Harrods is one of the most well-know and well-respected department stores in not just London, but the world. Tourists flock to walk through it and locals spend much of their life in it – not to mention wealthy individuals who spend thousands of pounds in this store daily, keeping it alive. I myself have spent a good few times abusing my credit card here and am particularly partial to a regular visit of that chocolate hall, full of some of the finest confectionery from across the globe, and the smell – utter bliss. Next door you’ll find the deli, full of charcuterie, cheese, cakes and a fabulous little Thai restaurant called Mango Tree.
Mango Tree is a luxury Thai restaurant brand with two outlets in London, one in Belgravia and one in Harrods. We visited Mango Tree Harrods one Friday evening for a Thai foodie affair. It’s a great spot for people watching, made especially more fun with a glass of full-bodied viognier in hand. Food wise we wanted to order just about everything, but held back and ordered a modest few dishes to whet our appetite. The dim sum here is excellent and well worth ordering. The favourite from the dim sum selection were these glossy prawn dumplings with a light truffle infusion. Perhaps a little more truffle would have lifted them into something even more exciting, but they were still delicious as they were. Even better still was a cocktail glass filled with golden and crunchy fried lobster popcorn whose every bite leaves you drooling. It’s all finished off with a drizzle of sweet spicy mayonnaise – the stuff of dreams.
One dish that deserves a very special mention indeed were these jaw droppingly beautiful grilled king prawns with a Thai chu chee curry sauce, florets of juicy bok choy and slices of fiery hot chilli. Four gigantic king prawns sat centre stage, with just the tail shell left on for easy eating. Each was perfectly cooked, meaty and bursting with flavour – only complimented by that spicy and thick Thai curry sauce. Such a lovely plate of food and while a little on the pricey side, it was well worth every penny.
Mango Tree Harrods doesn’t serve dessert, but you can finish up on a refreshing tea or a Champagne cocktail. With a little room left we carried on down the savoury route with a small plate jam-packed with thin slices of pork drizzled in a meaty soy dressing and crisp side salad. A nice dish from Mango Tree but this really needed to be of the belly kind to make it all that little bit more indulgent.
Mango Tree Harrods really shows just that the impossible, is possible – quality food in a department store. London is still going through its foodie boom right now and shopping centres/department stores are still very (mostly) stuck behind, but Harrods are leading the way with so many new quality restaurants. If you’re looking for a plate of mouth-watering prawns, quality dim sum, people watching and far too much shopping then Mango Tree Harrods is the place for you. It’s great fun and the service is fantastic.
I was invited to review
