Definitely Got Thai For That

The traditional London pub, an institution, and when you find a good local you hold onto it for dear life hoping that it doesn’t one day slip into a cocoon and completes metamorphosis into a Wetherspoons. Traditionally pubs are drinking establishments serving snacks such as Mr Porky pork scratching’s, Smiths crisps, KP peanuts and if you were lucky maybe a Fray Bentos steak and kidney pie alongside your warm pint of ale. The rise of the ‘Gastropub’ in the early 90’s saw public houses concentrating on the quality of food, and gave new strength to pub culture and British dining. Pubs are now dishing out Michelin starred quality food, and have been a breeding ground for talented chefs across the country. Not only has food become an important element in determining how one views their local, the rise of craft beer has seen people becoming more aware of beer and food matching, creating a whole new pub culture with people using traditional methods and culinary tastes to create a vast range of beers, appealing to the developing pallet of London’s millennials.

Being a Londoner and also an ex professional pint puller (I was a bar wench for most of my 20’s) knowing the best pubs for friendly meet ups and gossip catch ups is as important as knowing where your local corner shop is for that emergency pint of milk. One of my favourite haunts to visit especially on a cold winters night is The Kings Arms on Roupell Street. A quintessential real ale London pub located on one of the most historic back streets of London.

Roupell street is like walking onto a film set, a picturesque Georgian terrace in the heart of Waterloo. This pub is always bustling, serving constantly changing real ales. I like to order a pint of whatever is on the pumps, and curl up by the fire with a friend and put the world to rights. The little snug round the side of the bar is cosy and instantly gives you a feeling of warmth and homeliness. When one imagines a traditional London pub The Kings Arms perfectly fits that picture of expectation. Owned by The Windmill Tavern Group, this family run pub does not feel like one of those large chain establishments, and brings up feelings of nostalgia to a time where the public house was the meeting place of the community.

In the back room you will find a farmhouse style dining area with a collection of vintage treasures strewn across the walls, and old pans hanging from the ceiling. Here is where you will find Kanchana’s Kitchen, a phenomenal little Thai secret. Now please do not think that The Kings Arms has taken traditional British pub food and put a Thai fusion spin on it. Kanchana’s Kitchen is cooking up traditional Thai food in a very British setting. I love a good Thai, the balance of flavours and freshness of the herbs and spices used has always made my palate zing. When I came across Kanchana’s Kitchen years back, it became one of my go to little spots for my chilli addiction, which I completely need to control.

They serve a mean green curry that is a balance of salty, with a cut of acid and slowly creeping heat from the spices. I would suggest if you are going here to eat you wear elasticated trousers because there is no point even setting foot in the back room if you’re not going to have a minimum of 5 plates of food, just saying. I always like to start with a pre-starter here of Khow Kiep, its sort of the locker room pep talk for my tummy. I like it to be prepared for what’s to come especially when I know it’s going to be a knockout meal. I always like a basket of these Thai-style prawn crackers for the table especially when it is accompanied by sweet chilli, and if you are anything like me and have been saving yourself all day for 10 plates of food, than these take the ravenous feelings down to a manageable level.

For starters I would suggest getting Tod Mun Pla – the spicy fish cakes which are also served with sweet chilli sauce (YES!!) They are small little patties of fish, flavoured with garlic, ginger, lemongrass and chilli and give you all the aromatics of punchy Thai food. I also like the Khanom Pang Na Goong – sesame prawn toast, I always order it whenever I see it on a menu. The first time I went out to the Chinese buffet as a pre-teen, I thought my choice of prawn toast on my plate was rather sophisticated and grown up. Now I order it because I really love prawn toast, and I think I can safely say most people love it. The prawn toast here isn’t too greasy, it’s nice and crisp and actually tastes of prawn.

(Mixed Platter with Chicken Satay, Vegetable Spring rolls, Spicy Thai Fish Cakes, Prawn Rolls and Vegetable Tempura served with sweet chilli and Satay Sauces)

Next it is time to choose your curry, I normally like to order at least 2 of the 3 options on the menu. Also all curries here are served with steamed rice and you can choose from chicken, beef, prawn or vegetable. If you are only going to order two curries one of those two options should be the Gaeng Kiew Wann – The Thai green curry I mentioned before. Cooked with coconut milk, a classic green curry paste with Thai basil leaves, lime leaves and bamboo. This curry has the perfect amount of spice. It’s a low mellow heat that’s not too overpowering. If you are a curry novice and not too fond of spicy food I would recommend ordering this, as it’s a good introduction to a well-rounded flavourful curry. The Gaeng Massamun is a medium spicy red curry this is for those who are number 3/4 on the curry scale and like a good punch of spice. A creeping heat that is cut by background notes of fish sauce follows this punch.

My favourite of the curry dishes is the Gaeng Panang, which is a spicy curry. I have a very serious chilli problem, the hotter the better for me, it is like I almost get a rush from the murmuring and numbness I get on my tongue when I get a good chilli kick in the mouth. The Panang curry is an original Thai Curry cooked in thick Thai gravy with coconut milk, peppers and lime leaves. What I most enjoy about this curry is although it is spicy – the heat does not kill the layers of flavours. Its salty and sweet notes sit on the back of the heat and you also get hints of shrimp paste. I like to get this curry with beef, I feel like it sits in the sauce well and is a strong enough meat to not be overpowered by the bold gravy.

Sometimes at this stage I would normally bow out and get the bill, I’ve pretty much hit my quota of maximum dishes intake for an evening, but sometimes I like the challenge of squeezing in a noodle dish. I am a great believer in always having a Pad Thai for the table, I think you can tell a lot about the quality of a Thai restaurant based on their pad Thai. I like Kanchana’s one, as it’s clean with the perfect amount of crunch from the peanuts, carrot, spring onion and bean sprouts. A good generous squeeze of lime over the top and you would just want to bathe in noodles for a quiet hour. I also really enjoy the Pas See iew here too, thick rice noodles with egg, mixed vegetables and soy sauce. The thick noodles have a really joyful glutinous texture to them, which also take the coating of the sauce beautifully. I really love the saltyness of this dish and I think it is a great accompaniment as a different texture and flavour alongside the curry dishes.

The Gaeng Ped roast duck curry is another good one to try under the house specials section of the menu. Generous chunks of duck cooked in Thai red curry with coconut milk. I enjoy the pop of the cherry tomatoes and sweetness of the pineapple against the spice of the red curry.

There are a couple of dishes I am still yet to try which I am craving for like the Pla Chu Chee, fillet of salmon topped with a red curry sauce with coconut milk and the Pd Gra Prow stir fried chilli, basil, peppers, green beans and onions in fish sauce which you can have with chicken beef or prawns. Kanchana’s serves fantastic food with a real harmony of flavours, the staff are a dream and are pleasant, always with a smile on their faces. What I would say is be prepared to not have your drinks served to you at the table. You need to head to the bar for those, but you will be happy for the small walk as it will give you a chance to move around making more room for food. Also I would highly recommend making a reservation if you want to eat here. If you a going here on a whim and you’re feeling hungry be prepared to wait for up to an hour for a table on a busy day.

The Kings Arms is a great place for just a pint, the atmosphere and quality of ale here is fantastic. This is a great spot for a cosy night nursing an ale and doing the crossword alone. This is a spot for a quiet little one on one gossip with your best friend with a bottle of cold Picpoul De Pinet. The one thing I love most about the Kings Arms is that it is a fabulous spot for a good quality Thai dinner with the girls and a good old cackle and a gossip. If you are visiting London, make it your mission to go and visit The Kings Arms and have some real beer! Also word on the street is the do a pub quiz on a Sunday, anyone interested in getting a team together give me a shout.

This is my spot, this is my favourite place to be in London, just hanging out on Roupell street, if you do happen to visit The Kings Arms maybe you’ll find me there standing outside propped by a windowsill sipping on a pint and watching the world go by.

(Happy girls with full tummies after a big Thai meal at The kings Arms. Night cap courtesy of the Duke Of Sussex, Waterloo)

Happy Dining xx