A recent dinner with friends meant finding a restaurant in central London where we'd actually be able to get a table without queuing for hours, so we decided to head to
East Street on Rathbone Place. The restaurant is set up along the same lines as Wagamama; one large room with long tables to share with your fellow diners, decorated to give it the feel of an Asian marketplace. The menu is packed with dishes from around Asia; Korean kimchi, Japanese Yaki Udon, Vietnamese Pho and Indonesian Nasi Goreng amongst others.
Whilst we read through the extensive menu we ordered some small plates to share. My favourite dish was the pork gyoza; delicious little parcels of herby minced pork, wrapped in soft dumpling dough and fried until crisp. They were served with a dark soy dip, which was perfect with the sweetness of the pork. The light and crispy sweet corn fritters were also excellent, the subtle peanut and cucumber dip that accompanied them didn't overpower the delicate flavour of the corn. Sesame prawn skewers with lime were nice, but not particularly exciting.
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| Sweet corn Fritters |
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| Sesame Prawn Skewers |
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| Minced Pork Gyoza |
After A LOT of deliberation I chose Changmai Noodles; egg noodles topped with a Thai curry sauce, chicken and crispy shallots with plenty of lime squeezed on top. A simple but tasty dish, it would have been nice to have a little more heat, but they provide chilli sauce so you can add a spicy hit to your food if you fancy it. Singapore Noodles and Som Tam salad were also a hit.
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| Singapore Noodles |
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| Changmai Noodles |
Overall I really enjoyed my evening at East Street. The service was speedy and friendly, cocktails were standard but reasonably cheap and the food was surprisingly good. Whilst you're unlikely to get an incredibly authentic food experience, it's reasonably priced (around £7-9 for a main course, they also offer a 20% student discount) and conveniently located for a quick bite after work with friends.
