London is vast. A city that most Londoners themselves will only have ever seen a tiny portion of. Still, that doesn’t stop the expanding attractions that you find dotted around town. Over the last few years I’ve seen even London’s Southbank blossoming. I remember a while back there was one beer stand, serving frothy lager for the parched pilgrim. Now it’s a booming path filled with food and drink till the early hours of the morning.
Londoners have taken a shine to hipster coffee houses the like of which you find deep in Angel’s lanes; small, independent distilleries pop up as they do around Victoria Park, and food markets, such as on Druid Street are becoming ever more prevalent. The ever-growing demand for our taste buds to be stimulated has lead to the some really exciting little business popping up. So when the London Foodguide told us about Kra Pow London, we just had to check it out.
You’d be forgiven for being unaware of Druid Street Market, what with it just being a year old, but with gems like Kra Pow London calling it home, it’s one you’re going to want to get to know.
Kra Pow started only 3 month ago when Paul and Rich returned from North Thailand wanting to impress British tastebuds with the delights they discovered. Sorely disappointed by the blandness of the Thai food you find in town, they took it upon themselves to delve into the cuisine and bring out the real punchy flavours that make Thai so unique. And so Kra Pow London was born – with two husky men who love their food at the helm.
The Food
I love small menus. It makes life so much easier and fills me with the confidence that the chefs know what they’re doing. They’re not trying to bamboozle you with choices, leaving you umming and ahhing for hours. No, they’re focusing on doing a few things and doing them well.
So rather gladly Kra Pow have only 4 dishes to pick from the menu, all authentic Thai fare designed to transport you to the tropics. I went for their most popular dish Kra Pow. A mix of rice, pork, spices and a big egg on top, it’s simple street food at its finest. But for what looks like the most basic of dishes, this plate was a powerhouse of flavour. Smacking of chilli and garlic, it was sweet, hot, sticky, delicious soul food. Exactly the sort that would obliterate a hangover in a matter of minutes.
It was enough to drag me back again after work, and will instantly become your go-to south of the river.