Restaurants

There’s something for everyone at Lombok, with its pleasing, colonial-lite ambience and a menu that covers almost every interpretation of popular South-east Asian cuisine – from Chinese seafood noodles to Thai green and red curries and Vietnamese lettuce wraps. Thailand dominates, unsurprisingly, as that’s where the charming staff and owner hail from. Ingredients are fresh and well-sourced, and the kitchen doesn’t use MSG. It’s nice to see more unusual dishes listed, like gaeng karee (a yellow, mild Thai curry, similar to massaman). Salt and pepper squid was mouth-wateringly delicious, and we enjoyed nibbling the deep-fried, coconut-and-breadcrumb-coated balls of minced prawn on chewy sugar-cane sticks, served with chilli sauce. Burmese rangoon curry was a real hit: fresh fish cooked in coconut milk flavoured with cumin, lime leaves and star anise. Speciality rices include a flavourful garlic and sweet red pepper combo. To finish, puddings go beyond the usual sorbets and ices. Thai-style custard cooked with palm sugar was a thick, syrupy treat, surrounded by fresh tropical fruit – the perfect conclusion to a mouth-tingling meal.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009