Last night we went for dinner at one of my favourite local restaurants, YumYum. I actually live in the ignominious Clapton, famed for its fried chicken and gun crime, but luckily Stokey is only a 20 minute walk away. YumYum’s is a great, if not slightly over-priced, Thai restaurant on the high street. Despite being more expensive than its local counterparts, the food really is fantastic. We started with chicken & prawn on toast and duck spring rolls, which were delicious. Both tasted as though they had been freshly cooked and had very distinctive flavours. I often find fried food ends up with the same, slightly prawny, taste – regardless of the ingredients.
For the main we shared kang peneng, a mild beef and peanut curry with coconut milk and green curry with prawns. The thinly sliced beef was in a rich sauce, other than lacking any vegetables, I really couldn’t fault it. The green curry included the traditional aubergines, bamboo and basil leaves which I love, but there were only 5 prawns which seemed a little mean when you’re paying £9.50 for the curry alone. Whilst I don't mind paying over the odds for good quality ingredients, I did gawp at the £5 we paid for a bowl of plain steamed rice. To my mind, that’s an inexcusably extortionate price for something we all know costs a few pennies when cooked at home.
The service was friendly and attentive, although we didn’t arrive until almost 10, when most other customers had finished their meals. The building itself is a Georgian listed property, which has been beautifully restored with an autentic feel to it, complete with traditional Thai seating. Even though we arrived late on a Wednesday night the atmosphere was lively, with a particularly raucous crowd in one of the private areas.
Having spent only 6 days in Thailand (the result of alcohol mixed with scooters) I can’t comment on the authenticity of the food, but if you enjoy a slightly anglicised version of Thai cuisine then it’s definitely worth a try.
Duck spring rolls:
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