Tuk Cho, Ealing
Authentic south-east Asian cuisine.
Review
You cannot possibly miss the colourful tuk-tuk enticing you into a
homely abode of exotic food. With rustic lamps and a street-market
themed decor, this restaurant is your one-stop-shop for all flavours
south-east Asian. Tuk Cho’s unpredictable menu got us sampling exotic
flavours from cardamom juice to citrus curries and lemongrass desserts.
Upon entering, you are greeted by the lovely aroma wafting from an open kitchen overlooking a huge open space with fun seating. Choose from benches to bar stools, all designed to resemble a south-east Asian street stall. Funky graffiti and blackboards scribbled with daily specials add an authentic tinge to Tuk Cho.
While the wine list was fairly standard, the beer selection does justice to Tuk Cho’s theme by housing brands like Singha, Beerlao and Hue. For those who want a tad merrier option try the Kingdom Pilsner beer, which is sure to pack a punch in your meal. Itchy’s selection of drinks was a gamble, but well worth it. We chose organic juices such as the mandarin cardamom ginger and lychee berry and basil, the flavours surprised us and tasted wonderfully fresh.
The menu is laden (and we mean laden) with choices ranging from authentic street food, noodles, curries, stir fries and yes, for all those who have the sniffles, go crazy with the soup noodles. Tuk Cho’s menu takes inspiration from purely south-east Asian flavours, for those of you who are bad with your geography that means Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia. So, to say you are spoilt for choice would be an understatement.
For the starters, we sampled the Karli buff. What’s that you ask? It’s a scrumptious spicy chicken pastry. We also got to taste the ayam goreng – a Malaysian delicacy of crunchy marinated chicken with tamarind sauce which left us craving for more.
Appetites whetted, Itchy moved on to the main course. The dish that gets a gold star is the daging rendang, a beef curry infused with tamarind, anise, cardamom and toasted coconut. Another dish which can make you salivate on demand is the kaeng phet pet pang, in simpler terms - a red curry with roast duck and lychee. Closely following behind was the nyonya, a citrus curry with lime leaf, tamarind and Asian aubergine.
With all these flavours, you would think we were too stuffed to have dessert. But have no fear, we boldly continued. Brace yourself for one of the most eclectic desserts we ever tried – lemongrass panna cotta! You heard right. The panna cotta tasted creamy and thick, without being too over powered by the lemongrass.
Itchy did some snooping around and found out that the dear little tuk-tuk, which stands proudly at the entrance, has made its journey all the way from Mumbai. What is more exciting to know is that it whizzes around London. Post-dinner found us admiring the colourful tuk-tuk which also doubles up as a photo booth - fun!
It’s a risky move to experiment with flavours and actually succeed; Tuk Cho is no exception in staying true to its south-east Asian roots. The price for two can be between £35-45 which Itchy thinks is a steal! However, with the wide menu selection do come here on an empty stomach, you have been warned.
Nirja Raju
Upon entering, you are greeted by the lovely aroma wafting from an open kitchen overlooking a huge open space with fun seating. Choose from benches to bar stools, all designed to resemble a south-east Asian street stall. Funky graffiti and blackboards scribbled with daily specials add an authentic tinge to Tuk Cho.
While the wine list was fairly standard, the beer selection does justice to Tuk Cho’s theme by housing brands like Singha, Beerlao and Hue. For those who want a tad merrier option try the Kingdom Pilsner beer, which is sure to pack a punch in your meal. Itchy’s selection of drinks was a gamble, but well worth it. We chose organic juices such as the mandarin cardamom ginger and lychee berry and basil, the flavours surprised us and tasted wonderfully fresh.
The menu is laden (and we mean laden) with choices ranging from authentic street food, noodles, curries, stir fries and yes, for all those who have the sniffles, go crazy with the soup noodles. Tuk Cho’s menu takes inspiration from purely south-east Asian flavours, for those of you who are bad with your geography that means Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia. So, to say you are spoilt for choice would be an understatement.
For the starters, we sampled the Karli buff. What’s that you ask? It’s a scrumptious spicy chicken pastry. We also got to taste the ayam goreng – a Malaysian delicacy of crunchy marinated chicken with tamarind sauce which left us craving for more.
Appetites whetted, Itchy moved on to the main course. The dish that gets a gold star is the daging rendang, a beef curry infused with tamarind, anise, cardamom and toasted coconut. Another dish which can make you salivate on demand is the kaeng phet pet pang, in simpler terms - a red curry with roast duck and lychee. Closely following behind was the nyonya, a citrus curry with lime leaf, tamarind and Asian aubergine.
With all these flavours, you would think we were too stuffed to have dessert. But have no fear, we boldly continued. Brace yourself for one of the most eclectic desserts we ever tried – lemongrass panna cotta! You heard right. The panna cotta tasted creamy and thick, without being too over powered by the lemongrass.
Itchy did some snooping around and found out that the dear little tuk-tuk, which stands proudly at the entrance, has made its journey all the way from Mumbai. What is more exciting to know is that it whizzes around London. Post-dinner found us admiring the colourful tuk-tuk which also doubles up as a photo booth - fun!
It’s a risky move to experiment with flavours and actually succeed; Tuk Cho is no exception in staying true to its south-east Asian roots. The price for two can be between £35-45 which Itchy thinks is a steal! However, with the wide menu selection do come here on an empty stomach, you have been warned.
Nirja Raju
