Thai memories at Rosa's Spitalfields, Mango Tree and Yelo Canteen

Mango Tree

I used to have two friends, being a couple who lived around Victoria. I try to catch up with them as much as I can whenever there is an opportunity. One time, we decided to catch up at their turf and found ourselves at Mango Tree.

A group of us met up and walked in around lunch time and we found ourselves to be the only diners there. Now, Mango Tree is really huge with numerous tables and when you find yourselves to be the only table there in such a vast space, it does lend an uncomfortable silence of you-can-hear-a-pin-drop vibe to the place. In fact, we only saw one other occupied table throughout our meal there.

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@Siam, Soho: Be adventurous and choose the unexpected

Having tried a few Thai places in London, I haven’t been too impressed. With that, I have to confess that Thai cuisine has not been one that frequently crosses my mind when choosing where to eat.

That changed when The Skinny Bib did a review of a few Thai places in London. The ONE that caught my eye was @Siam. It did finally take a good few months after before I finally managed to make my way there.

First thing we said to the waiter when he gave us the menu was to recommend to us the more unique/traditional/authentic Thai dishes. If that fails, I usually go with ‘What is your favourite?’

With that, we managed to order a few starters and mains.

My Thai Ice Tea arrived first of course which on first sip tasted similar to HK style milk tea. There were hint of sweetness without being overly so followed by a mid-strength tannin taste. I like this drink.

Sai Uoa £8.95

The first starter to arrive was the Sai Uoa which is a Grilled Northern Thai mixed herb traditional pork sausage. I don’t know if it usually is THAT spicy but these were SPICY! Am starting to wonder in my head if I should perhaps have not said to the waiter that we wanted hot dishes!

The sausages were juicy with the flavours well balanced. As much as this was burning my mouth, I couldn’t stop myself as the more I ate, the more I wanted to eat.

Som Tum Pon La Mai Ruam £7.5

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Busaba Eathai: Another good pick

Shopping around Bond Street station is fun but finding a place for a bite can be a little harder. Especially when you're looking for something that won't leave a mark on the wallet.

Luckily for me, London-Eating came to my rescue and recommended me a place. Nestled discreetly at the back of Selfridges comes a saviour, Busaba Eathai. Busaba doesn't take reservations, which can be bad but good for random shoppers who fancy taking a break.

I've been coming here occasionally and I like it. Good food at reasonable prices, just don't expect authenticity with all their dishes.

Here are a few of what I've tried.

Pandan chicken with garlic and coriander root wrapped in pandan leaf £5.5

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Washington Eats 2: The Truly Express at Chinatown Express & a Thai Place

I always try to visit the Chinatown of any place that I go to. I mean I love eating all cuisines and always make it a point to try the local cuisine. I am not one of those who must have my rice regardless. I guess it is just something comforting when in a foreign land.

So I found myself in Washington's Chinatown one evening. It is quite a small place and choices of eateries are quite dismal. My friend, Mili came to the rescue and suggested Chinatown Express which was where I dutifully went.

Think kopi-tiam style setting, it was a huge place actually as the restaurant occupies two rooms. You have two ladies making the dumplings at the entrance and you are greeted by posters posted everywhere of a picture of the chef making his own handmade noodles. Now it would have been crazy if I don't go for the handmade noodles.

I ordered a seafood noodle soup and couldn't resist a portion of Xiao Long Bao as well.

Now, from the point when I placed my order to when both dishes arrived, I swear that it could not have been more than 5 minutes. So if you take out 1 minute for the waiter to walk to the kitchen and hand in my order, the food arrived in less than 4 minutes. Seriously, this is truly the most express of express. Even the whole process of making instant noodles take longer than that.

Xiao Long Bao $5.95

First to arrive were the XLB. Oh no!! You can't make good XLB in that short a time. I knew even just looking at it. This were pre-made and left to be steamed for goodness how long and just waiting for someone to order so that it can be served.

The dough was too thick and dry from oversteaming. I feel like I'm eating cardboard skin. Any soup or broth has long since evaporated, the only tiny saving grace was the meat which were still edible. In the end, I took out all the meat to have with my noodle soup and left the skin out.

Seafood Noodle Soup $6.50

Moving on to the seafood noodle soup. This had the opposite fate. Soft without being floury, with the noodles swimming in a simple light soup base. You know that these are handmade noodles and you can tell that it is fresh. I really enjoyed the noodles.

So if you find yourself in Chinatown Express in Washington, stick to the handmade noodles!

Chinatown Express, 746 6th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

Thai Place is located within the George Washington University vicinity and a mere few minutes walk from Foggy Bottom station. This is the nearest station to the Lincoln Memorial which was where I wanted to go.

Before I start the 6 blocks walk, it was time for some lunch and I chose this student haunt.

Siam Steak - slices of marinated beef with chef's special sauce stir-fried, topped with ginger and scallions $15

The food came out really nicely presented which was a bit of a surprise The chef's special sauce is spicy and the ginger only further heighten the spiciness. I would describe the meal as good and tasty.

Thai Place, 2134 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Foggy Bottom/West End, Washington, DC 20037

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Washington Eats: Transport back to the 50s era & beyond

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