Once upon a time, Silk Road was the best and worst-kept secret in south London. Groups of friends flooded into this semi-dingy Chinese spot in Camberwell to slurp big plate chicken and devour cumin lamb skewers. It was the gateway restaurant to Xinjiang cuisine for lots of people. Now, it feels a bit different. The bright red exterior is gone, the wooden tables and benches have gone to the dump, and in its place, a big, airy room of Muji-ish tranquillity has been created. These days, every seat at Silk Road has a back, but the crowd is still comfortingly eclectic. You can just as easily roll up here for a little Wednesday night date as you can pile in for a skewer-happy birthday. The food, although a little more expensive than it once was, still hits many marks and remains great-value. The hand-pulled noodles are bouncy and the cumin skewers as moreish as ever. Not every dish has a punch, but when things do land, like with the hot and sour-style vinegar cabbage, or a £10 bowl of chewy lamb noodles with a spoon of exuberant chilli oil, we're reminded why Silk Road is such a classic.