Lahpet West End
Covent Garden, London
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Having hit the jackpot with their Burmese restaurant in Shoreditch, Dan Anton and Zaw Mahesh have brought their winning ways to Covent Garden – although Lahpet West End is a very different beast to the original. Occupying two floors in the new, glitzy The Yards development, it comes with a heated terrace, open kitchen and a cocktail bar on each level. Festooned with plants and pickling jars, it’s a world away from ‘economically ravaged Myanmar’, although the food is fiercely authentic. Those who have eaten at the original will recognise quite a few dishes on the menu, including lahpet thohk (a crunchy salad imbued with the ‘subtle aftertaste’ of pickled tea leaves). Also look for the golden-brown Shan tofu fritters stirred into life with tamarind dip or coconut noodles with chicken, paprika oil and crispy wonton. The new kitchen also sports a robata grill, which produces starry dishes such as succulent pork belly with crispy skin, its richness neatly offset by a dash of sour bamboo curry and dry-fermented soya bean paste. Service is laid-back, and so is the atmosphere. 'Lahpet' means 'tea', so it's no surprise that fragrant infusions crop up on the drinks list alongside east-west cocktails, craft beers and spice-friendly wines.
