Awana

Awana is a great night out. Stylish, inviting, and delicious. I think I have found THE Asian place for London. It's so good that I might actually pay it a repeat visit!

Food

The food was exceptional, everything was so delicious, I had to resist the urge to lick the plate clean to get that last bit of sauce! Order the roti canai - traditional Malaysian style flat bread, made from a traditional family recipe, plain (£5.00), garlic (£5.50), fresh herbs (£5.50), with your choice of either red curry sauce or dahl curry sauce (v), and watch the chef make it fresh on the plasma screen.

I don't know if it's because it's fresh, but these are the best darn roti I've had (though I haven't been to Malaysia) and the sauce really is something else.

The other entrees were just as good. The salad sajian laut (£9.50) - tiger prawns tails and crab meat with pomelo and green mango reminded me of a papaya salad. The seafood nice and fresh, the dressing sour and tangy, the mango flesh inviting. ketam lembut lada hitam (£10.50) - peppered soft shell crab served with stir fried greens in chilli jam was served up as a whole crab. The crab itself taste very similar to the Japanese variety, it was the sauce, again, that made all the difference. The same story goes for the satay corn-fed chicken (£7.80) - served with our house made spicy peanut sauce. The chicken is grilled in the "grill bar", and that sauce, just made me want to drink the whole dish worth.

Shan ordered a laksa (£14.80) - crab meat, prawn, corn fed chicken, tofu and bean sprout served with vermicelli noodles and a mild broth of lemongrass, curry leaf and coconut. We didn't share it, but I did taste the broth. This is definitely up there in the laksa hall of fame. Although I hadn't had laksa for so long I might be a bit bias. kari ayam (£13.50) - corn fed chicken curry with coconut, potato and snake beans was the recommendation from our waiter. This one is simple but satisfying. My order was the ikan panggang (£14.50) - chargrilled butterfish wrapped in banana leaf with lemongrass, coriander and chilli served with shallot and cucumber salad, which, like most things that are wrapped, was moist and tender, and the dressing was superb, not too overwhemling for the fish. The udang galah cha kuew teow (£22.00) - sea food and lobster, cha kuew teow was sensational. The presentation included the lobster shell, and the meat and the juice combined in the sauce...heaven. We even chose a cool vegetable dish, the aubergine with spicy sauce, quite pungent, delicious aubergine that still retains some bite. We washed it all down with nasi lemak (£3.00) - coconut rice. The only disappointment was the cocktail - pricey and not worth the money, I hope it was because I ordered the wrong thing, as the bar is very inviting. Slokky again had his mocktail. The virgin colada (£6.00) - pineapple juice with coconut and cream was really sweet and boring, but I blame him for getting such a boring drink. I had the rumbutan fantasy (£8.00) - rumbutan juice, vodka, blue curarcao, which was nice and sour, but not anything spectacular. Meza do their cocktails better.

Rating - 8.5

Atmosphere

The front room is dominated by the dimly lit bar with low stools and candlelight. The dining area consists of some banquette seatings, large round tables, and of course, the grill bar, where plasma screens show the chefs in action. The place was packed on a Wednesday night, and I can see why. Interior consists of clean line with dim light and candles.

Rating - 2.5

Service

The waiters were charming and made some excellent recommendation. Before I came, I was called twice to confirm my booking and my credit cards details taken. They really made sure that you turned up, and I guess that's why. The waiters are pretty accommodating though, and are keen to help you put together a menu and they have personal recommendations and seem to all enjoy their jobs, which is a surprise and a delight.

Rating - 4

C-factor

I thought the drinks were outrageous at Meza, but they are even more expensive here, so I guess that's the going price for the hip places. The food though, is worth every penny, so maybe they make their money in the drinks?

Rating - 1

Brownie Points - 16

Info

85 Sloane Avenue
London
SW3 3DX
Phone +44 (0) 20 7403 8403
Website