Patara

7 Maddox St,W1S 2QB

Lunch in town on my own.

I don't have a problem eating on my own in restaurants, I really don't. But some of them cater for single diners better than others.

Unfortunately, I was in the Mayfair area, and my Urbanspoon app was really struggling with the ££ limit it was being set. A couple of the places I found were just too uncomfortable looking, so I was very grateful to at last land on the doorstep of Patara, where a table for one was no problem at all.

The Menu:
I went for the £12.50 set lunch, which was fairly standard fare. I picked the fish cakes and the pad thai.

My Meal:
Ironic that when I'm on my own I've actually got the nerve to photograph some of my food. Some very tasty prawn crackers arrived first - the kind that actually taste spicy and perhaps somewhere lurking there, a little bit prawny.


The fish cakes arrived shortly after, and they were actually very good. Not at all rubbery (I'm sure Mr PP's heart sinks every time I order Thai fish cakes - 99 times out of 100 they are rubbery and horrible), they were hot and fresh, served with a delicious cucumber dip.



The pad thai was tasty as well, three fat prawns in the shell nestling on top of well-cooked noodles.

All washed down with a couple of glasses of Sauvignon Blanc ... what better way to fortify yourself for an afternoon's shopping?

What I liked:
Quick, tasty, reasonable value for money.

What I didn't like:
Not that much choice on the set menu - could do better?

Will I be back?:
If I was in the area, sure. But I wouldn't make a special trip.

The Thai Garden

249 Globe Road, E2 OJD

This is our second visit to The Thai Garden, which we went to with friends. I have to admit I don't really like Bethnal Green much at all. But Globe Road is quite near the tube/buses (i.e. a quick escape at the end of the night), and a bit of a haven, with two great pubs (The Camel and The Florist), and The Thai Garden.

The Menu:
It's a vegetarian and seafood menu only, but it's still extensive and there is lots of choice. As I sat and tried to decide I had a horrible sense of déjà vu - I had had a terrible time trying to decide last time.

We eventually settled on Mixed Seafood Tempura and Prawn Spring Rolls to start (Mr PP and I have the charming/annoying habit - depends on your viewpoint - of sharing all our food. Means we don't waste lots of time on pointless food envy.) Then red and green curry with prawns for mains.

Our Meal:
The food, as before, was absolutely delicious ... when it arrived. Starters were light and crispy, no problems with dirty cooking oil, and soggy batter. The curries were very good, and fully lived up to expectations. But there really was an issue with the service. And it was very difficult to ignore.

I would say that we were patient customers. We were on night out with friends, we were in no rush ... So we weren't overly demanding. But, our prawn crackers never arrived; our beers took over 10 minutes to get from the bar to the table (anybody who is familiar with the Thai Garden will realise you can do that walk in 10 seconds, if you are walking very, very slowly); one of our starters didn't arrived until 10 minutes after everybody else had finished ... despite being asked for three or four times.

And it went on. Beers continued to be in short supply, no rice arrived with the mains etc ...

This was nothing like our first visit, so I'm prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt, just this once. And the food is good enough to give it another go.

What we liked:
The food - it really could not be faulted. And at £7 for a main course, very good value for money.

What we didn't like:
The service (this time anyway).

The fact that the starters are £6 when the mains are only £7.

The restaurant itself is absolutely tiny, and we felt very squashed in. When full (which it always is) I was hemmed in and could not get to the bathroom without disturbing at least two other tables. Maybe that was the strategy in not serving me any beer?

Will we go back?:
Yes, definitely. Although probably not just the two of us - it would always be with friends.