Bargain Bite: Cats Cafe des Artistes

Bargain Bite!

So this month's find is a brilliant little family run Thai restaurant along Stroud Green Road in Finsbury Park - Cats.

When you first approach the restaurant you notice a panther jumping out of the sign above the entrance, then you get an eyeful from the interior design. There's garish animal print cushion covers and dark wood furniture. But despite the nonconformist decoration it's actually quite charming. Each table has a glass top with different currency notes underneath ranging from Sweden to Peru to New Zealand. There's also quite randomly an old 1920's style car to the left of the main door. Heck, why not?

Admittedly I kind of avoided it because it looked bizarre and only ate there earlier this month when Roman and I moved house. We were totally exhausted and needed sustenance. (Anyone who's moved before knows the drill - eat out or get takeaway, right?!) So we staggered round the corner to Cats and I'm so glad we did.

The food is incredibly modest for the price compared to the portions. I ordered the Massaman beef curry with sticky rice and had to ask for a doggy-bag because it was never ending. The beef was still a little pink which was spot on because beef in curries can be really dry and tough sometimes. The sauce was creamy with a satay-like flavour but with more spice.

Their fish dishes are also worth a try. The Pad se Ewe with prawns has nice fat prawns the size of big conkers and another dish to definitely order is the house special - or Cats Cafe des Artistes Special Fish if you want to be specific. It uses Tilapia fish which I'd never tried before and it's fairly sweet so goes well with a strong or hot sauce. It's more of a delicate white fish and is commonly eaten in Africa and I think you can easily buy it in quite a few fish mongers around town.

Tilapia - Cats Cafe des Artistes Special Fish

Pad se Ewe with Prawns

I've since been back to have one of their lunchtime specials which was vegetable spring rolls to start followed by Amber Chicken Curry (essentially Thai yellow curry) and boiled rice, all for £7.95! Absolute bargain.

You can also order pots of tea to share for two quid which are served in authentic Thai pottery that you'd probably find on local market stalls in Bangkok.

Lunch or dinner - Cats is great value for money.

Busaba Eathai - Store Street

Busaba Eathai is a big favourite of mine. Great tasting Thai, served quickly, presented well and great value. It's owned by Alan Lau* who brought us the booming brand Wagamama and has the same concept - to enjoy a substantial meal, a choice of creative recipes and quick service.

And now there's a new branch right near Tottenham Court Road on Store Street. It's conveniently on a corner tucked away from the main road so it's not as busy as the original branch on Wardour Street, well known for it's lengthy queues any night of the week.

The great thing about Busaba is that it hasn't gained such popularity or expanse as Wagamama so there's a little more attention to detail. The design of the restaurants is warmer, inviting and rather than sitting at benches with randoms you eat at tables (sometimes with randoms).
The food is served in interesting crockery to give the impression they're what would be used in an authentic eatery in Thailand. If you order green tea in Wagamama you get a little white cup of tea...when you order tea at Busaba Eathai you get a lovely pot of Cha accompanied by a coconut and cashew cookie!


On a recent visit I had the rose apple with chicken stir-fry plus some jasmine rice. It ma sound like a mild dish but it's hot and packed with spice and flavour but calmed down by the rose apple. To be fair- most of the dishes include chilli which is in keeping with the way people cook in Thailand whether in restaurants or home cooking.


The jungle curry is also amazing. Creamy curry sauce with chargrilled chicken and aubergine plus some veg and of course a smack of chilli! It's really filling so maybe one to share between two with some Chinese broccoli?




If you've not been to Busaba, you must, and if you've only been to the Wardour Street branch and were put off by the queuing then I suggest heading to a different area. Store Street is great, there's a new one on Panton Street and they're about to open one around Old Street.

* Will the Alan Lau franchise ever end? Probably not with the affordable success of Wagamama, the Thai version Busaba Eathai and a similar project Cha Cha Moon. But Lau also has a great reputation for upmarket fine dining with Sake No Hana and his superb (but expensive) highly credited restaurant, Hakkasan. In a way I hope Busaba doesn't become as popular as Wagamama resulting in a mass expansion across the country because the character and attention to detail might get lost in the hustle of fast-food service.