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This seagull had clearly learned that people ate up here! You can see clearly how far we'd come that day... all the way from the flat fields behind the beach.
Chimp at Monkeyworld. I eagerly await the "self portrait" jokes.
Make big, and gaze upon our closest living relative.
In the unlikely event of a creationist browsing my stream, no, this doesn't mean we evolved from them, so no, there is no mystery in them still being around.
Now, I return to this young fellow. And the communication I have got to make is, that he has great expectations. -- Dickens
Tasting Britain got the invite down to the bonafide, JK Rowling verified and superfly Thai institution, Mango Tree - based in lovely Belgravia. We were there to try out their new regional menu - the âTraditional Taste of Thailandâ (Tasting Britain tasting Thailand?), and finally see what all the fuss is about. Iâm glad we came, it lived up to my hopes (Iâd rather have hopes than expectations, since expectations tend to get you in trouble). Anyway, Iâll tell you about the menu and then a little about the restaurant.
Launched on September 15th, this regional menu covers the four main regional cuisines of Thailand; north, north-eastern, central and south and runs only until mid-November. Thereâs eight dishes to choose from â four starters and four mains. The northern style focuses on rich and mild dishes, the east goes for spicy, the central region errs towards milder dishes influenced by the Chinese cooking style, and the south goes for really spicy!
We tried two mains: the Sea Bass Moke - a dish from the northeast that was both sweet and âbassyâ (and I say that in a very positive way). The second was Khao Soi, a Burmese-influenced chicken noodle dish with delicious coconut milk flavours. Mighty fine stuff. The picture you see of everything on a platter is basically all the starters at once, l3l.
As for the Mango Tree themselves, theyâre a Thai fine dining restaurant founded in 2001 by restaurateur Eddie Lim. Mango Tree also has a âsisterâ restaurant chain - Pan Chai is described as 'the first pan-Asian restaurant franchise in the UK'. Mango Chefâs exec chef Ian Pengelley looked after the launch of the legendary Gilgamesh in Camden Stables and has been on TV (Masterchef I believe) a bit himself!
There also used to be a Mango Tree in Doha, Qatar, though it closed at the end of March 2013, an alcohol ban being a big part of that I think. As of 2012, they also have a concession in the legendary Harrods food hall. Iâm not sure if itâs obvious if you look at the pictureâs of the restaurant interior, it was actually designed with Feng Shui in mind. I am told the original Mango Tree can be found back in Bangkok - presumably still going!
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 11: Actress Holliday Grainger arrives at the "Great Expectations" Premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 11, 2012 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images)
we had high expectations of this suntory whisky house shop, but in terms of whisky was disappointed. bar was closed, but looked like they served entry level yamazaki, hakushu and hibiki only. exhibition of bottles and prizes
the nice things were the furniture made from barrels, particularly the tables, chairs and garden set