Sri Thong, Widegate Street

Situated in a side street off Bishopsgate, the location of Sri Thong provides a welcome break from the bustle of the City of London. One day last week several of us decided to take lunch there as it was still the holiday period and the office was relatively quiet. We arrived on the dot of noon and for a while were the only people in the restaurant (after half an hour it had filled up).

Thai food is one of my favourite cuisines, due to its wide range of flavours and also its sensibly sized portions. Sri Thong served to confirm this. As it was only lunchtime, not all of us ordered starters, but we soon wished that we had. I made a mental note of the chicken satay and the duck spring rolls for a future visit.

For the main course I and several colleagues opted for “Goong Gata”, which was marinated tiger prawns served on a sizzling hot plate with vegetables. It was a good choice, and not just for the pleasure of hearing the plate sizzle as it was brought to the table. The prawns were very tender and moist, and the light sauce they were in brought out their flavour rather than overpowering them. I have said before that frying vegetables and serving them in a sauce makes them exciting, and I ate all of them! The five-a-day officers would be proud.

To finish an excellent meal, it was decided to put it on expenses (although I would have been happy to pay, as the price was very reasonable for the quality). We all felt very satisfied that afternoon.  Â