Pacata

Pacata describes itself as Asian fusion comfort food and the restaurant has a nice rustic feel to it with lots of wood and drinks that come in jars rather than glasses. I particularly liked the pinboard map of the world with hundreds of Polaroids pinned to it and the mismatched lights hanging from the ceilings.
The menu is quite small but varied; burgers, noodles and pasta are all available but a little bit different from what you would expect. My friend opted for the Thai curry burger and said that the sauce gave it just the right amount of kick rather than being too spicy.
Whereas I went for the seared sea bass with green curry sauce. The fish was cooked beautifully and the vegetables went really well with it. I was also really glad that the sauce came in its own little jug as boy does it pack a punch. I barely used any of it and still chugged three glasses of water by the time I’d finished my plate.
The bill arrived, rather excitingly, inside an old book which really added to the charm of the place. The prices are very reasonable for central London and the service was good. We were mainly left in peace to get on with chatting rather than being interrupted every five seconds to see if everything is OK like a lot of other places can be if they’re quiet. It’s definitely somewhere I would return to again and I’d recommend checking it out if you’re in the area and looking for something with a twist.

Restaurant sympathique à la déco un peu vintage. L’ambiance est agréable avec ses petites lampes et la lumière tamisée.
On est accueilli rapidement et installé au fond de la petite salle. Il y a une grosse vingtaine de places si je me souviens bien et on peut y manger seule ou en petit groupe.
Les recettes sont orientées thaï mais on peut y manger des burgers et hot-​dog !
J’ai testé le délicieux Pacata Burger qui est composé d’un bon pain tendre, de crabe en tempura, de tomate/​salade et d’une Mayo épicé. Le tout accompagné de frites de patates douces.
Le Vietnamese Bahn Mi était bof par contre. C’était sensé être une sorte de hot-​dog dans une baguette française mais le pain était atroce. L’intérieur était très bon cependant (boeuf yakiniku, onion et Mayo).
Bref, plaisant mais pas sublime. Évitez le Bahn Mi et tout ira bien !

They had a flash deal, 2 courses for £7.95, it was good value. Service is good, food is ok. Ideal for pre-​theatre quick bite

We happened to be in Covent Garden the same week I read about this new Asian fusion joint in Mr Hyde. How could we say no to a Michelin-​starred ramen chef?
First impression is the very Pinterest-​esque interior of this place. This place looks like it could be filed under someone’s board for «Farm House Wedding», not an Asian-​inspired eatery in Central London. See: chunky wooden tables, barn doors with big iron handles, lots of iron accents, vintage cut-​glass ornamental chandeliers, farmhouse tables and wooden antique chairs and, of course, mason jar drinks. Cute, but doesn’t really fit the menu.
Small space on ground level and few more tables downstairs. If it were packed (it had a few customers but not super busy on Saturday afternoon) it would feel pretty cramped in there if full. LIke Bubble Dogs cramped.
Food was pretty good. I kept eyeing the pad thai, but just couldn’t reconcile the £14.95 price tag on it (not a traditional pad thai — made with squid ink tagliatelle, which is interesting but just couldn’t do it). So instead opted for beef stir fry with jasmine rice (£10.95; optional naan bread instead of rice). Mine wasn’t super special. Beef felt tough/​chewy and glaze was a bit heavy on the Worcestershire type of flavour — just sort of salty and bitter. This isn’t something I usually order, so maybe this is right on point, but it didn’t do it for me.
We had a vegetarian in our group and were told that virtually anything could be made veg-​friendly (usually by subbing tofu for any meat). However, our veg diner simply built a meal out of sides, of which you could get 3 for £10.
Everyone else (3) had the burgers, and these are this place’s USP, I think. The Korean burger was perfectly cooked with curry sauce on it and additional for dipping your fries in. And the fries! Optional sweet potato AND option of two types of spicey powder to put on them — we had the tom yum and it was all excellent. Not too spicey overall for the dish, just perfect.
Service was excellent though a tad slow on the food orders coming out.
Trialed first as a pop up, and as the first Boon Rawd Brewery-​owned restaurant in London (makers of Singha), this place got A LOT of attention from food bloggers and magazines after opening last month.
But something just felt flat, or fell short for me. Perhaps because I was with a group that I felt that was less adventurous (hence the 3 burgers), I didn’t delve into the dishes that have been getting all the love online — the chicken satay or the DIY papaya salad. I’d like to go back with a table of foodies and just get a little of everything and some of those award-​winning mixologist cocktails.
So I’ll stand with 3 stars for now, but I fully expect this to be 5-​star favorite in the coming months!