Pleasant Lady

A recent rave in the media and a new stunner in the London food scene, Pleasant Lady is one of the few stalls making the big statement: ‘size doesn’t matter’, and she voices it well through her food. Though literally a hole in the wall, this little shop has a pretty worthy presence as it conquers a decent portion of Greek Street (with help from her charming good looks), making her quite easy to find.

The Jian Bing she offers is known as one of China’s most popular breakfast street food, yet these guys are selling it for brunch, lunch AND dinner as opening hours are from 12 – 8pm (thank god for brunch!).

As you approach the Pleasant Lady you’ll find a few signs showing how she looks, her hatred for cash (card only) and her limited choice of crepes and beverage (small menu). But there is heart here, and you feel kind of special for discovering the stall in the first place, or even knowing about it.

Once ordered, watch the magic happen before your very eyes as the cook scoops up her mixture and starts frying a giant crepe on her special pan. Click here to watch a video of how she preps the Jian Bing. The best part of the process is when she adds your choice of topping before folding up the crepe like a golden parcel, because you know it’s going to be a special delivery to your stomach!

And it really is special. The moment you receive it in your bag, the mouth can’t help but water before tucking in to what I can only describe as an Asian burrito. What I got in one bite of the miso chicken was: the layers of doughy pancake moistened with that  hint of seasoned egg, contrasting with crunchy nibbles of crackers adding excitement to the bite, the sweet umaminess of the miso coating the pickled cucumbers and the herbaceous parsley and spring onions, completed with the meaty tenderness that is chicken (how’s that for description!). Add these flavours together and what you get is comfort food at a highly satisfying level, it’s one of the few times where I’ve spent seven pounds with no lingering regret! Well worth the spend!

So yes the Pleasant Lady is small and her options are limited, but expect big flavours, great satisfaction and a different experience in the London food scene. I would definitely recommend checking her out!