality Foods in South Street, my Indian friend took us to the Palm Palace Sri Lankan restaurant opposite for drinks and snacks. I didn’t realise you could barter in a restaurant, but after Antoinette had finished, the bill for 6 of us came to £18! Buzzing from the carb overload, we crossed the street to get our shopping. I really must get out more – I’m getting excited about a supermarket!
Quality Foods specialises in Asian foods – and large quantities! If you want to buy in bulk you can get 20kg of Basmati rice for £22.99, or purchase 20kg of mango chutney. The beauty of the shop for me, though, is that you get fresh, ripe fruits and vegetables which actually have some flavour. It’s a bonus that you can get real bargains too. You will find vegetables you’ve never seen before and sweets that set your teeth on edge.
After depositing our shopping in the car, we then went to explore the shops in The Broadway. There’s an abundance of ladies clothes shops there with intricately designed clothing and blingy shoes – unfortunately none of them would allow me to take photos as they guard their designs fiercely. If you’re going to a wedding, it would be worth checking these out.
We finished our trip with a cup of masala chai in one of the cafes, and I felt like I’d been on holiday.