Thai Garden Cafe – best som tum in London!
It is fitting for the first restaurant review, that it is about a hidden gem discovered opposite the British Museum. When Mrs NMFS and I first discovered it, it was disappointingly empty during our first few visits but of late it has become busier.
Thai food is all about balance. The balance between sweet, salty, sour and heat. The Thai Garden Cafe achieves that balance with so many of its dishes. The stars of the show are the divine som tum goong sod (papaya salad) and the yummy salmon nam ma kham (tamarind sauce).
Thai Garden Cafe looks very unassuming from the outside and despites its location next to a crowded tourist spot, is not as busy as the greasy cafes and creperies also found on Museum Street.
The decor is very pleasant though with cafe style tables at the front leading to a more formal dining area at the back.
Pride in its Thai heritage is seen throughout its decoration with traditional Thai pictures.
The separation in the dining areas can be misleading as from the outside the restaurant can appear to be deserted which if you have not been to a restaurant can be a bad sign. In this instance though, appearances are very much misleading.
The menu is extensive, without being complicated and focuses solely on traditional Thai dishes.
We started with a refreshing but sweet Thai iced tea (although without the ice!). I love the cloudiness when adding the accompanying coconut milk.
The po pia tod (deep fried spring rolls) (£4.25) were tasty appetizers served with a sweet chilli dipping sauce. They were not oily and the mixed vegetables and glass noodles were not overly seasoned. These are not the standard frozen spring rolls that can be lazily served up at times.
We had the pad kee mau with prawns (£7.50) as an alternative to our usual pad thai and we were pleasantly surprised. The basil and chilli combined very well with the rice noodles. Thai basil is such a nice herb but is so hard to find in London it seems.
We moved next to the stars of the show – the tamarind salmon and papaya salad! The salmon nam ma kham (£8.95) is my favourite as it reminds me of tukka, a tamarind jam served up at Mauritian weddings. The salmon is crispy on the outside but moist on the inside. Covered in the lovely thick, sweet and tangy tamarind sauce with a hint of heat. With the first bite it makes your mouth water but in truth my mouth now water in anticipation. The dish tastes that good. The sauce should not be too runny or too thick and not too sweet. You can tell that it is prepared fresh and does not come out of a jar. It is so good that we guard the serving plate to be able to lick all of the remaining sauce!
Next on to what is a good test for any Thai restaurant, the som tum goong sod (£7.95). If an establishment claims to be Thai but does not serve this up then it probably is not a good Thai restaurant. If it serves up good som tum then it probably will serve up good Thai food as it understands and can execute the balance vital to Thai food. Mrs NMFS introduced me to the joys of good som tum whilst in Sydney. We spent months hunting down a good source in London and struck gold with the Thai Garden Cafe.
Accompanied with sticky rice, the som tum should taste like heaven. More often than not, we are served up heaven in a salad with this dish. It is a simple recipe but everything has to be balanced correctly. Miss out the peanuts and cashew nuts for example, and it does not hit the mark.
It is served up very hot in Thailand, so if you prefer something with less heat, ask for only half a chilli to be added. The eating experience does not end when we have gobbled up the sticky rice, papaya, carrots, prawns or cherry tomatoes. The best bit is the sauce that is left in the bowl at the end. A seasoned som tum eater will be able to look at the colour to realise whether you have liquid gold or not. It can be enjoyed and relished on its own. Savouring each spoonful and allowing it to rest on your tongue before swallowing. Again the bowl is guarded well until every lost drop is finished.
The dessert menu is refreshing and they do the dishes well. We tried the
Kao Niao Sung Khaya (£4.50). The coconut custard is wonderfully rich and sweet and the sticky rice provides a great balance with its subtle sweetness. Again, the small attention to details elevate this dish. The sesame seeds and crystallised egg give another taste for you to enjoy. It is a light dessert which is refreshing after such a mix of sweet, salty and hot flavours.
The Thai Garden Cafe is a hidden gem even though it sits so close to one of London’s busiest attractions, the British Museum.
If you come across it and want to try the best som tum in London, pop in even if it looks empty. You may well see Mrs NMFS and Cheeky Chops sitting in the corner together licking the plates clean with contented looks on our faces!
So, how would you test a good Thai restaurant?
