Banana Tree

Awesome place for happy hour drinks, cocktails, and 1/2 off dim sum and sushi M-F from 5-7. Our…read morefavorite items were the hamachi sashimi, the shrimp and chive dumpling, and the rib- although everything was fantastic. We ordered Kirin beer as it's the one beer they have on draft- otherwise cocktails seems to be this specialty. Service is the restaurant is 100% - everything was prompt and professional. Would definitely come again for food and drinks for social gatherings!

Great asian fusion food wonderful ribs which were to die for and the Hamachi tuna was very…read morefresh.The staff were very attentive and friendly which made it a pleasant single traveller experience. This is quite a high end place which attracts young professionals... they play a really great mix of music. As is common with this type of establishment the portions while fresh and beautifully decorated on the plate are quite small so you might want to order more than you think you can eat. I would go back again Crisco

See all

Street Hawker Restaurant

4.4(7 reviews)

1.0 mi•Maida Vale

It was my first time here and the food was amazing. The staff were friendly and they made us feel…read morewelcome. Plus, they have a great selection of beers. We will be back.

StreetHawker is a little gem of a restaurant, situated right next to Maida Vale tube station (turn…read moreleft as you come out of the station). It's been there for absolutely ages, yet it doesn't seem so. I grew up in a large house, just opposite, on the Maida Vale, and I remember when the site where StreetHawker is now, used to be a very different, unique kind of shop. The previous owner had created some sort of videoshop-cum-coldcurry house take away joint. I know that sounds silly, but this was the case. You walked in, and everything was decked out in white, with splashes of red highlights; like a giant Kit Kat wrapper. On the wall was a selection of B-movies for rent (think "American Ninja", you know, that kind of stuff; and on the counter were onion bahjis, samosas and pre-cooked boiled rice. (etc). So you could rent a video and grab a half-coldcurry, simultaneously. Genius. That man was way ahead of our time. He vanished into thin air, and suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, sprung up 'Streethawker'; and it was like Maida Vale (the area around the tube station) had suddenly acquired a little chicness into its life (the restaurant is nicely built into the tube station's red tiled facade). It's a smallish restaurant, with a galleried dining area, to the left, which is slightly elevated from ground level, and a larger, deeper area, consisting of about 10 or 12 square picnic-styled dining tables, situated to the right. There are a few large mirrors hanging on the wall, that seem to add more space to the whole effect. The front door is slap bang in the middle of the restaurant, and right in front of the front door is the counter, with a little seating bench by the window, which makes take-awaying a real breeze. The whole restaurant is windowed. Behind the counter, is the door to what I refer to as, the 'Magic kitchen'. If you ever have the pleasure of ordering some food there for takeaway one day, and watch one of the waiters open the kitchen door, you will see what I mean. To cut the long story short, the kitchen is about the same size as a red London telephone box. It's amazing. How do they make all that food in such a small space?! I think it may be an optical illusion, and (for the past 15 years) I have always suspected that this kitchen goes deeper than the eye can see. The Food: Well, if you like Phad Thai, then you're in for a treat here. My brother and I (he now lives in Singapore, so he knows a thing or two about oriental food) have had numerous conversations about Street Hawker's 'Phad Thai' (a noodle dish cooked with flat noodles, crushed nuts, king prawn or chicken or pork, and little bits of vegetables) , during the past 10 years or so. There's something about it. It's not 'amazing' (as in like fireworks start the second you place the first mouthful into your mouth), (sorry if I raised your expectations there), and it's not bland. It's unbelievably well-balanced. I have deliberately ordered Phad Thais when out at expensive oriental restaurants, just to compare the dish to the Streethawker's one. Ditto with chinese/thai delivery companies. None of them even come close to Streethawker's Phad Thai. God knows what they put in it, or where the ingredients are from (or more to the point, the quantities of each ingredient put in), but it's just spot on. I can only comment on the dishes I've ordered; which include Q4 (used to be Q5, for 10 years), which is little slabs of grilled pork, glazed in some kind of blackbean style sauce (Q5 is now the chicken equivalent!), which is chewy and delicious. 'Moneybags', which is a simple, popular oriental dish, consisting of 3 or 4 crispy pastry balls filled with a mixture of meats and veg etc. The last time I went in, I mistakenly ordered a portion of 'money-balls', forgetting that they were called 'money-bags', and got my Q 5's mixed up with my Q 4's. The waiter was quick to point out to me that, it's been a long time, hasn't it?, to which I replied, "yes, I've been having a few late nights recently; can't you tell from the two big black balls dangling beneath my eyes?". Then I said "chop chop, I don't have all day; there's a good footbag match on tonight, it's starting in about 10 minutes; oh, and can I have my food doubleballed please, just incase it does a Tesco on me, on my way home." The staff are friendly and attentive (Just be wary of a certain young oriental lady that works/worked there. She's nice, but she doesn't take ish from no-one. She will have you for breakfast. Whatever you do, don't get fresh with her, because you will lose. Period; (think 'the oriental girl from the group Miss Frank on the X-factor)). When ordering your food with her, at the counter, just smile ever so slightly, talk in a soft, clear voice, and try to avert your gaze slightly, so as not to make direct eye-contact. One verbal slip-up here, and you'll find yourself in the frying pan before you can say 'Ho Chi Minh'. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Funnily enough, the manager of

Navruz

3.0(3 reviews)

2.9 mi•Cricklewood

Navruz is a smart new restaurant on Cricklewood Broadway. It specialises in Central Asian and…read moreLahori cuisine. The borsch (beet root soup) was pleasant enough. Some hunks of potato and beet root in beef stock. But it lacked that home cooked quality that would have transformed it into the true comfort food it should be. The chicken methi was very rich and tasty. Probably not up to the level of Tayyabs or Karahi King, but still delicious. A good experience, I will be back to try more of the menu.

Went here with my boyfriend for a nice Friday evening date. We love Asian food but were so…read moredisappointed with this place. It all started with the order, the waiter did not speak English and made it difficult to only order a chicken tikka as a starter. When it finally arrived it was very dry and not at all well presented. Had to wait for a quite long time for the main as well but most disappointing during the wait was the loud music. We were three couples sitting in the restaurant and a private party going on on the other side of the restaurant and it is not very big. They turned up the music so loud that one of the ladies next to us had to walk up to the waiter and ask them to turn it down as we couldn't have a conversation. Overall service was not very good, we felt ignored and not welcome. The food was not good, chicken was dry and it was not really much on the plate. Unfortunate as this could have been our place for Friday evenings. It is so close to our house but will never go there again. Can not recommend this to anybody. If in Cricklewood try something else!

The menu cover

Methi chicken and rice

See all

Borsch

The Petite Corée

4.4(5 reviews)

2.1 mi•West Hampstead

This is a lovely little place on West End Lane. I found the food to be excellent - in fact much…read morebetter than I had expected. Creative and extremely well presented dishes - I can highly recommend the pork belly, which comes with an Asian bbq sauce. Overall, don't expect your typical neighbourhood Asian restaurant, it's really a fusion restaurant offering British and international dishes with a Korean twist. The menu isn't big - which I like - I'm always a bit suspicious when small places maintain a huge menu with 30 mains, as this is nearly impossible to do if you care about freshness and quality.. Definitely worth checking out!

Found this quaint gem of a place in my new neighbourhood. I never thought I'd be a burger fan…read morethanks to gazillion places trying their hands on making the 'best burger' but this place is brilliant. I ordered their fried chicken burger with stir fried kimchi for sides. The burger was awesome. This is not like any standard burger, it is fusion food therefore the food looks different too. The burger had crispy fried chicken and also fried egg Ruth runny yolk. I absolutely love runny egg... it was bliss. Please note that it's very difficult to eat without making your hands really messy. The sauce and the tomatoes in the burger with the runny egg start oozing out and it is extremely hard to look civilised while eating it. But the food is delicious and the staff are very friendly and attentive. Would definitely go here again.

See all

Banana Tree

4.0(42 reviews)

2.4 mi•West Hampstead

I came to Banana Tree after dinner with a cousin one night. We were walking around looking for a…read moreplace to have dessert. When we arrived the staff was pleasant and attentive. We ordered two ginger and lemon grass teas with the chocolate cake and coconut ice cream dessert. It was all delicious and perfect. I will come back!

I do like Banana Tree for not being expensive and suitable for a casual dinner. It is not your…read moreusual Asian/Oriental dishes which makes it different. But i dont think the standard is not as good when i first tried it a few years ago. I usually choose one of the main and get it as a combo. A complete dish enough for one person. If you have room for dessert then the Coconut stuffed green Thai pancake or the black rice pudding takes my favour.

Good taste , small portion

Pad Thai and Bun Bo

See all

tooMai

2.9(20 reviews)

2.3 mi•West Hampstead

First impressions…read more.... A very trendy looking restaurant New Well furnished and best of all Cheap..... The food is far from mind blowing...and the innovation stops at the view... But tooMai is worth a visit, the street food feel of the place is very cool, you'll have a fun time but maybe not a yum time.....Although my Berry Mojito was very cool and quite tasty. Drink up.

This is a new eatery in West Hampstead. A friend and I went past it last week and thought we'd come…read moreback yesterday to try it out. I like the dark deco and the feel of the place, but that's about it. The waiting staff were all smiling when we came in until later they noticed that my friend were handicapped. The whole attitude changed from then on. We were the last one to get served. Had to wait for a very long long time for everything even though the restaurant were not packed. I even noticed that the waiting staff were talking about us amongst themselves which I find quite rude. When we left, they were all turning their back and not saying goodbye. The food were average, but expensive. We had Thai calamari, spring rolls and prawn crackers as a starter. My friend had Pad Thai, which he said were ok, and I ordered fried noodle with prawn but got noodle with chicken instead. And it was really spicy. Overall, not a good experience and definitely won't be coming back again.

Coconut ice cream

See all

Pad Thai and stir fried ginger beef plus egg fried rice.

XO

3.4(19 reviews)

2.5 mi•Belsize Park

Been here numerous times and always a great experience. Is a good local restaurant with an asian…read morefusion menu. They have a bar in front if you want to get drinks beforehand. They also have some tables in the bar area where you can also order appetizers. The restaurant has a mix of tables and booths and a private dining room downstairs if you want to throw an intimate dinner party (have been to one before downstairs). Innovative list of cocktails as well. It can be either an expensive or fairly reasonably priced evening depending on what you get. Some recommendations: *The veggie pad-thai- Is really flavorsome and comes with crushed peanuts & chillis. (also a reasonable price). *Roast pumpkin & spinach gyoza- Interesting take on gyoza- love the flavours! *Egg fried rice- Fresh egg and is not greasy *Xo sorbets trio- A great ending to the meal with an assortment of sorbet fruit flavours Stay Away From: * The chilli crusted tofu- Is incredibly dry. This is really unfortunate as could be a great dish but have ordered it on two different occasions and have been let down twice. They need to add some sort of sauce to this to make it more palatable. *Pomegranate spring-rolls: This sounded good but it was served cold and was soggy. Flavours also did not mix. Service is really attentive & friendly. Can get busy on Friday nights & weekends so always good to book on opentable beforehand. Would recommend!

XO's really knows how to take care of their guests! I went to a private party here and when I…read morewalked in the door they took my coat and walked me to a tray of champagne and cocktails and offered me a tantalizing adult beverage immediately! After rounds of canapes served on trays (Note to self: eating sushimi must be done in one bite or you end up wearing some of it) we retired from the bar area to the restaurant in the back. Appetisers of wonton dumplings, tempura, and assorted sushi combinations seemed to keep coming and still we were served a lovely Asian salad, and still more rounds of large pieces of fish which we shared among 6 at our table. Since the hostess had selected the menu, I didn't ask what was being served, and to my discredit, I didn't read the small printed menu of the evening at the table (great conversation and copious amounts of cocktails). However, there was a type of white fish that had a sort of caramelization that was to die for! The ambience, food and service were superb! The only thing keeping my rating from going all the way to Woohoo is that it was my first time there and not the typical restaurant experience (reso/my order). I'll go back and give them another go, though! The area is also lovely!

2.0 mi•West Hampstead, Brondesbury

Fruit sorbet trio

See all

Veggie Pad-thai

Mandalay Golden Myanmar

5.0(1 review)

See all

Banana Tree

3.4(26 reviews)

1.0 mi•Maida Vale

First of all, this was the best pad Thai I have had in London. The spices were perfectly balanced…read morewith the traditional Thai sauces. The service was perfect. I came in with 15 minutes before it closed and the man at the front counter made me feel like they were staying open just waiting for me to walk in. They had an amazing vibe and even better food. I highly recommend this restaurant if you want good Asian food in little Venice

This Banana Tree location is nice and quiet, with quick and friendly service. The laksa has huge…read moreportions and my friend and I also ordered a coconut colada which was so sweet and yummy!

Small kitchen small seating areas Great food

See all

Preto

3.8(14 reviews)

0.2 mi•Bayswater

Eu gostaria de agradecer ao Luis, quem nos atendeu maravilhosamente bem. Depois de um atendimento…read morecomo esse com certeza voltarei e levarei os amigos.

I can't say enough about this epicurean delight. This is a Brazilian restaurant with a plethora of…read moreabsolutely delicious food served by an entire team of experts in this food. We all tried the rodizio grill. If you do come hungry