Dinner at Ben Champan’s new Smoking Goat in Shoreditch is a far less stressful experience than at the original. Not that I don’t love the atmospheric Denmark Street site, but it’s a struggle to escape the darkness without covering yourself in crab and tripping over people on the way out. The new space on the corner of Redchurch Street is much roomier and better lit, looking like a cross between his other Thai joint, Kiln, and the stylish, industrial Smokestak a few streets away.
As the menu explains, Smoking Goat #2 “serves Thai drinking food and comfort food, inspired by the late night canteens of Bangkok”. Translation – they’ve got an exciting range of booze including a decent beer list and some intriguing spirits, and they are more than happy for you to snack away on barbecue Tamworth skewers and “economy” curries to your hearts content at standing tables in front of the eye-catching open kitchen. We opted to sit after a couple of drinks as we tucked into more serious plates of duck laab (a spicy minced meat salad of sorts, popular in Laos), and the standout barbecue goat massaman. Two sides you don’t want to miss are the zingy fried eggs and the lardo fried rice (served with hot nam prik chilli sauce for heat seekers) – in fact, these two dishes come in at under £8 together and are worthy of London Cheap Eats consideration. In general, the pricing is very reasonable and for once the “large plates” are actually, ya know, large. What else do you need to know? They take reservations, and breakfast and late night menus are on the way soon. Huzzah!
Smoking Goat – www.smokinggoatbar.com
64 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JJ
