Last week I told you about Dinings Restaurant and how it was London’s best kept secret because it didn’t have a website blah blah. This goes to show that I don’t know what I’m talking about and you should never, under any circumstances, listen to me because Dinings, they do have a website.
So if you can please do me a favour and pretend that I never said anything about “best kept secret” and that right this moment, I’m saying it for the first time:
Siam Central: London’s Best Kept Secret.
For realz.
I did my homework this time and googled Siam-Central-London-Restaurant-Thai-Food-Website in every combination and permutation you can imagine and nothing came up. I’m 99.9% certain they don’t have a website but hey, if anyone finds one, please do share because trust me, they deserve the recognition.
The fact that they are my “local” has nothing to do with anything. Living in the West End, we’re surrounded by numerous and sundry restaurants, a significant number of them Thai. There’s Thai Metro (bland), Busaba Eathai (no desserts!) and even Soho Thai, which I thought was ok. But nothing actually comes close to Siam Central ~ not in taste, price and consistent delivery of a brilliant product.
Siam Central also has a unique “Thai tapas” menu ~ a collection of small dishes to share, including tamarind duck (topped with tamarind and palm sugar), flash fried tofu (with fried slices of garlic) and chicken & prawn toast (pictured below).
Other interesting tapas style dishes include weeping tiger (seasoned beef sirloin with soy chilli sauce), spiced salted squid and Singha beer battered seafood.
Mains at Siam Central are more traditionally Thai ~ we shared a pineapple fried rice, duck panang curry, chicken pad thai and a chilli & basil stir fry with beef.
One word I can think of to describe their food is flavoursome, because that’s what it is – nothing is ever bland and everything is infused so beautifully with herbs and spices that you just breathe in the goodness before diving in for a full mouthful that doesn’t. ever. disappoint.
Another great thing about Siam Central is their choice of desserts, from fried ice cream to coconut crepes (pandan crepes filled with dessicated coconut), chilled mango mousse and even fresh mango with sticky rice when the season allows (ie not right now in this never ending winter we’re having).
I always order the coconut crepes because my tastebuds dictate me to. I do have to admit though, a couple of times they’ve cooked the crepe a touch too long so it’s almost crispy (bad) but done right, this is one of those desserts that make you feel like you’re sitting by the street side at Patong Beach, slurping up deathly hot tom yum soup, and cooling your flaming mouth on the local sweets.
Anyway no website – tick. No PR to speak of – tick. But a queue every weekend night? Surely people who know know, and we’re onto a good thing. Make sure you make a reservation if you plan to dropping by, especially on a weekend.
And enjoy!
ps. I’m also a fan of Thai 33, down by Old Bailey.
Siam Central
14 Charlotte Street
London, W1T 2LX
0207 436 7460
