Food reviews

Satay House

Above: PAddington's Satay House

This type of food is still quite unusual in London. Lots of peanuts, anchovies and boiled eggs feature on the vast and partly unfamiliar menu that caters largely to London’s Malaysian population.  The Satay House has been established in Paddington since 1973, when it opened in answer to a lack of traditional Malaysian eateries in the capital. Last year the place was transformed, its simple, dated décor stripped away and replaced with a stylish new look, all shiny surfaces, slick, clean lines and potted orchids.
We visited during Ramadan, when a normally quiet early dinner slot was packed with people having breakfast. Chicken satay, the restaurant’s signature dish, may have become a predictable offering at any buffet over the past years, but this is the real thing and a serious cut above the catering version. Skewers of chicken come with a complex, spicy sauce based on peanuts but laced with chilli, lemongrass and coriander. It’s a clever, sharp and intense mix, served with slices of raw red onion and cucumber for extra kick and crunch. Main courses were aromatic and unusual: nasi lemak is a strange, salty dish of steamed coconut rice with sambal prawn, fried anchovies, cucumber slices and a hard boiled egg. Gado gado is a mixed vegetable dish with rice cubes and tofu that comes with a super spicy peanut sauce. All delicious and unusual. But the menu is so varied that I’m going back very soon to try a whole new selection. l Pendle Harte