All across London there so many restaurants offering a variety of cuisines and fusions that sometimes it can be overwhelming. You can be whisked away to a far continent within minutes whilst tucking into everything from street food to food on a stick, from a greasy spoon to fine dining, from pub grub to contemporary modern cuisine. Luckily, we’ve discovered a hidden gem and we cannot wait to share it with you.

A short walk from Waterloo Station and the South Bank, hides Sticky Mango restaurant and it is one of London’s best-kept secrets. Chef owner Peter Lloyd creates modern interpretations on South East Asian cuisine. Sticky Mango was awarded Best Fusion at the 2019 Golden Chopstick Awards.

REVIEW OF THE STICKY MANGO, LONDON - SOUTH EAST ASIAN CUISINE

Sticky Mango makes an impression from the first moment you set foot inside. Three floors of beautiful dining space hits you. You enter on Level 1 for reception, whilst the ground floor is home to the kitchen, bar and a private dining space. On level 2, where we were sat, is the gorgeous bright pink, in full bloom, Cherry Tree that takes centre stage and fills your vision. Orchids and natural materials make for a very peaceful, ambient space even when its busy.

We were there to try out the Tasting Menu; a sharing menu costing £45pp for 9 courses.

MALAYSIAN CHICKEN CURRY PUFFS with a coriander yoghurt dipping sauce and crispy curry leaves.

We were off to a great start, falling instantly in love with the curry puffs. The pastry was flaky stuffed full of a slightly spicy chicken mix. Every element on this dish worked so well and particularly loved how the coriander dipping sauce cooled down the palate but also enhanced the depth of spices in this dish.

THAI GREEN MANGO SALAD with candied ginger dressing and cashew nuts.

This dish and the prawns were served together and now we know why. They work as a pair. The Mango salad is refreshing compared to the heat from the prawns. So many gorgeous ingredients in the salad, retaining the crunch.

BLACK PEPPER PRAWNS with dehydrated pineapple, jicama and pea shoots.

Black pepper prawns were cooked to perfection with just the right level of pepperiness; and the pineapple played an important role in creating a sweet spice flavour fusion. Sublime!

WOK FRIED MONKFISH with Malaysian chilli sauce, sauteed bok choi and apple blossom

The monkfish was well cooked and fell apart; it held onto the chilli sauce well. Unfortunately, we felt the Pak Choi needed cooked a wee while longer as it retained too much bite and was a little stingy in sections.

TENDERSTEM BROCCOLI with water chestnuts, shitake mushrooms and oyster sauce.

This was a big hit at our table and turned out to be the favourite dish of a non- broccoli eater! Crunchy and luxuriously coated in a delectable sauce. A must order, must eat dish!

MAMAK BBQ CHICKEN with charred long beans and pickled red onion salad.

Unfortunately, this was the only dish we can’t shout about. The chicken, although tender was terribly bland. Reading it on the menu and even looking at it, you’d never guess that compared with the other dishes, this would be the one that we least enjoyed.

TRUFFLE EGG FRIED RICE with leeks and truffle paste

If you do book at Sticky Mango, and if you choose the A La Carte or the Tasting Menu, do yourself a favour, and make sure this is coming to your table. This truffle rice with fried egg is a must have when you visit! It’s such an unexpected combination of flavours but they really work.

STICKY MANGO with black sticky rice, mango sorbet, candy floss and coconut cream.

Their signature dish which is served with a little theatre table side. A teapot pouring coconut cream dissolves the candy floss to reveal this savoury yet sweet dessert. It is so delicious.

PANDAN MACARON WITH KAYA JAM, soy sauce and caramel ice cream.

Onto the last dish of the menu and another favourite. The soy sauce and the caramel ice cream is such a weird but surprising combination. An absolute genius move!

The dishes are inspired and you can immediately see the huge influence Peter’s regular travels to Bali, Singapore and Philippines have on the menu here.

We loved our lunch here. All portions in the menu were really generous and genuinely excellent value for money. The service was friendly, attentive but unobtrusive and the food delivered in quick succession to the table. Like many restaurants across the UK at the moment, all are suffering from a lack of staff, and this was evident with one server for 12 of the tables that were dining during a busy lunch; so I can’t stipulate enough - be kind. All of hospitality are trying their best.

We highly recommend Sticky Mango, and it will not be the last time we visit.

Sticky Mango, 33 Coin Street, London, SE1 9NR www.stickymango.co.uk

My Spoon Award : Gold Spoon 9/10 - as reviewed by Kim Eagle, London TartanSpoonie

I was invited by Sticky Mango to review their menu. Food and drink were complimentary but the views are very much my own.