Home comforts

Words: Frances Hedges Photography: Angela Moore

Punnapa ‘Rose’ Yoswaris (MSc Climate Change, Management
and Finance) on finding a taste of Thailand in Hammersmith.

My go-to destination for Thai cooking and dining is Hammersmith, which is a short bus ride away from my home in west London. My first stop is always the Sriracha Supermarket, an Asian grocery store that sells all the ingredients I need to make Thai food at home. I’ll pick up some green curry paste, fish sauce and various curry powders. Afterwards, I like to grab a bubble tea from Heytea on King Street – my favourite is the signature Bobo Milk Tea – and drink it while I wander around the nearby shopping centre.

My very first experience of dining out in London was at Hammersmith’s Khun Pakin Thai, an excellent local restaurant. Last summer, before I’d started my Master’s, I made contact with an alumna of the course; she’s Thai, like me, so she took me out to dinner there. Since then, I’ve been back often – sometimes on a weekday evening, if it’s been a long day and I need something to boost my energy after class, and sometimes at weekends with friends. It serves really authentic Thai food: I’ll usually order the Thai spicy salad, because it’s hard to find a good version elsewhere in London, or the Tom Yum Goong – hot and sour soup with prawns.

My favourite is the Bobo Milk Tea – I drink it while I wander around the nearby shopping centre

I’ve also been to Khun Pakin Thai with friends from Imperial’s Thai Society. We have a big social gathering about once a term, and recently about 40 of us went for dinner there. The Society is a fantastic way to connect with people studying different subjects and hear about what they’re doing, especially since there’s only one other Thai student taking the same course as me.

But actually, what I love the most about Imperial is the diversity of the students, because it means we can all share new experiences. I’ve made friends with an Indonesian classmate from the course, and the two of us are determined to make the most of London life. This spring, we walked around the city chasing the blossom trees as they burst into flower. There were lots of photos to take, but most importantly, it was a lovely way to spend time together.