Cuisine: Thai, Chain
★ ★ ★
Food ordered [03/21/12]:
- som tam (green papaya salad with dried shrimp and cherry tomato) £6.90
- sen chan pad thai (rice noodle with prawn, peanut, egg, green mango and crabmeat) £9.10
- red beef curry (with lychee, parsnip, lime leaf and chilli) £9.90
- coconut rice £2.90
I had never been to this restaurant before and dined with my mother.
The restaurant’s decor was surprisingly nice for a chain restaurant. Small details like candles floating in what looked like a small river by the front entrance and interesting wood paneling on the walls really made a difference. The seating arrangements for the restaurant are a little bit unconventional. They have about six (it was a fairly large restaurant) big tables set throughout the room, each seating about a dozen people which you’re supposed to share with other diners. Not being a big fan of eating with people we don’t know, my mother and I chose to sit at the bar.
The servers were efficient and attentive if not that friendly— not in any way memorable. The food was better than I was expecting. Although not authentic by any means, I wasn’t expecting authenticity in a chain restaurant in London. The portions are quite small and meant for sharing which I usually prefer since you can order a greater variety of food although its not a format ideal for casual lunches.
The papaya salad was lightly spicy and very refreshing although there was little papaya in it. The pad thai was edible but did not stand out in any way. There was also little crabmeat and no discernible mango in the dish. The red curry was suitably flavoured though the meat not as tender as I’d have liked it. The dishes in general were rather light on the more unique ingredients which I felt could have made them so much more successful had they been more prominently featured. All in all, the food was a decent interpretation of Thai food as I know it and not awful value for money.
Som Tam.
Sen Chan Pad Thai.
Red beef curry and coconut rice.
Photographs: Me
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