I always like to think that I would be there for a friend in their time of need.
So when I got a message from Rohan Candappa that:
As a matter of some urgency…
…there’s a Thai restaurant in King’s Cross that I think we need to go to…
…I was on the case straight away, like a fourth emergency service. Within hours, we had an evening date in the diary for a week or so hence.
Supawan is the place – click here for the website…
…or if you prefer TripAdvisor – click here.
The urgency, it seems, was that Rohan had read a super review of this place and thought , “I always read these super reviews and never actually try these places. This time, I really must…”
Yes, Rohan, I was there for you. I just hope that you would be there for me in a similar emergency.
Indeed, Rohan’s stipulations went beyond the location…
we’re having Yum khao tod, Peek gai sai and menage phuket. They’re three small plates from the menu. You can choose the rest.
Actually, when I looked at the menu, all three of those starters were probably the very ones I’d have chosen, so I suggested that we both choose the mains, which was an equally easy task – we both liked the sound of the stuffed squid with mushrooms and the slow-cooked pork belly.
In truth, it was a near miracle that we were able to eat the Peek Gai Yud Sai – stuffed chicken wings.
This was the week of the KFC supply crisis – click here for a post mortem piece from the BBC website.
When I pointed out to Rohan that this Thai restaurant was possibly the only source of Kentucky fried chicken wings in London…
…while he was eating his Peek Gai Yud Sai…
…Rohan couldn’t stop laughing for quite a while.
In truth, the culinary highlights were:
- Yum khao tod starter, which was a sort-of sophisticated Thai-style chat;
- Moo hong – Phuket-style pork belly.
But of course the highlight, more than chewing the pork belly fat, was chewing the fat conversationally with Rohan. A bit of reminiscing. A bit of swapping notes on the stuff we are writing.
Rohan clearly appreciated the fact that I had responded to his emergency call, as he presented me with a kindly gift – a book named Pop Sonnets – click here.
I’d like to show the image of Pop Sonnets cover, but sadly that image is subject to copyright, so all I can do is encourage you to click the above link and show you the image and vid below:
As we left Supawan, Rohan and I took a look at Keystone Crescent – click here – an extraordinary place – which I took to be late Georgian but is in fact as recent as 1855 – not that much older than my own place.
A fun evening – happy to have been able to help in your time of need, Rohan. Any time…within reason.
Ian, I think you should make yourself immediately available to the nation as an E.D.C. – Emergency Dining Companion. It is a service that is sorely needed.
It really ought to be available on the welfare state.
And heros, like me, who devote our careers to such civic service, merely for massive state backed salaries and gilt-edged pensions, should be awarded gongs of the highest order.