Neil Littman samples three different cuisines at Enfield Town’s newest food destination

After coincidentally mentioning the subject in last month’s review, I learned that a new food court had opened up in Enfield Town, housing several cuisines under one roof.

That place is Stan’s Kitchen located in Genotin Road, directly across from Enfield Town Station.

I’m not sure it’s in the best location, away from the main high street, but it’s still a welcome addition to the area and fills a much-needed gap in the town centre.

With word yet to fully spread, Stan’s is still quiet and, of the several units either side of the central dining area, three remain empty. Those that are open include two Italian-themed kitchens – one serving pasta dishes and the other pizzas – plus two Asian-themed outlets serving Thai and Korean food respectively.

The interior is cool and modern, with benches and high tables at the back and sofas and low chairs at the front, which seems to suit the laptop crowd who were there on my second visit.

However, it’s not immediately obvious when you enter Stan’s how the place works, and there is no ‘meet and greet’ front of house. If you want to order drinks you have to go to one counter and do the same again at another if you want a dessert. You have to pay separately for everything which, given the number of payments involved, seems unnecessary. I also noticed several people coming in, looking around, and leaving again as if they were unsure whether to stay or go.

Still, I was encouraged by the sight of the Thai kitchen and decided to eat there first. I ordered a chicken pad Thai which was a lunchtime ‘meal deal’ and included two vegetarian spring rolls.

Kimchee fried rice from Korean BBQ House

Everything at Stan’s is cooked to order in front of you and the pad Thai was very good, with a generous serving. This was a bargain at £10.50, including a diet coke. Pushing the boat out I also ordered chilli sauce and prawn crackers, which were extremely crunchy with a savoury, seafood flavour and a hint of spice.

Sadly my second visit was memorable for all the wrong reasons. I decided to try the Italian pasta outlet and ordered pappardelle with mushrooms. The food was well presented but the pasta was undercooked and the mushrooms had a strange texture, plus the sauce was thin and flavourless. It was also overpriced at £16.

Undeterred, I returned a third time and sampled their Korean food, which was much more successful. I ordered kimchi fried rice with chicken and flavoured with gochujang chilli paste. It came topped with green onions. The large portion (they offer two sizes) was enough for two meals. The kimchi, which can be very spicy, didn’t overpower the flavour of the chicken and had the right amount of heat. The price was only £9.95!

While there is room for improvement, overall I think Stan’s Kitchen is a good concept, with alcohol and coffee also available and both dine-in and takeaway options at each food outlet. The food court is open seven days a week, from 7am until 10pm, except Saturdays until 9pm.

Do you have any suggestions for restaurants in Enfield to review or feedback on the places Neil has already reviewed? He would love to hear from Dispatch readers:
Email [email protected]

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