Crazy Bear
Thai
Whitfield St, Bloomsbury, London W1T 2RG
£££
The Crazy Bear Group do not full short of praise when it comes to their famous London restaurant and two luxurious hotels in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. A combination of English and Thai sets the scene, with both English and Thai restaurants being offered at the hotels, as well as Thai Massage and various evening activities, from live jazz to Ball's and circuses. I must admit, while looking online the Fitzrovia joint appeared to be a lavish palace: with red velvet steps descending into an underground haven of a cocktail bar...
Crazy Bear London is situated in suitably posh Fitzrovia - just a short walk away from Goodge Street tube 7 Tottenham Court Road. Despite the central location, Crazy Bear manages to hide itself on a sweet side street just off from a mews, helping you escape the London madness before you've even stepped foot in the place. The restaurant itself is big, with many different areas for seating. We were lucky to get our own little booth - away from everyone else. However, when I say little... I mean LITTLE - not so fab for a couple of giants like us. I must admit that the surroundings were also not as impressive as they appeared online either.
Despite being noticably upmarket and a bit extravagant, the waiting staff here were down to earth and friendly as could be. A particularly young crowd, we joked over which bottle of wine to order and our apparent fascination with the orb-like glued in the centre of the table. Being at a posh restaurant is sometimes enough to make anyone squirm, which is why when it has unpretentious staff who are able to take the piss out of the menu and themselves, it makes the whole experience a whole lot more relaxing and therefore enjoyable (ok, maybe not for the queen... but definitely for us!)
For food, we went for the tasting menu which consisted of Dumplings, Prawn Tempura, Chicken Satay, Crispy Duck Salad, Lamb Cutlets, Sea Bass, Sirloin Penang Curry, Choi Sum, Beansprouts and Jasmine Rice. The feat cost us £39 per person – an incredibly reasonable price in my opinions considering the sheer quantity of food, the quality of it and the restaurants surrounding and reputation. You won’t find a tasting menu anywhere else in London for cheaper than this, and the set up will be much less flashy than The Crazy Bear's decadence.
For the most part, the food was fantastic. The Lamb Cutlets were meaty, juicy and tender, and the Penang curry contained some melt in the mouth sirloin steak - a definite treat. Flavours for the whole menu were unquestionably Thai but with some original twists: the Penang curry containing the addition of lychees and grapes. The Prawn Tempura was by far the best I've ever had (and yes, I know I said that about Catford's Sapporo Ichiban in a recent post but this now takes the lead). There were, however, some less impressive dishes: the chicken satay was mediocre, and I've also tasted much better duck salads in both French and British restaurants.
Whilst the Crazy Bear is famous for its cocktails, these came in at a very steep £12.95. Once you'd ordered two of these, you may as well have got a bottle of wine to share - much better suited to the flavour-filled dishes, and will also keep you going much longer. We ordered a bottle of red for around £30, which was full bodied and really bloody good. When you consider that the overall bill came to £63 each, including service, you realise that you can dine lavish without breaking the bank.
Crazy Bear has won The Evening Standard's best bar of the year award, Theme Magazine's best designed and best operated bar, and was The Times' runner up for best bar in Southern England. It has also been awarded best restaurant by The London Lifestyle Awards, and best Thai restaurant in London by Bookatable. Personally, I found that dining at Crazy Bear was a largely positive experience: you get a lot for your money and the food is quality. Even if the decor doesn't QUITE match up to online expectation I think that the recognition and reputation this place has got is deserved.
Crazy Bear is a fantastic occasion restaurant with a twist. It's the best Thai I've tasted out of Thailand, and even if it did cost 10 times the amount, it was absolutely worth it.
OVERALL RATING: ****
http://www.crazybeargroup.co.uk/
