Mantanah

It would be all too easy & a little heartbreaking to walk past Mantanah’s ordinary facade without realising that behind it is one of south London’s best Thai restaurants. Veggie food is a strong point, with amusingly named dishes such as ‘copy cat’, a red curry with mock duck (made from bean curd) & pineapple in a coconut-based sauce, & ‘black magic’, a merger of aubergine & mock chicken in a black bean sauce. Fish devotees will feel spoiled by fried tilapia doused in a sour, spicy sauce, while diners with a high tolerance for heat will have it put to a satisfying test with the fiery green chicken curry. Service is friendly, with a convivial atmosphere to match.