This spring, som saa will open their long-awaited permanent restaurant in Spitalfields!
The new opening will follow som saa’s humble beginnings; from a pop-up in Peckham, to a yearlong residency at Climpson’s Arch in London Fields and an incredible crowdfunding campaign, which raised over £700,000 in 3 days. The team, Andy Oliver, Mark Dobbie and Tom George will open som saa in a former fabric warehouse on Commercial Street, just a minute’s walk from Spitalfields Market.
Their new menu will continue to bring together seasonal British produce with quality Asian ingredients, to serve regional Thai dishes with uncompromising flavours. Curry pastes and fermented pork sausages will be made in house and this time, the kitchen will have a wok section and the ability to produce their own coconut cream, hugely expanding the repertoire of dishes. Whilst the menu at Climpson’s Arch focused predominantly on dishes from the North and North-East (Isaan), at the new som saa, the kitchen will showcase dishes from around the regions.
As well as classics from Climpson’s Arch, the menu will include many new dishes, including curries made with fresh coconut cream and house made curry pastes, such as ‘gaeng daeng moo yaang’, red curry of grilled pork, green banana and holy basil; and from the wok section, ‘pad char ahaan talay’, stir fried prawns, clams and squid with lime leaves, young peppercorns and wild ginger. Larger dishes, designed to share include, ‘dtom yam kha koo thort’, hot and sour soup with whole deep fried pork hock (for 4) and there will be new desserts such as ‘khao neio durian’, sticky rice and durian topped with freshly made sweet & salty coconut cream. A brunch and lunch menu (to launch 6 weeks after opening) will offer quick, street-food style dishes such as ‘pad grapow pbet’, stir fried duck with holy basil, chillies and a crispy duck egg over rice.
There will also be a dedicated bar with an innovative drinks offer and its own menu of ‘ahaan gap klaem’, or Thai “drinking foods” including; ‘laap gai thort’, fried, Isaan style, minced chicken cakes with kaffir lime leaf, dry chilli and toasted rice, ‘miang lao’, palm sugar, fried garlic, peanuts and chilli wrapped in pickled mustard greens and ‘pla dip bai cha plu’, betel leaf with citrus cured wild sea bass, kaffir lime and chilli. Cocktails, inspired by Thai ingredients and fresh produce from the kitchen will include; Krahang Old Fashioned, sandalwood, smoked buffalo trace, mandarin peel, gomme; Blue Lotus Fizz, blue lotus tea liqueur, prosecco, lime; and Miang Nam, tequila, betel leaf, green chartreuse, manzanilla sherry, kaffir lime oil. Languid ceiling fans will oversee ice-cold craft and Asian beers, alongside a wine list chosen to match the intensity of Thai flavours, including some off list specials. Finally, the team have collaborated with specialist supplier, Postcard teas to select an engaging tea list, with some, such as a Northern Thai oolong flavoured with toasted sticky rice, sourced especially for som saa.
