Anyone who knows me well enough is aware of my all-time favourite Thai spot in south west London. Admittedly biased, there was little competition (that I was aware of) until recently visiting the big sister of Suda – Patara. The grown up sibling, the Patara group is sleek with contemporary interiors: this is 21st century Thai fine dining executed beautifully. Found across a number of locations including Oxford Circus, Soho, Knightsbridge, South Kensington and Hampstead, as well as international branches in Bangkok, Beijing and Singapore; Patara aims to deliver to its diners an international level of luxury fine-dining with of course, exotic touches along the way.
Homemade Thai cuisine presented to a fine dining degree and with an expansive menu, we are recommended the Patara banquet set menu. This signature banquet meal is made of six starters to share, four mains dishes with dessert to top it off in true banquet decorum. With an amuse bouche been and gone we are presented with the starters –spiced fish cakes with cucumber salsa, intricately assembled with unforgettable vivid violet coloured dumplings which were filled with caramelized chicken, peanut and sweet turnip. Moving excellently on – duck spring rolls with herbed prune sauce, char grilled chicken satay with peanut sauce, prawn and crispy beignet tossed with cashews, lemongrass and roasted chilli dressing and spicy King scallops with mint, lime and lemongrass: this really was in itself complete meal, or should I say banquet.
A fragrant interlude – we sip on prawn and shimeji mushrooms in a spicy lemongrass tom yum soup; spicy, fresh with a memorable flavour; this is optional, but go for it. Signature mains present themselves on our polished wooden table. These include king prawns tossed in sweet roasted chilli and basil sauce, crisp sea bass and seared pineapple with piquant tamarind sauce, free range chicken tenderloin in sweet basil green curry, coconut braised beef with lime mint and lemongrass and wok tossed seasonal vegetables. Despite having not little, but no room for dessert, before I could look up, I found dessert under my nose which presented itself in the form of a dark chocolate pudding with raspberry sauce and vanilla ice cream. Absolutely delicious although a monumental task following previous courses.
Across all of their restaurants Patara aim to deliver the Thai culinary experience to the highest level creating well-crafted and delicious dishes with authentically different options to those of their competitors. Patara also offer their diners the opportunity to enjoy Thai cuisine in all its diversity which incorporates the fragrant flavours, cooking styles, and influences; essentially paying tribute to the richly distinctive character of regional favourites from across Thailand. With this in mind they are also not afraid to take advantage of more local produce, incorporating seasonal and local ingredients to ensure an alternative philosophy – one that is both intriguing but makes sense and full of playful interpretations.
Thai food is fast becoming one of the most popular dining options in London and Patara showcases this fragrant and illustrious cuisine, proudly positioning itself within the luxury Thai dining market. An indulgent Monday evening with dishes that have imprinted themselves onto my mind (and not only my Instagram feed) I would recommend this Thai gem to anyone who would like to challenge their current personal favourite. And to mirror my praise, Patara Berners Street has recently won Open Table’s Diners Choice Award for their service and on top they’re planning a full renovation in October, in time for a new look for Christmas.
Address: 5A Berners St, London W1T 3LF, 020 7580 9923, www.pataralondon.com/restaurant/berners-street
