Paolina Thai Cafe

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.

Le Sacre Coeur

My boyfriend's office is based in hip and homely Islington, where restaurants and pubs are never in short supply. From standard larger chains to the smaller, lesser known independent companies, Angel covers it all. A short walk from the tube station down a side street sits  Le Sacre Coeur, a cosy traditional French bistro hidden away from the bustling foot traffic of Upper Street. Nat's colleague had suggested La Sacre Coeur to him, and as we have a long weekend in Paris coming up in June, I was very keen to dine there to inspire me. While still at work, Nat and I scanned at their online menu and were both instantly struck with a dilemma that would plague us during the next few hours: how could we possibly decide on what to order when there were so many dishes we wanted to get?? Should I get the chicken or the duck? Should he get the rabbit, beef, steak, pork or duck? or We were torn.

 

After a lengthy deliberation, we finally made our decisions. I, rather predicatably, went for the confit duck, while Nat opted for the rabbit casserole. For starters I ordered shrimp, as I usually adore shrimp cooked in garlic and butter so I figured I couldn't go wrong. Unfortunately, I wasn't terribly crazy with the shrimp that Le Sacre Coeur had to offer as it was too "meaty" for me, and I couldn't figure out if it was just the texture or the taste. As I have previously been a vegetarian for over 10 years, this may have been why I was a bit thrown. I'm also not the hugest fan of rocket, but I can't fault a restaurant for my fussy palate!