Pacata (Restaurant)

Top 10 things you need to know about Pacata Covent Garden:

1) As if we needed another reason to hail the team behind every traveller's favourite Asian beer, Singha. They've only gone and opened up a restaurant down the road from Leicester Square. And this Orient-meets-West End concoction makes sure that their tipple's not just available by the bottle, but also an ingredient in many of the beer-infused cocktails

2) Fancy a song with your Singha? Hidden down New Row, the venue a stone's throw from the Garrick and Noel Coward theatres - fill your boots with pre-theatre dinner and drinks from the early evening menu

3) Head there early. By 8pm, they had (to our bitter disappointment, having spent the afternoon perusing the online menu) sold out of several of the most popular dishes

4) Was the decor taken from the backdrop of a Miami beach? The cocktail bench and wooden menus holler yes, but the hanging birdcages and jam jar water glasses say afternoon tea party. It's quirky, but results in a slightly confused, albeit modish, vibe

5) The sea bass with green curry came up trumps, but we had to chomp down hard on the supposedly medium-rare steak; luckily there was a tasty pinot noir on hand to wash it down

6) The star of the show was, undoubtedly, the cocktails. The two to tango - spiced rum, mango, and passion fruit topped with the famous Singha beer - is genius. But ladies; wear stilettos at your peril as you descend the stairs after one too many drinks

7) A warning to green tea haters: steer clear of the dessert menu. Of the sweets on offer, all but one was green tea-based. The texture of the green tea brownies was a little odd, but the ice cream worked well as the night's final number

8) In and around Leicester Square, you can't swing a cat without hitting three restaurant chains, so it's nice to have a cosy, independent restaurant in the vicinity

9) The menu was designed by Michelin-starred chef Yasuji Morizumi; his Japanese cooking works well in some of the more outlandish dishes

10) With its innovative menu and excellent cocktails, Pacata could be a West End winner. If they shorten the waiting time between courses, and ensure there are more dishes in stock, we'd have a real showstopper...read more