I was looking forward to taking Lindsey to the La Tasca restaurant, in South Charlotte Street, last night for a meal. I made the booking online at the La Tasca website
Online booking
And I had found out about discounts at La Tasca via an online voucher service which would give us 50% discount.
Discount voucher, when downloaded and completed
However, we got there only to find the following notice on the door.
Notice on the door
Well – the place was in semi-darkness, lit only by some candles, and an apologetic manageress explained that all bookings had been cancelled. Had I given my mobile contact number, instead of my house phone number, I might have been informed on the way to the restaurant, and I should point out that there was a message on the answerphone when we arrived home later. The manageress also explained that the other La Tasca outlet in the Omni Centre was fully booked until 9pm. What a disappointment.
Instead, we wandered around until we came across the Muang Thai restaurant, in Hanover Street, where there were some empty tables.
I thought I’d be writing about a tapas meal, but it turned out to be a Thai meal, and without the discount. Muang Thai is centrally located. The decor consists of wooden panels and occasional oriental wall-carvings, with tables separated by wooden balustrades. As can be seen from the Muang Thai website, this helps to create a fairly attractive ambience. The background music was neither Thai nor too intrusive. Service was attentive.
For a starter, I chose Pak Shup Pang Tohd (vegetable tempura), which was cooked to perfection, with a range of crunchy textures. Less impressive was the sweet sauce dip, which I reckon had come from a jar.
Vegetable tempura
For her starter, Lindsey had Jum Jeim Soup with chicken. This proved to have an unusual but much appreciated taste of coriander root and limejuice, with a hint of basil and fresh Coriander. Lindseys’ hot sauce also tasted as though it had come from a jar.
Jum Jeim soup
As can be seen, most food is served in brass dishes.
My main was Pork Yang, and Lindsey chose Beancurd Panang. Yang Dish is described in the menu as a traditional grilled dish of marinated meat in oriental spices and ground black pepper which is then cooked over hot charcoals and served on a sizzling platter with a side portion of grilled vegetables garnished with fresh coriander and served with special “Muang Thai” dips. It was as mouth-watering as it sounds, and let down only by the dips, which were the same as we’d had with the starters, along with some very salty soy sauce. Lindsey’s Beancurd Panang came with a coconut milk and lime sauce, which was delicious. To accompany the main course, Lindsey ordered jasmine rice, and I chose what turned out to be a slightly skimpy amount of plain white noodles.
Pork Yang
Total bill, which included three Singhas, was £46.58
Like this:
Like Loading...
