Champor-Champor has been on Time Out’s radar long before this stretch of the South Bank became trendy. With the Shard springing up nearby, it’s no longer off the beaten path, yet still feels like a hidden find. In Malay, ‘champor-champor’ means ‘mix and match’, and it’s a fitting name for both the interior and the menu. The walls are painted in vibrant shades and hung with colourful masks, and there’s carved teak galore, plus winking candles and acres of Thai silk. The place exudes a yogic calm.
The cooking is described as ‘Thai-Malay’, but influences reach beyond this south-east Asian peninsula, unashamedly fusing East and West with the likes of gruyère cheese and lime with river prawns, served with wasabi-spiked potato salad. What could end up being a backpackerish mash-up is sophisticated and creative. Fish dishes are well rendered, as in a main course of Malaysian-style red snapper; the fillets halved and served atop twin pools of kicking-hot sambal sauce.
Vegetarians needn’t go hungry; a vegan starter of green papaya som tam with tofu, cashew nuts and star fruit was suitably spicy (though not great value at £6.95). Desserts – steamed taro and black rice pudding, say, or chocolate-chilli cheesecake – are more than an afterthought.