It’s hard to find good Asian food amongst the £6.99 all-you-can eat buffets of Tottenham Court Road. So you can imagine my utter delight when I stumbled upon East Street.
Just off Oxford Street, you’ll fine a perfect one-stop-shop for great Asian fast food. My BFF and I decided to have a mid-week dinner and wanted something cheap and fuss-free. I have walked past East Street a couple of times, but never ventured in, even though it looks pretty inviting.
The place is bright and chaotic; one big room with shared tables, illuminated signs hanging from the ceiling, brightly coloured chairs, posters, stickers and fans attached to corrugated walls. Stepping in here feels like you’ve stepped in to a bustling Asian market, though where in Asia I’m not sure as the cuisine spans across a few different countries.
To get a good taste of everything we went for the East Street Sharing Platter (for two); Goi Cuon, Gyoza, Bulgogi, Coconut Prawns and Satay Chicken, along with a couple of Singapore Slings, it was the perfect way to start the meal (and evening) off.
With such a wide range of food, it was difficult to choose what to go with for mains, but our super-sweet waitress Daria was on hand to give us advice. I settled for Chicken Nasi Goreng (from Indonesia); spicy wok-fried rice with lime leaves, chilli, cucumber and onion flakes. The dish was light, fragrant and full of flavour. My BFF went for Duck Ped Makham (from Thailand); duck breast in tamarind sauce, served on a bed of choi sum and sticky rice. The duck was tender and the sauce was the right balance of sweet and spicy. I loved it so much I forced my friend to swap dishes with me – well that’s what friends are for right?!
A couple more Singapore Slings later and we were ready for dessert. Nothing took my fancy apart from the Churros (which the menu said were popular in the Philippines). They were a lot crunchier than their Mexican cousins, and totally smothered in cinnamon sugar, but we weren’t complaining.
Despite the place being busy, service was still great; we weren’t left wanting for anything. This isn’t a fancy place, more of a pop-in-after-work-drinks kind of a deal. With it’s fast service, no-frills food and wide range of dishes this is a popular place, and for good reason.
East Street, 3-5 Rathbone Place, London, W1T 1HJ
T: 020 7323 0860