Market Grill

***Closed***

24/07/09

Market Grill is an endearing place, well that's if you can put up with the eclectic mix of diners in here; from the nice lady above to piss artists bartering and hassling the staff for a bacon roll. Most of the time this place attract a huge amount of bewildered souls, but the above average tasting food is extremely good value for money.

Panang chicken curry.
No surprises here, sweet and wimpy mild. Safe choice for lunch.

Glorious tea

Takeaway dinner of Singapore fried vermicelli

One mouthful and I can tell by the excessive sweetness of the whole thing was cooked by a Thai cook as opposed to a Chinese one. The right Sudan 1 colour is in evidence but the overall dish lacked any taste of curry powder and the usual inclusion of char siu meat was missing (...the pig concurred). Still all three items came to £9.20, I’m grateful.

18/05/09

Cup of tea and piping hot spicy chicken noodles

MG is thankfully back on form with this dish. Spicy hot and hugely yummy.
Lunch was only let down by some piss artists congregating outside the café shouting and slurring expletives at anyone and everyone. Still we are in a part of London that breeds colourful characters like me them!

Take away of Pad Thai Pork
Sweet tasting as it should be, Thais usually include sugar (in fact tons of it ) instead of MSG in their cooking. The only ingredient that lacked was the peanuts. Good and cheap dinner. Lunch and dinner came to £9.75.

27/02/09

Off day at MG today, perhaps it was too packed. Will forgive this time around.

Tap's Satay Chicken and Fried Rice- the rice was poor as was the over sweet chicken.

My Fried Fish Curry- fish was not fresh and curry too mild!

Scroll down for more pics.

Church Street Market off Edgware Road is hardly a destination raison d'être. It lacks loveliness and to be honest, it has that certain kind of abandonment about it. Church Street Market lacks the prestige of Borough Market, the charismatic buzz of Camden Market and the incredible colour of Whitechapel Market; it somewhat sits on its own misoneism.

Market Grill is an establishment that fits in with Church Street like a perfect prop- the market needs a greasy spoon and the caff needs the requisite punters. As the photo suggests, the National Trust will never acquire the premises for the nation; the historic or artistic interest must have disappeared altogether as soon as the whole block was erected. The interior is in short, grim. The lighting is illuminated by low wattage non energy-saving bulbs, the further back you venture into the room the more vampire friendly it becomes.

I’m also sorry to report that the majority of the regulars who frequent here are not exactly the happiest looking bunch, but then again yours truly has been described as a miserable git.



Market Grill is a Thai English Café, which means on the same table Del Boy Trotter can have his egg and chips while Ken Hom slurps his noodles simultaneously without any conflict.

Service doesn’t really exist here, you go up to the counter, pay and order what you want from the blackboard. Settle yourself down to one of the greasy tables (yes they so are) and your dinner arrives in no time. None of the Thai inspired one-dish meals cost more than a fiver, and believe me they are delicious and huge.

Tom Yam Prawn Noodle Soup

Seafood Special Egg Fried Rice

Tom Kha Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Satay and Egg Fried Rice

The mandatory Builder's Cuppa

I think that the moral of this review is there’s always a jewel hidden in a hole.

My previous review at Trusted Places.

Certain places have a distinct allergy to dishing out receipts, Market Grill is one of them.

55 Church Street
London NW8 8EU

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Maybe I was wong about the diners after all, it’s actually me who’s the abject sod.

As of 22/01/09-

Pla Sam Rod (Cod in Spicy, Sweet and Sour Sauce)







This should read Pad Thai Pork, that grotty thing above is my receipt(!).

£4.60 for the Cod and Rice, £4.50 for the Noodles (my dinner for tonight just in case insinuations start to sprout about) and 60 measly pence for a can of Coke. Peeps, I digress...

06/02/09

Smaller than my previous cup, but still at 50p one can't complain!

Spicy seafood fried noodles- £4.60. Slightly off par today, not that brill.