Thai BBQ heaven
 |
| Whole grilled mackerel |
Along with Som Saa in East London, Smoking Goat is one the few popular Thai restaurants that gained plenty of media love recently, its renown authentic Thai cooking is adored by Londoners and the place is always packed almost every night. The people behind Smoking Goat has since launched another Thai restaurant in Soho called Kiln, which also gained high popularity and became one of the hottest restaurants in London to now. While under the same management and serving the same cuisine, these two restaurants are not quite the same, with Smoking Goat focusing on oak smoked Thai BBQ, using high quality fresh ingredients sourced within the UK or imported from Thailand.
 |
| Rarebreed Scratchings with smoked aubergine jaew |
 |
| Coal Roast Scallop Red Nahm Yum |
While I was waiting for my guest to arrive and snacking on the rarebreed scratchings, it turned out to be the best pork scratching I have had. It was light and crispy and that smoked aubergine jaew on the side delivered a mild sweet and earthy tone, which paired really well with a floral IPA. The coal roast scallop had an interesting combination of freshness and richness, the texture was moist, the roe part offered a more robust creamy taste which worked nicely with the spicy red Nahm Yum. The signature dish: Smoked goat shoulder was simply sensational, the smoky and sweet soy aroma combined beautifully, the meat was cooked perfectly and it was very tender, something that wasn't easy to get right when grilling a shoulder part of an animal, it was BBQ at its best.
 |
| Smoked goat shoulder |
The danger of a restaurant was to lose its consistency, and its quality after a period of time and expansion. But Smoking Goat didn't face such a problem. In fact, I found the cooking got a touch better and it was more enjoyable than my first visit when it was newly opened. The service was also first class, which is something that was unusual for a pub restaurant. With now all the wannabe "hipsters" flooding to its younger sister restaurant Kiln, it would be a good time to pay Smoking Goat a visit for any serious Thai food lovers, waiting for a table shouldn't be an issue if you turn up early (it is a non-booking restaurant, unless it is for lunch or a party of 6+).
Food 3.5/5
What I paid:
£37 pp with beer
Average cost without drinks and services:
£30
7 Denmark Street, London WC2H 8LZ
http://smokinggoatsoho.com/
EmoticonEmoticon