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Rosa's

Rosa's
12 Hanbury Street
E1 6QR

Date of Last Visit: Friday, January 30th

The Victims: Jen, Julie, Justine

The Damage: £20ish each

The Background: Fridays. Love Fridays. Don't make enough of them often enough. I don't plan ahead for them often enough. This time, we did. Feathers and Matt and others were over at The Drunken Monkey (which I've eaten at, but never written about for some reason or another), but we couldn't get another table, so we decided instead to eat in the general vicinity and then head to The Drunken Monkey afterwards for cocktails.

The Entrance: Rosa's is pretty modern-looking, for a Thai place. Good soft pink lighting. The Barbara Walters kind. I'm the first to arrive and I start chatting with the two people next to me...they loved, loved, loved their food. So I'm excited to try everything.

The Starters: Thai calamari. (Good.) Summer rolls. (Summery.) Chicken satay. (OK.) All in all, I'm not wowed. But the food is good. And hey, it's cheap.

The Mains: Three of the four of us order Pad Se Eu. I think like the noodles are too soft. Overcooked. It's just okay, maybe even a little less than okay for me. I still prefer the Pad Se Eu at Thai Thai and Suchard (another place I've never written about) better. And nothing will top the Pad Se Eu I had at The Regent, Bangkok many years ago.

The Verdict: The food is really decently priced. The atmosphere is a notch above your standard Thai place. The food, for me, is just so-so.

Coconut Grove Cafe

Coconut Grove Cafe
226 St. Pauls Rd
London N1 2LJ
Tel: 020 7226 6544

Date of Last Visit: Sunday, October 19th, 2008

The Victims: Matt, Carolyn, Gerry, Ben, and two others whose names, sadly, escape me.

The Background: After a big day out at the Lewes Apple Fest, it was time for some dinner. Our train came back into Victoria, which made Highbury & Islington one of the easier places to get to...a straight shot on the Victoria Line.

Some of us were total dorks and whipped out Google maps to see what the closest restaurants to Highbury & Islington might be. Thai Corner Cafe popped up as highly recommended on one of the London restaurant guides we consulted, but upon arrival, we were told that they were fully booked. (Interesting for a Sunday! And true by the looks of it.) But they led us around the corner to Coconut Grove Cafe, a restaurant they apparently own as well.

The Starters: We split an order of spring rolls and prawn crackers to start. The spring rolls were just deep-fried bits of deep-friedness. Filling and delicious only because of the amount of cider we had consumed earlier.

The Mains: I opted for my old stand-by. Pad Se Eu with Chicken. It was okay. Missing something. Maybe more fish sauce? It needed a little bit more saltiness to it. It looked nice though. All the dishes looked really nice. If anything, they get points for presentation.

The Decor: Kinda cute. Very Thai. And it looks like they have a nice little garden when they weather is nice.

The Loos: In need of a deep clean.

The Verdict: Eh.

Patara

Patara
15 Greek Street
W1D 4DP
Tel: 020 7437 1071

Date of Last Visit: Saturday, August  10, 2008

The Victim: Anonymous Male

The Damage:  £22.50 each

The Background: I've got a lunch date. A date-date. And I've totally messed things up because I've got a few too many things going on, on, on. I need to have a leisurely and one-would-hope swooningly romantic lunch AND I need to be in Clerkenwell at 2:45. Nothing very romantic about clock-watching. Especially when you don't wear a watch. Or a clock.

I pick--nothing like letting the girl pick--Patara because K&A used to rave about it. It's Thai and I like Thai. A lot.

Because of what I've done to myself, schedule-wise, I suggest 12:15 p.m., knowing painfully that no true English man eats Lunch at 12:15. You wait until the little hand has reached 1 p.m. now don't you?

I'm there at 12:08. He's there at 12:11. We are the first people in the restaurant. He notes that it's damn early for lunch. I apologize.

The Service: They're quiet and friendly and NICE. Really nice.

The Ambiance: K&A have suggested well. There's something restful about Patara. It's darkly romantic. Part of me wants to suggest they open a spa.

The Food: Spicy tofu to start for me and it IS spicy. And nice. BUT they've cut the tofu cubes into quarters of cubes and they seem dry and, well, OLD. It's nice, but. I order the pad thai as my main--described on the English menu as noodles and prawns. They get points for presentation because really, it was a lovely looking dish when it arrived. I wanted to take a photo but I wasn't ready to reveal my blogging alter-ego just yet. Hopefully he hasn't Google'd or Facebook'd me. I enjoyed my main.

The Verdict: I like Patara. I'd go back. With him? Now wouldn't you like to know...

Thai: Isarn

Isarn
119 Upper Street
N1 1QP
Tel: 020 7424 5153

Date of Last Visit: Sunday, June 15

The Victim: Me

The Damage: £9

The Background: If you haven't noticed, I have no problems dining alone. So it was that I found myself wandering up Upper Street the other Sunday and stopping in front of Isarn just as my stomach was starting to talk. I've been intrigued by Isarn for quite some time, but for some reason or another, I've never stopped in. Isarn is owned by Alan Yau's sister, Alan of Hakkasan and Yauatcha, his sister of I don't know where.

The Entrance: I kinda dig Isarn's decor. I alternatively hate and love the chairs, which are covered with some sort of mottled cow. The service is prompt enough and sweet enough.

The Food:They've got a lunch special, so I stick with that--a green chicken curry with some sort of fish cakes and a slice of fruit. The fish cakes are rubbery and awful, frankly. The green curry is nice, but there's just not enough of it. (Although for the price--£5.90--perhaps there was just enough of it.) The slice of watermelon is a nice touch.

What I liked most was my lychee tea, not a bargain at £2.50 but very prettily presented, unique and interesting. 

The Verdict: I prefer the food at the Thai place up the street. But I do like the feel of Isarn.

Thai: Rabieng

Rabieng
143 Upper Street
N1 1QY
Tel: 020 7226 2014

Date of Last Visit: Sunday, April 12

The Victim: Me, myself, and I

The Damage: £10.00

The Background: Today is the Thai New Year. I only know this because I thought about eating at Isarn, but they were closed for the Thai New Year. And I thought this was sad because I had just had a massage at Kobkun and I wish I had known it was the Thai New Year because I would have wished them a Happy New Year. They are the nicest people ever.

So I keep walking to the other Thai place that I know is on Upper Street. And there it is. Not so full. But not so empty either. Rabieng And they're having a special. Two courses for £6.95! Fantastic. I enter and it's so clean and neat and the servers are really sweet and they take my umbrella for me. (My umbrella is HUGE. Something I'm very happy about with all this freaking weather we've been having. HAIL???) There is a little candle on each table, and they bring me my own little pot of jasmine tea.

The Food: I get some dumplings of some sort, which are just okay. (Pork? Seafood? I think they've got everything in there.) I'm slightly suspicious that they came from a big vacuum pack with "Thai Warehouse" or something stamped on it. Better is the Pad Se Eu with Chicken. Is it the best I've had? No, not really. But it's pretty good. And at £6.95 for two courses, I'm super pleased.

The Verdict: I'll be back if I need a casual neighborhood place for lunch or dinner.

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Thai: Nid Ting

533 Holloway Road
N19 4BT
020 7263 0506

Hot Chip – The Warning

Date of Last Visit: Sunday, October 21

The Victim: Me

The Damage: £10

The Background: Sometimes, a gal just needs to get out of the house. I was tired of laundry, shopping, TV, blogging, my Blackberry, many things. A while back, I questioned the staff at Kobkhun Thai on the Essex Road about where they go for Thai food, the response was pretty unanimous: Nid Ting, on Holloway Road, across from the Petrol station. I've been storing this little nugget away for just the right day. This was it.

Nid Ting's location on Holloway Road is on a bit of a bleak stretch. There are fruit machines everywhere. I was a little curious about the last vestiges of a street market  I passed as I made my way down from Archway Tube, but not so curious as to stop and research.

The Entrance: They've JUST opened. There are many news clippings in the window. Charles Campion is staring back at me. The staff's children are in control of the restaurant when I enter, but they're sent to a back corner once I take my seat.

The Starter: They are dumplings of some sort. I am imagining gyoza/pot stickers, but what I get are big golf balls of pork and veggies. They are only okay. I am disappointed.

The Entree: I go for the Lad Na, which is my 2nd favorite Thai noodle dish after Pad Se Eu. It arrives and it is a soupy mess. I think there is some fake crab meat in there. I am not an expert on fake crab meat, so don't quote me. But it all just seems overly gloopy to me. And there's a surfeit of noodles. It's mostly gloop. And carrots. I am so disappointed.

The Departure: The staff wish me a warm farewell. They are very sweet. (And I like their outfits.) The loos could use a good powerwash. 

The Verdict: Not worth the trip for me. 

Thai: Pride of Siam

50 Exmouth Market
London, EC1R 4QE
Tel: 020 7833 3383

Date of Last Visit: Tuesday, July 31

The Victim: Me

The Damage: £10

The Background: I've just spent about 20 hours traveling. Let me go through the timings just to make sure I'm not lying. I hate it when people do that. A 7 (maybe 8) hour flight from Chicago to London? That's nothing. I think you can leave your pajamas at home, sweetheart.

Monday, 10 a.m. Cabo Time/5 p.m. London Time: Leave hotel to return rental car, go to airport
Monday, 2 p.m Cabo/9 p.m. London Time.: Leave Cabo for LAX
Monday, 6 p.m. LA time/Tuesday, 2 a.m. London Time: Leave LAX for London
Tuesday, after 2 p.m. London time, but before 3 p.m.: Arrive back at flat in London.

OK, so 21 hours traveling. Yeah, I'm beat. But I'm also not going to bed until midnight. I want to sleep the night through.

So I have this idea--I'll go up to Nid Ting by Archway, the Thai place that the staff at Kobkun Thai recommends. Now there's a field trip! That will soak up some time. (Kobkun Thai, btw, is the massage place on the Essex Road, north of Islington Green. It's great, but I'm constantly worried it will go out of business. Please go there.)

But you know...I can't make it to Nid Ting. I am SOOO tired. I leave my apartment and find that I can barely walk straight. But I still want some Thai food. So I slowly and carefully shuffle over to Pride of Siam in Exmouth Market. I've had stuff delivered from there, but have never actually been.

After dropping an unexpected amount at Bagman & Robin (for the cutest purse ever), I hop on over to Pride of Siam. (Shopping...I am suddently so energized!) The restaurant has just opened. I ask for a table for one, and the woman motions to me to take a seat. It's a "come on in, take any seat" type of motion. So I take one with a view of the street. (Sort of--there'a  big truck blocking most of the view.) The only problem? It's a table for four.

And I am SO not allowed to sit there. The woman comes over and tells me to move.

Again, I do my internal math. It's 6 p.m. on the dot. They've just opened. No one else is coming out to eat until 7 at least--and it's a Wednesday, so it will be a sparse crowd at best. And it's a Thai restaurant and not a particularly popular one and that. And I, as a single diner, will be done in 45 minutes.

But apparently, I can't sit here because customers are going to be beating down their doors any second now and they will demand this very table.

Right.

So I am peeved. But I say nothing and retreat to a less scenic two-top in the corner.

Would they do this to Giles? Is it me?

The Food: I order some dumplings and the Pad Se Eu with Chicken. The dumplings are not very flavorful. In fact, they are quite bland. The pad se eu is acceptable, but I've had better. And Pride of Siam has made me so very cranky that the only way they can make me happy is to give me free food. 

The Service: The older woman who wouldn't let me sit down spends a lot of time leaving and re-entering the restaurant, like she's on a mission. An overly self-important mission. My young server is very sweet.

The Verdict: Eh.

Neighborhood Thai: Thai Thai

Thai Thai East Central
110 Old Street
EC1V 9BD
Tel: 0871 4263053

Date of Last Visit: Saturday, May 13th, 2006

The Victim: Dear Old Dad

Dad and I had had a long day. We were hungry. I took him to Fish Central, but then a fight broke out in front of the restaurant (not good for the former NY city police officer) and all the waitstaff and patrons got distracted and no one would take our order. We were highly annoyed and walked out.

So the closest option from there was Thai Thai. I've only ever experienced Thai Thai as a take-away, so sitting down was a nice change.

Of course,my father being the man he is, noticed that the wait staff didn't look very Thai. Turns out they were from Bangladesh. This made my father a bit perturbed, but I always say that you never know anyone's story, so maybe they grew up in Thailand or something. Adopted children of wealthy Thai-restaurant-dynasty-families? Hey, it could happen.

Our server recommended the mussels and they were FANTASTIC. Chili and lime and all types of good stuff. They were huge too. Mussels must be in season?

After that, I went with the seabass because after eating two fish a day in Tunisia, I was missing my fix. It was perfectly cooked and deboned--always a nice touch. Dad got chicken and veggies, which didn't look too exciting, but he seemed to like it. Yes, I managed to steer clear of the Pad Se Eu, only my most favorite Thai dish. It was hard, but I managed.

Decor is very Thai, and Buddha is everywhere.

The Verdict: A good local eat-in Thai place.

A Steal: The Steele

97 Haverstock Hill
NW3 4RL
Tel: 020 7483 1261

Date of Last Visit: Sunday, April 30th

The Victim: Myself. And Julie.

The Damage: Julie paid!

It was my birthday. Yes. My day. Suffice it to say, I spent most of my day celebrating someone else's day, which is so not so fun when it's YOUR day and no one remembers that. So I was anxious. And in need of a little celebrating.

Julie suggested a couple of places in her neighborhood, so after jump-starting the world's lowest mileage 3-year-old Audi convertible, we eventually met up at 8 on Haverstock Hill.

Our first choice, The Hill, was packed. So we headed to The Steele instead.

I have just two words: Mixed crowd.

Loved it. The young, the old, the dirty, the clean. They were all there. And so were we.

I have a new theory about bars with Thai restaurants. They're associated with the Thai mafia. I betcha that there's a guy out there selling Thai cooks all over London. The bar gets food, the dude gets 60% of the profit. A good deal.

I ordered my standard: Pad Se Eu. LOVED IT. It was honestly very delicious. My expectations were so, so low. But it was very, very oh so very good. Despite my ban on carbs, I ate it all. Every last bit.

I hate bars that tell me to be wary of my personal belongings. So that's a big minus about The Steele. But we were tucked in a corner and no one stole anything, so we were fine.

The Verdict: Supposedly, Sadie Frost hangs out here. I wouldn't bring my parents here, but given their lovely outdoor garden and delicious Thai cuisine, I can see some field trips in my future.

Affordable Thai: Thai Silk

103-105 Waterloo Road
SE1 8UL
Tel: 0207 633 9886

Date of Last Visit: Friday, April 21, 2006

The Victims: Al, Louise, and Al's brother Dave

The Damage: 18 quid each with drinks.

Al & Louise invited me out to the National Theatre to see a play they couldn't remember the name of, and they didn't know whether it would be good or bad. But we did know that we were in the 1st row; I have this problem were I can only pay attention at plays when I'm in the first few rows, so this was a good thing. (I think I read one too many Richard Scary books as a child, and am thus obsessed with analyzing the details, which you can't see from the balcony.)

Game for an adventure, I said yes to their kind invitation, and they suggested pre-theatre dinner at Thai Silk, right across from Waterloo station.

Thai Silk is so super-convenient to Waterloo that I almost didn't see it. It's seriously right across the street from the main Tube station exit.

The plan was to meet at 5:45; Thai Silk has a set menu for 7.95 per person from 5 to 7--minimum of two people. We went for that and got pretty much everything on the menu except for the pork.

Our starters were tasty because they were super deep-fried. As in fishcakes and spring rolls  and undefined deep-fried substance. Heart attack. But delicious nonetheless.

The mains were copious...there was monk fish in curry sauce, chicken in curry sauce, beef in some sort of sauce, and another type of beef. We had some yummy noodles and then the obligatory jasmine rice.

We were stupid and ordered wine by the glass instead of the bottle, so if you figure we each had two glasses of wine each, well, we wasted some money. This added much to our bill which should have otherwise been reasonable.

The Verdict: A good pre-National Theatre option. Not a destination, but a convenient and good-value choice. Watch your cholesterol and stay away from the wines by the glass.