LAOS CAFE, A POP-UP IN VICTORIA

Go quickly - the countdown has already started.

For three months until the end of February, the Laos Cafe pop-up is in residence on the corner of Wilton Street and Gillingham Street, Victoria, and according to London Foodie, it is the only place to find Laotian food in London. So there are two good reasons to visit sooner rather than later. A lonely outpost it may be, but its genes are good, the brainchild of Saiphin Moore, based on the home cooking of her childhood. Laos Cafe is using the space that she will be transforming into a new Rosa's Thai Cafe due to open in a few months' time. 



Seafood Noodle Salad

These are fresh, vibrant and light dishes, little changed, it would seem, from the SE Asian home: ingredients grown on the family plot (and plenty of herbs) cooked quickly over charcoal, full of strong flavours and a variety of textures. Featuring salad, fish and noodles or rice, with chilli and fish sauce, it is close to the cuisine of its cousins in Vietnam or Thailand, but also quite distinct from either. 

Aubergine Salad - silken aubergine with a sharp lime sauce

Spicy Pork

In an interview in The Telegraph, Saiphin vividly describes her childhood growing up in Phetchabun (a province straddling the Laos / Thai border), and her memories capture something of the freshness that is the hallmark of the food in her new venture: 

"At lunchtime, we all ate sticky rice and papaya salad.
Green papaya grows easily in Thailand - every house has a tree at the back. We smashed the garlic with green or red chillis (we preferred the Laos style - really spicy) and added tomatoes, fish sauce and anchovies.
People in the village would gather the watch.
I loved it so much they called me the master of papaya, and every time I smell chilli and garlic it takes me straight back." 

Fragrant and spicy Pork Skewers

The sharing plates are substantial here, not the case everywhere.  A highlight is the sticky rice, a foil for the lighter, zesty flavours of the other plates; the brown rice (it is actually red) is especially good, nutty and full of flavour. There is a short wine list and cold beers or hot jasmine tea, but only one desert.

Brown and white sticky rice steamed in banana leaves

The decor is minimalist, a few old b/w photos giving the briefest flavour of South East Asia, but this is a pop-up after all, in a temporary space soon to be refurbished.  The emphasis overall is on the simple, but that does not mean the food lacks care or attention to detail, while the service is helpful (and patient with those less familiar with Laos) - an extra batch of Pork Skewers is quickly put together to take home, along with salad and dipping sauce.  

It does what it says on the tin.

 25 Gillingham Street
Victoria
LONDON SW1V 1HN

CLOSES 28th FEBRUARY 2016.



KRICKET, BRIXTON

The Kricket container at Pop Brixton

"We don't like Kricket, 
Oh no!  We love it!"  
(adapted from Dreadlock Holiday by 10CC)

So, the secret is out. The hidden gem that is Kricket has been revealed to all in the pre-Christmas edition of Time Out, its Keralan Fried Chicken selected at number 8 in the Top Ten Newcomers Dishes of 2015. The earlier Time Out review might have slipped by without too much notice, though they are consistently busy, but this will put Kricket properly on the map. 
Pop Brixton is the burgeoning container-unit yard just around the corner from the Village Market which sources its growing number of food stalls. The container-unit yard is constructed along the same lines as Box Park in Shoreditch, but is less less fashionista/commercial and more relaxed and food focussed.

Kricket serves up substantial "small plates" of light, highly flavoured Indian-style dishes. Attention to detail is considerable: the layers of contrasting textures add mouth-feel to the range of distinctive flavours; every dish attractively presented on earthen crockery and well garnished.

Bhel Puri

Bhel Puri: crisp and crunchy (think spicy rice crispies) and overlaid with rich, creamy yoghurt which contrasts with the sharp tamarind sauce.  The sprinkle of herb sprouts adds an extra perfumed flavour to the dish.

Smoked Aubergine

Smoked Aubergine: properly smoky but also smooth and rich; crisp papdi are ideal scooping up the fleshy goo of aubergine; crumbled peanuts add crunch, saltiness and sweetness.

Clove-Smoked Pigeon

Clove-Smoked Pigeon: subtle smoky clove flavours infuse the delicate flesh, matched with girolles, punchy garlic pickle and a raita flavoured with burnt grelot. Pomegranate seeds and micro herbs add further textures and flavours to this complex dish.

Goat Shoulder Raan

Goat Raan: perhaps the simplest dish, but that's not in any way a problem; tender meat is coated with a rich, spiced sauce, with wisps of heritage carrots adding a contrasting texture. Hearty and warming, this is a good winter dish.

The menu is not extensive (usually about eight plates and at least one desert, such as gulab jamum)  but everything is perfectly executed despite the tiny cooking and service space at the far end of the container. The service is friendly, knowledgeable and efficient.

Go quickly before the secret spreads or before Kricket moves on to a bigger space.