Asian paradise!

Hello everyone! I hope you are well and enjoying the nice weather! Here in London, it’s been pleasantly warm and sunny for the past 3 days and I don’t want to say anything else, in case I jinx it! Is anyone hungry yet? (This is what happens, Sophie, when you have to write the blog on a Saturday late morning…) There’s a place in Colindale, which is a very welcome surprise for us, here in NW London. It is called Bang Bang and it is the largest (at least that’s what they claim on the website, which is believable just from the sheer size of it) Oriental food hall in London.

I discovered Bang Bang recently, back in November when I went there for a date and last week we visited again. As soon as you get in the food hall, it feels so overwhelming! Over 20 stalls and a lot of people and smells (and let’s not even talk about food choices), you just want to try everything all at once! At least that was what I wanted to do back in November. There are Malaysian, Filipino, Thai, Korean, Indian, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese stalls there offering a wide selection of food. You can have dumplings or sushi, Pad Thai or Vietnamese rolls and noodle soups. You just have to come with an empty stomach, as I can honestly say that you will fill up quickly.

The first time I was there I tried Pad Thai from Little Thai Silk (because for one I was craving Pad Thai and secondly I thought I would play safe). The portion was huge and for the amount I had to pay, I had no complaints whatsoever. This time though, I didn’t have any specific craving, so I tried stir fried udon with mixed seafood from Ichiban. My friend also picked that stall, so he tried stir fried udon with chicken teriyaki, because he thought he would play safe this time. We also picked some fried chicken wings from Ramen Samurai Ryu, because we were starving!

Our plates were ready within 10-15 minutes and they were delicious. The only downside is that our chicken wings were a tad salty, but who cares? As before, the food was excellent and there were so many people around, you could people-watch as well. After our dinner we went for an ice-cream at Monster Bites, but because I was so pleasantly full, I decided not to go for a traditional Bubble Wrap with ice-cream and toppings, but instead chose a cup with two scoops (I know, I know I was so full, I couldn’t eat the cone with two scoops). But next time, I definitely want to get my claws in this bubble wrap with ice-cream as it looks amazing. And you know what? Nothing was pre-made! I have been to other food stalls in London and when you ask them for waffles, they have them pre-made and just heat them up. Here the lady had the batter ready and cooked the bubble wrap/waffles right in front of my eyes!

There are still though some stalls I want to try! First of all, next time I want to pick something from Wonderful Patisserie, which is on the left of the entrance to the food hall, because it looks decadent from where I stand. I also want to try Taiwanese Street Food, Umi for some maki and maybe japanese grill at Yaki Ya. I am telling you, this is the best place you can be to eat as much Asian food as you want in your life! I have made a promise to myself to come back sometime next month, because the food is fantastic and the atmosphere is convivial and nice. Of course, being so close to my place is not a deterrent either! And let’s not forget the Golden Dragon Restaurant on the ground floor or the huge oriental supermarket right next to Bang Bang (which I think it’s called Loon Fung? Please let me know if I’m wrong!)! Or in case you want to lose some of the calories, don’t forget there’s also the RAF Museum quite close (not even half an hour on foot, 15 minutes with public transport and 5 minutes if you drive).

You can find all the necessary information about Bang Bang here. If you are in the neighbourhood, do come visit, the food is fantastic. I cannot recommend it enough!