Victoria has long been a bit of a dead zone, but if it ever gets its much-touted new lease of life as a destination for dining (the new Nova Food quarter will certainly help), it’ll probably need a reliable Thai place. Which is where this new branch of Rosa’s might well have stolen a march.
Just down from the station, on the corner of Wilton Road and Gillingham Street, the sign on the wall reads ‘Born in the east, raised in the East End’, a nod to the owner’s heritage and to the Brick Lane street food stall that kicked the whole thing off. But this is no humble caff. Instead, it’s clean-lined and airy, with contemporary (if slightly formulaic) decor.
Equally, most of what I tried – chicken wings, a butternut squash red curry and a flat-noodle beef stir fry, all marked as ‘recommended’ on the menu – was fine, but a little paint-by-numbers. I did, though, find it much easier to get enthusiastic about an excellent northern-style spicy sausage, filled with fiery chilli heat and bucketloads of fragrance from lemongrass and coriander. I’d probably nip back for that if I was passing.