Eating in London: Champor Champor

I'm back again with another post in my Eating in London series showing you where's good to eat for all of us vegetarians and pescetarians in the city! This time I'm talking an AMAZING Thai/Malay fusion restaurant and I'm going to start with a bit of a spoiler and announce that this is my new favourite restaurant. I never say this, in fact I can only think of one other place I ever say this about (and thats The Diner which will always have a place in my heart) so all I can say is that I don't say this lightly as I'm a total foodie and love trying out new places and so I feel like that says it all about how much I do actually like it. 

Champor Champor is based in London Bridge so really easy to get to. It's not cheap, but trust me it's so worth it and as a student I'd never say that. A kind of treat-yourself restaurant for a special occasion dinner (though saying that, their lunch menu is a lot more affordable)! Upon arrival you're greeted with a gorgeous and quaint restaurant, perfect for a date night! The decor is gorgeous and I fell in love. Very different from the usual chain restaurants and I think that's why I loved it so much. I am a massive fan of Thai food and anything with a Thai flavoruing usually has me hook line and sinker (remember back to the Thai soup in my Ping Pong Dim Sum review?) so of course I was drawn to the  more thai infused options on the menu. Firstly we tried out the drinks they had on offer, both going for the Pineapple Mint Tea (pictured above last). This was so refreshing and though I wasn't sure what to expect, a cold mint tea with pineapple in, it really was heavenly and the flavours worked so well together. A great addition, we were brought over some appetisers of Banana Bread with Soy dipping sauce and a Crab Paste Spring Roll (pictured third). These were greatly welcomed and tasted amazing. Again I really wasn't sure what to expect, banana bread and soy sauce?! Sounds terrible but tasted really great. I think the salty-ness of the sauce balanced out the sweetness of the bread making it a great appetiser alongside the beautifully flavoured spring rolls. Delicious! 

For start we got the Thai Style Lemongrass soup (pictured second) and the Crispy Soft Shell Crab, Five Spice and Salt and Pepper (pictured first), and oh boy was it heavenly. We were torn between these and the Green Papaya, Crispy Tofu, Pomegranate Somtam with Roasted Cashew Nuts and the River Prawn Gratin with Gruyere, Lime Sauce and Wasabi Potato Salad but the soup and the crab won. Honestly though, I fell in love with the soup. I almost feel like love is putting it lightly. It was amazing. Perfectly spiced with the just the right amount of heat, prawns and other vegetables in this gorgeous soup. I need it again, now please? The crab was also amazing with the chilli and onion giving it a gorgeous flavour. 

For mains we went for the Pan Fried Red Snapper, Malaysian Sambal Sauce with Squid Ink Linguine and the King Prawn Green Curry, Asparagus and Butternut Squash with a side of Coconut Rice. Again we were torn, making our descision between those and the Roasted Monkfish, Spinach and Ricotta Ravioloni with a Mango Puree Red Curry or the King River Prawn Yellow Tumeric Curry with Egg Cream and Celery but again the snapper and green curry won and we made sure to try out a more Malaysian Dish and a Thai one also. They both were amazing and honestly I'm not just saying that. The portion sizes were deceivingly large and we both struggled. The Red Snapper went perfectly with the Sambal Sauce and the Squid Ink Linguine was amazing. It's actually unlike anything I've ever tried before and I always go by the 'would I have it again test' and yes, yes I would. Onto the King Prawn Green Curry and oh my god, the prawns. I've only ever seen them this size before once and they tasted so good. Two prawns might not sound like a generous portion but when they are this size trust me it was the biggest struggle and I can't even tell you how guilty I felt leaving some as I was so full. The sauce and the vegetables were amazing. I fell in love all over again. We were unfortunately too full to try out the deserts, but maybe next time right? And if the rest of the meal was anything to go by then I can only imagine how delicious they would be. 

I know I say this often, I guess it's kind of becoming a bit of thing, but I would do anything to be sat here eating it all over again. The flavours were unlike anything I'd had before and I honestly don't have a bad word to say about the place. The service, the location, the decor and the food were all amazing. If you do happen to be visiting before the 13th of April, be sure to share a picture using #ChamporChampor as you could win a meal for two at their Thai New Year Celebrations on the 13th! I can only imagine how fun that would be as they will be having a live performance of Earn Thai Dancing with Thai blessings. So traditional and I think it would make the dinner that bit more exciting. I need to go back again asap. to try out those other dishes that caught my eye (and perhaps re-order a few favourites). Again I'll say it, this is my new favourite restaurant and it's definitely one I'd love to go to on a special occasion again or just to sort out my cravings for that amazing Thai soup! 

Have you visited Champor Champor before? 

Lorna x

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