Ekachai is back, proving decent flavour more is accessible than ever with a fresh new look and great menu.
I was invited along to check out Ekachai's latest menu and restaurant opening in Wandsworth. I love that there's such a variety of food available here and with things like seafood laksa and beef rendang it's proving to be a real hit with the locals. So a re-fit and re-launch was bound to be popular!
Based on South East Asian recipes they aren't limited to just a few ideas, they've got loads of cuisines to choose from but have chosen not to over pack the menu, there's just enough for them to excel at, without becoming a 'master of none'. Many flavours cross countries though and there's more than a few firm favourites here, with some interesting new ideas too; softshell crab was lovely and served with a family friendly sambal too (they can sometimes be very spicy).
Light little tofu cubes, great to see chilli on these too - I always think it improves a dish.
In fact being such a family friendly place is certainly something I'd not expected, but with a really great and interesting children's menu, including Mini Pad Thai and Mini Noodle Soup, you're able to feed your kids proper food too!
Seafood Laksa. Always a hit with me, I love spice and this warming bowl was just the ticket.
Ekachai was founded in 1999 by two friends from Hong Kong who were unable to find their Asian street food favourites in London. Today they have two locations in London (Liverpool Street and Wandsworth) as well as concessions in Selfridges London and Birmingham. Following a complete refurbishment of their Liverpool Street location they are about to signal their new change by bringing their Wandsworth restaurant up to date with a complete new look and new menu.
Ekachai are all about REAL food, and it was great to see the Wor Tip fried dumplings, Siu Mai and summer rolls being made fresh right there. We even got a chance to turn our own hand at making them. @snigskitchen certainly impressed - she won a prize!
Thai beef in chilli paste - certainly tasty, and everyone dived in as soon as it arrived!
Here are some of the great new menu highlights.
New from Hong Kong:
Wor Tip fried dumplings; pan fried traditional Chinese dumplings with soy-vinegar dip available with both pork and vegetable fillings.
Char Sui Bao (becoming ever more popular in London); light and flufffy steamed Chinese buns filled with sweet roasted BBQ pork.
New from Thailand:
Kai Krapow; a classic Thai dish of ground chicken with chilli, fine beans, fragrant lime leaves and holy basil.
Thai beef salad; grilled and sliced sirloin steak with crunchy salad with a typical Thai spicy sour dressing.
New for desserts
Malaysian Pancake; a fried Roti Canai with condensed milk.
The kitchen kept dishing up amazing food.
Like this... roast duck, and char sui pork. OH MY. I may have eaten my bodyweight in this....
Remember those handmade fried dumplings being made in the photo above? - yup, not greasy at all and as light as you can imagine, and packed with yumminess. Yup - yumminess - it's a word now, and these are it.
It's no surprise there's so much flavour flying round this place, the number and variety of herbs in really shows they love real ingredients, and how much difference it makes.
Ekachai is a refreshing change to the usual choices when you're out, if you're shopping or going to the movies, I know I'd go for this over the alternatives! They also do takeout so you can get all this great goodness infront of the TV too!
Web: www.ekachai.co.uk
Ekachai Wandsworth
Unit 205 Upper Concourse
Southside Shopping Centre
Wandsworth SW18 4TE
020 8871 3888
