Review: Rosa's Thai Cafe

On a recent trip to Brick Lane my friends and I noticed Rosa's Thai Cafe. It's a tiny cozy restaurant right beside Poppie's, my favourite fish and chips restaurant. Last Sunday I was desperately craving for Thai curry and got some friends and headed to Rosa's. The restaurant was packed when we arrived. The server invited us to go downstairs and sit down while waiting for a table. It didn't take long until we were back upstairs and sat on a table of six with two strangers. Yes, we shared the table with a couple. It was awkward. It looked like they were on a date and I felt like we were intruding. I also noticed that other parties shared tables as well. So be prepared to share your table when you go to Rosa's. Anyway, the menu looked amazing. I wasn't sure if I should go with Rosa's green curry or the pumpkin red curry. I had never heard of pumpkin curry so I decided to try it out. My friends went with Pad Thai, green curry with seafood and green curry with chicken. 

Pumpkin Red Curry

 Pad Thai and Shrimp

Green Curry and Chicken

Green Curry and Seafood

The curries were fantastic. They were creamy, comforting and fragrant. The pumpkin and curry were a perfect match. I definitely made the right choice to go with red curry and highly recommend it. I loved the basil in the green curry. It really stood out as it should but usually doesn't in most green curries I've tried. The Pad Thai was flavourful and a favourite as well. 

We also went with jasmine rice and steamed rice.

The jasmine rice was excellent, except that it wasn't jasmine rice. It lacked fragrance. It seemed like regular rice. I didn't try the sticky rice, but my friend who had it with green curry and chicken enjoyed it very much.

As for drinks we went with coconut water. I love coconut water, especially when it comes with the pulp. However, the coconut water at Rosa's was too sweet and I don't recommend it. 

I also need to mention that my plate wasn't clean and I had to ask for a replacement. No apology. That's unfortunate. 

The service was quick and the servers were helpful and respectful. 

I enjoyed the relaxed and inviting atmosphere, especially the Christmas decorations: 

Overall, I was very pleased with my meal and I do recommend Rosa's. It's not perfect, but it offers delicious food and nice service. Make sure to check out the website, especially the blog section where you'll find cooking tutorials and recipes. I just wish the website had some information about Rosa, her cooking and her story. Rosa's Thai Cafe has three locations in London: Spitalfields, Westfield Stratford and Soho. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Rosa's Thai Cafe

http://rosaslondon.com/

H & H