Jack the Ripper’s Knickers
Deep in Jack the Ripper territory just behind Bishopsgate Police Station lies a dark secret. Whitechapel is legendary for the murders committed by one of the first serial killers to gain notoriety. Nowadays an altogether different cereal is found in the back alleys, and the only murder is evidenced by an occasional squealing lobster.
The back alley known as Widegate Street is where I found Sri Thong, a Thai restaurant with a name that brings back haunting memories of that famous and heinous picture of Peter Stringfellow on the beach.
We ordered a bottle of Nieto Reserve Chardonnay 2006 from Bodegas Nieto Senetiner in Mendoza. Reasonable value at £17.95 (I found it retailing at about £7 a bottle). I normally prefer a medium wine with spicy food, Gewürztraminer and Riesling being amongst my favourite grapes. However, this oaky chardonnay whilst dry and (unusually) with the sort of zing normally reserved for Sauvignon Blanc went really well with a strange mix of spicy dishes.
The food was not of a type I had eaten in other Thai restos. The dishes were prepared differently and whilst I like a bit of variety I have tasted better green curries. Nonetheless we enjoyed the meal and the service was polite and efficient.
The acoustics of the room are unusual and a group of boisterous city types (having finished work at midday no doubt) were finishing off a boozy lunch and speaking at our table was difficult due to the massive amount of noise.
Overall a competent rather than brilliant place and nowhere near the standard of my favourite Thai place (Chaophraya in Leeds and Manchester). However, worth a try if you are near Liverpool St station, dusk is approaching and, you could murder some Pad Thai.
Sri Thong. 1 Widegate St, London. E1 7HP. Tel: 020 7375 0794
July 18th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
[…] Now, my front lawn is on an angle of about 45 degrees, so I have to mow it wearing golf spikes, but with a petrol mower, this is the gardening equivalent of climbing the north face of Everest in a t-shirt and a thong. […]