It’s always been one of my firmly held convictions that you can’t get decent Thai food in London. I say this as someone who once waitressed (on reflection, quite badly) in a very good Thai restaurant in Australia. The Bangkok-born chef made sure the kitchen staff only prepared half a recipe so they would come back to buy the food rather than re-creating it at home, and his wife got away with paying 30 bucks a night, no matter how late you worked, by providing a staff meal at the end of the night. Quite frankly I would have worked for free.
Years ago I even went out with a bloke I met in a bar in Camden because he claimed to know of a good Thai restaurant in London. And it turned out he was right – he took me to Sing Buri in Leytonstone, we had very good Thai, and that was that. I’ve been back a couple of times, but the first time we got completely lost and it was full so we ended up at the not-so-good Thai restaurant down the road, and the second time we got completely lost and ended up almost missing our two-hour window to eat, and hell will freeze over before I attempt a third visit with a screaming infant thrown into proceedings.
But as it turns out I might not have to, because there is now a Thai food stall, Moraes of Manna, at the London Fields Primary School Saturday Market (a kind of spillover to Broadway Market; there’s also a farmers’ market on Sundays from 10-2). I had a green chicken curry, but they also do summer salads, chargrilled pork skewers with tamarind sauce, red tofu curry and sticky rice with bananas and taro. And it was really, really good. They are there tomorrow and I would recommend a visit.
Agree, I’m STILL looking for a proper blow-yr-socks of Thai place – we are spoilt for Vietnamese but I’ve never been that impressed by Thai food, primarily I’m sure because I’ve never had the good stuff. Will check out the Leyton one.
On another note, where is good Mexican in London, I’ve never had any at all…
Weird you should say that, next to the Thai stall is a Mexican one; also really good. Was going to write up what I had there too but didn’t want to sound like a pig. It was great though – check out both (and Singburi in Leytonstone is v. good, just a bit of a hike)
Agree on overall mediocrity of Thai in London. People rave about Number One Cafe http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/jun/28/foodanddrink.shopping3 but to me it isn’t all that. I live near Leytonstone and have long meant to check out Singburi, now I definitely will and the stall too.
My favorite Mexican in London nowadays: Mestizo. Wahaca’s pretty good too.
I used to go to the Number One cafe a lot for work lunches… it’s pretty good, but not mindblowing. Singburi is roughly equivalent, but worth a visit. You do need to book though. Will have a look at Mestizo, have been meaning to try Wahaca for ages… thanks!