Lemongrass

Oriental Restaurant in Camden
Lemongrass image

9 / 10 from 6 reviews
Address
243 Royal College Street
Camden
London
NW1 9LT
Map
Telephone
020 7284 1116
Cuisine
Oriental
Region
Camden
Nearest Station
Camden Road
0.03 miles
Opening Summary
Tue - Fri & Sat: 17:30 - 23:00
Restaurant Facilities

Children Welcome

Credit Cards Accepted

Music Played

Booking Advisable

Lemongrass Restaurant is the only Cambodian restaurant in UK. We serve delicious oriental Cambodian south east asian cuisine and fresh food, take away and party in Camden, London.

Lemongrass Picture Gallery

Lemongrass Restaurant
Lemongrass Restaurant

All In London Review

Billed as Cambodian, but fails to offer national dishes

I’d wanted to eat at Lemongrass since travelling to Cambodia two years ago. I fell in love with the food: the national favourite – amok, which is fish wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed, the soups made with prahok or fermented fish paste which adds a typically salty flavouring, the coconut and ginger sauces, I could go on…

Looking over the menu I was surprised to see no fish at all, apart from seafood. There was chicken, beef, vegetables and noodles, but amok was nowhere to be seen. To begin with, we chose the leek cake, a cluster of leek deep fried in flour, with a pot of soy sauce on the side. The cake was slightly flavourless without the soy, aside from the taste of frying.

We also nibbled on some samosa-shaped little pastry parcels of mildly curried vegetables. Both starters had thin slices of pineapple on the dishes as decoration. Pineapple also featured heavily in our main courses, both in the plate of mixed vegetables and the lemongrass chicken, which contained chunks of the fruit. The taste of lemongrass was noticeabley absent, and though not unpleasant it was certainly unremarkable enough a dish to not be ordered again. The lok luk steak had slightly more taste than the chicken however the pieces of beef were gristly and chewy.

So far the food had been nothing like what I sampled in Cambodia and I wondered how easy it was for Lemongrass to get away with this lack of authenticity, being the only Khmer restaurant in London. They don’t even serve Angkor beer, choosing to serve Western wines and cocktails instead. A pity, as the country has a lot to offer in terms of cuisine, and is in dire need of industry and an improved image since Pol Pot’s massacre.

I was disheartened, but not prepared to give up just yet. I ordered the banana cake to finish off, and though I cannot confirm whether this dish is typically Cambodian or not it certainly was the best thing I tasted all evening. Flambéed banana with milky rice pudding dolloped over the top, wrapped in a banana leaf and with just a hint of cinnamon. A winner.

Lemongrass certainly does have the advantage of low prices. Our meal came to just under £60, however that included two bottles of Merlot. Take away the alcohol and the price would be halved, for two starters, three mains, and a dessert.

It’s a shame this little restaurant tucked away behind the busier streets of Camden couldn’t offer more gastronomically; the venue itself is intimate and charming. Despite being cheap, the food is just too bland to warrant the bill.

Reviewed by Leila
Published on Apr 8, 2010


User Reviews

Keiran Proffer
from London

Aug 11, 2019

We ordered our meal at 8:40. The starter arrived at 9:10; the main course at 9:45. The waitress apologised for the wait and said it was because they only had one chef, and each meal had to be cooked individually. She gave us free coffees to make up for it.
The food was very tasty so just about worth the wait. Not sure if it was entirely Cambodian.
My tip: arrive at 6pm and you will eat around 7.
Jeremy
from Wood

Jul 21, 2014

A friend told me that I had to go and try the Cambodian Cuisine at the tiny Lemongrass restaurant in Camden Town. As I had just returned from a trip to this wonderful country and yearning for the food I sampled there, I took her advice and was not disappointed. The food there is equally as tasty as the food I ate in Cambodia and superbly presented too. I was fortunate to be able to have a quick few Cambodian words I’d learnt on the way, with the chef, who told me he was from Phnom Penh. I was surprised to hear that his restaurant has been there since the 1980’s. Wow! What have I been missi
Nyda25

Sep 4, 2011

Being of cambodian origins but having never been to Cambodia, I was desperately looking for a cambodian restaurant. I was so excited to see that there was one (the only 1 in the UK, by the way!). After reading some reviews that were of mixed opinions, I decided to give it a go with a couple of friends last night. And what a surprise! The food was amazingly delicious, we've all ordered different dishes and we enjoyed each of them, I personally enjoy the leek cake and the luk lok steak mmmhhh.
The place is small so you might want to book in advance (just to be on the safe side), I was quite impressed to see that there was only 1 chef (apparently the owner) who was doing all the cooking by himself in a very small area (hat down to the chef!).
There were a couple of downsides (well, to me anyway), I was a bit disappointed to see that the waitresses were europeans, it would have been nice to be welcomed by asian staff and cambodian music (and not some english/american pop music). It's also a shame that they have a small drink's menu, not much to choose from.

But overall, we really enjoyed our evening and we will be going back very soon.
Anonymous

Jan 16, 2010

We have been to Lemongrass for the past 10 years. The food is always excellent.The quality of the food is first class and the price is extremely reasonable. The place is clean and fresh.Our favourite dishes : Garlic lemon mushroom, lok luk steak,mango salad and asparagus.The dessert is banana flambe'- it is simply out of this world!
Please go and try for yourself and I bet that you will agree with me.I cannot find any restaurant can beat Lemongrass on taste and price.
Anonymous

Jul 22, 2009

lEMONGRASS in Camden serves Cambodia cuisine. Lok luk steak and the garlic lemon mushroom are the signature dishes of Lemongrass. The food is excellent and the place is clean and fresh. This place is a diamond!
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