New World

New World is the long-running Chinese takeaway in the small parade at The Oval, the 1930s suburban shopping centre at the heart of Blackfen that locals still call the village centre. The Oval was laid out as a circular green with shops on three sides when Blackfen was developed as an inter-war housing estate, and New World has held its corner unit there for years, working a steady evening trade from the surrounding residential streets running off Wellington Avenue and Sherwood Park.

The menu runs the British-Cantonese list: sweet-and-sour chicken or pork in batter, beef in black bean, salt-and-pepper ribs and chicken wings, chicken in lemon sauce, special chow mein, singapore fried rice, foo yung and a wide curry section, with set meals priced for two, three and four diners. The shop is closed on Mondays — a long-standing rest day reflected on its directory listings — and trades the rest of the week from late afternoon through to half-past eleven in the evening. Delivery covers central Blackfen, Lamorbey, the Oval shopping area and the residential streets running south towards Sidcup railway station. Collection orders are usually ready inside fifteen to twenty minutes, with cash and card accepted at the counter.