When I was 25, I spent a year living and working in Bangkok. Why Thailand? Is it wrong to admit it was because I've always loved Thai food and because I heard that beer was sold cheaper in Thailand than in Malaysia (which, because of my love of Malaysian cuisine, was my other choice)..? I don't even drink beer these days! My fellow ex-pat English teachers and I had lunch virtually every day at what we only knew as 'The Lunch Place' which was a small family run roadside stall that had been fashioned into a functioning outdoor 'restaurant' with a few cheap plastic tables and chairs, surrounded by bamboo trellis. When venturing into the touristy hubs of Bangkok with their menus priced considerably higher than what I was used to (but still cheap by Western standards), we were always presented with good, but not great versions of Thai food we had become familiar with, and we always found ourselves comparing it to The Lunch Place, both in quality, quantity and price.
At the time I was vegetarian, and day after day I would enjoy green curry, red curry, pad Thai, or stir fried vegetables. Not once did I grow tired of the cuisine, and I doubt I ever will. I was lucky enough to take part in a vegetarian and vegan Thai cooking course at Mai Kaidee's during my time in Thailand, her cookbook still a prized possession in my cooking arsenal.
These days, I still find myself comparing any Thai restaurant that I happen upon to The Lunch Place. I always feel cheated when I have to fork out over £20 for a good, but not great meal, knowing I've been taught how to make it taste better at home, and that the pricey menu is more reflective of the ambiance and flashy lighting rather the quality of the food that they present.
This brings me to Paolina on King's Cross Road. It's certainly never going to win any beauty contests, and when I bring friends there, I almost feel compelled to give them a disclaimer and warn them beforehand just in case they expect something a little more glamorous. The food, however, is where Paolina excels. No, they don't put flowers in your drinks or garnish your plates with vegetables carved into roses, but the portions are generous, the prices are always consistently low, and the taste is authentic, spicy, satisfying and super tasty. There is no alcohol served at Paolina, instead it is BYO while they charge £1 corkage per person.
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At the time I was vegetarian, and day after day I would enjoy green curry, red curry, pad Thai, or stir fried vegetables. Not once did I grow tired of the cuisine, and I doubt I ever will. I was lucky enough to take part in a vegetarian and vegan Thai cooking course at Mai Kaidee's during my time in Thailand, her cookbook still a prized possession in my cooking arsenal.
These days, I still find myself comparing any Thai restaurant that I happen upon to The Lunch Place. I always feel cheated when I have to fork out over £20 for a good, but not great meal, knowing I've been taught how to make it taste better at home, and that the pricey menu is more reflective of the ambiance and flashy lighting rather the quality of the food that they present.
This brings me to Paolina on King's Cross Road. It's certainly never going to win any beauty contests, and when I bring friends there, I almost feel compelled to give them a disclaimer and warn them beforehand just in case they expect something a little more glamorous. The food, however, is where Paolina excels. No, they don't put flowers in your drinks or garnish your plates with vegetables carved into roses, but the portions are generous, the prices are always consistently low, and the taste is authentic, spicy, satisfying and super tasty. There is no alcohol served at Paolina, instead it is BYO while they charge £1 corkage per person.
