Farang London

Farang ฝรั่ง

Seb began his cheffing career at the age of thirteen, training in British cuisine before falling for Thai food during a tour of Asia in 2008.

On returning to London Sebby started working at Jane Alty’s acclaimed The Begging Bowl , before moving to 2015’s most lauded new opening, Smoking Goat , Soho, where he spent more than a year as head chef.In 2016, Farang was born, seeing Seb team up with Dan Turner to host a series of pop-ups, supper clubs and private catering events before bringing their residency to Street Feast .

2017 saw Farang adopt San Daniele , Highbury, as a longer term location, prior to announcing it at their new permanent home.

http://www.faranglondon.co.uk

Farang's Highbury Residency Extended to January 2018 - Eater ...

Seb Holmes — the chef and owner of Thai pop-up Farang — has told Eater that his residency at San Daniele in Highbury will be extended at least until January 2018.

Holmes is among the milieu of so-called Nu-Thai chefs — together with Kiln and Smoking Goat’s Ben Chapman and Som Saa’s Mark Dobie and Andy Oliver — who have completely re-energised the cuisine in London over the past two years.

Holmes was part of the small team that opened Smoking Goat in 2015, but before that had worked at what is arguably the progenitor of London’s renascent Thai scene — The Begging Bowl in Peckham.

“Farang” — which, appropriately — basically means “foreigner cooking Thai,” began as a street food operation, evolved into a supperclub and private catering business, and at the start of this year arrived, with semi-permanence, at Holmes’ step-father’s Italian restaurant, which had recently closed.

It was the first pop up for years that felt underground, such was the bizarre juxtaposition of hyper-seasonal, largely very authentic Thai food being run out in a dated neighbourhood Italian restaurant in a suburban part of north London.

Farang review – Highbury hinterland Thai residency becomes ...

This dish wasn’t just fish and curry sauce though – more layers of taste and texture came from crisp spherical Thai baby aubergines, pepper corns, fragrant holy basil and sharp galangal.

Thin yet creamy, the curry sauce was also peppery, herby sweet and laced with sharp, zingy galangal.

Oddly for a curry, both generally and specifically when compared to Farang’s other curries, the centre of attention here was the meat rather than the sauce.

Although there was some joy to be had in the sweet, almost chip shop-style curry sauce, I just didn’t enjoy this dish anywhere as much as my dining companions did.

While we all studiously ignored the guttural rumbles of pleasure coming from his end of the table, I was taken in by the slightly sweet and nutty curry sauce.

Farang | A Thai Restaurant From A Former Som Saa & Smoking ...

The next chapter takes place in his stepdad’s old restaurant and one of Farang’s previous supper-club haunts, San Daniele in Highbury.

But after a quick spruce (and hopes to gain planning permission to double the size in future), it’s ready to host Farang once again – only this time as a fully-fledged restaurant, with a 6 month residency.

And so to, THE FOOD Everything’s served in both small and larger plate portions, so you can mix  match fragrant stews like Cornish mussels in a coconut-scented green curry broth; spicy meat dishes like flat iron-grilled beef steak with roasted chilli jaew (a kind of dipping sauce); and fresh veggie options like aromatic crispy wontons and dipping vegetables.

On the side, you’ll find pillowy turmeric butter roti and pickles, and for dessert there’s an array of Asian-inspired sweets – including homemade cashew praline with green tea ice cream, and fresh doughnut filled with crabapple jam.

Farang | San Daniele, 72 Highbury Park, N5 2XE Like contemporary Thai street food?

Farang | North London | Restaurant Reviews | Hot Dinners

Farang review

Chef Seb Holmes has previously showcased his idiosyncratic takes on Thai street food at the lovely Begging Bowl in Peckham.

This community of enthusiasts has blessed London with a network of restaurants all feeding off and from each other, heralding what feels like a genuine renaissance in Thai food in the capital.

‘Lon’ is, we learn, a coconut cream-based curry containing minced pork belly, seafood, white pepper and a host of other Thai herbs and spices.

The speed at which London has got used to the new reality of great Thai restaurant options is surprising, yet inevitable given the ability of Holmes and his kin to present Thai food in such exciting and accessible (and, importantly, affordable) ways.

It is fantastic that we have places like Farang, and Smoking Goat, and Som Saa, each a slap in the face to every lazy branch of Thai Square or box of Pad Thai slapped onto the back of a Deliveroo driver, but let’s hope we never take such places for granted.

Farang: Spice, rice and all things nice | London Evening Standard

“White boy cooks Thai food” is the way Seb Holmes, head chef and founder of the north London restaurant Farang, puts it.

But given that the premises of Farang the restaurant — there are also concurrent Farang street food appearances at Dinerama and Hawker House — housed the Italian restaurant San Daniele that belongs to Holmes’s stepfather Marco, the promised six-month residency could well extend.

Wild betel leaf wraps of prawn and pomegranate listed as miang bites (vegetarian option £1 less) are absolutely the way to start the meander through Farang’s small and large plates.

At one meal the grilled fish small plate — a relative term; servings are generous — is mackerel, at another sardines, both dressed with a wild ginger nam jin jaew (sweet and sour Thai dipping sauce) and Asian herbs.

Coconut milk and cream is the smiling guide to sweeter southern and Bangkok Thai food, as opposed to the more austere cooking of the north.

Farang | Restaurants in Highbury, London

What matters is this: Farang serves some of the most tastebud-smashing Thai food that north London has seen in years.

Depth, intensity and alternating waves of heat, salt and sweet.

The plump, juicy little Cornish bottom-feeders come in a deliciously fiery green curry base, liberally strewn with mandolin-thin slivers of lemongrass, chilli and shallot.

But – and this is important – remember that Farang is a pop-up.

Some dishes are on the sugary side: there’s definitely room for improvement.