Review: Patara Berners Street

kiri | 2nd February 2016

Berners Basement 1.1-001

By Tom Gatehouse
@tragatehouse
tomgatehouse.com

It was a very happy 25th anniversary for Patara restaurants last year. Twenty five years of superb Thai cuisine across six different countries – and to celebrate, Patara have opened up their fifth London restaurant, this time down the luxurious Berners Street in London.

The stunning 100-cover space stretches over two elegant floors and is bathed in wood and teal. Twinkling lights hang from the rafters, with each and every dish enjoyed gloriously lit in what is becoming a Patara trademark. I had enjoyed Patara in their flagship branch in Soho a few years back and specifically their Celebration menu for what was then the festive season, so I couldn’t wait to put my faith and taste buds back into the hands and imagination of the chefs once more.

These chefs are as authentically Thai as they come, so much so that I struggled to communicate my excitement when I met them before dinner. That didn’t matter at all as they let the food do the talking.

Soft-shell crab salad (£11.75)

Soft-Shell Crab Salad (£11.75)

My companion and I were happy to hand back the food menu upon inspection and plump for the Patara Pride set menu. At £45 per head (with soup), I felt confident of being thoroughly looked after amongst the ornate carvings and giggling couples around us.

The drinks menu, however, needed further investigation. Riesling is a great choice for Thai food, particularly when the wine is sweet and food spicy. I went for a large glass of the Köster-Wolf (£8.25). My companion meanwhile thought it prudent to attack with cocktails, ordering herself a Patara Passion (£8.50) – a muddled mixture of vodka, passion fruit and lime.

One tasty amuse bouche later (chicken, prawn and squid balls), we were completely inundated with starters. Marinated prawns wrapped in crisp filo pastry, curried kaffir fish cakes with sweet chilli and cucumber salsa, flower dumplings with caramelised chicken, peanut and sweet turnip, char-grilled chicken satay with peanut sauce, and duck confit spring rolls with herbed prune sauce. It was enough to feed the crew of a small fishing vessel on choppy seas, and it was down to the two of us to make a dent.

Value for money? You bet your monkey’s waistcoat it was – and that was just the starter!

The Soup Dragon in the kitchen then sent us two portions of the prawn tom yum – endlessly spicy soup which blew my socks off. I was well acquainted with Patara soup having had the sumptuous coconut galangal with whole scallops in their Soho branch – and the tom yum was on a par, albeit rather aggressively.

Tamarind Duck Confit (£17.50)

Tamarind Duck Confit (£17.50)

A Champagne cocktail (£9.25) – a mixture of classic mojito shaken with Thai rum, fresh mint and lime juice, topped up with champagne – for her and another glass of the Riesling for me and we were ready for the main course.

With the kitchen clearly readying another attack on our two seater table, we adopted a first come first serve policy in order to free up space for the seemingly endless array of delicacies coming our way. The chestnut duck and prawns with bell pepper and goji berries was first into the ring, and was happily devoured with khao hom mali (freshly steamed jasmine rice). The free range chicken in kieaw wan green curry was made from scratch on site to a secret and wholly authentic Patara recipe. Our bubbly waiter returned when the last drop had disappeared to see if we’d reached a verdict, with it being rather a jewel in the crown. We both gave a hearty thumbs up and a quick clutch of our stuffed bellies. 

Next came coconut braised beef with lime, mint, and lemongrass. This arrived with wok tossed seasonal vegetables – and we pined for a third member of our assault team! However, it was yet another delightful dish. Cooked expertly and full of flavour, we pushed through and demolished every morsel. Congratulations were in order, and to celebrate, the last of our mains arrived. Herb steamed sea bass with piquant chilli and garlic sauce. The pièce de résistance, and so light and fluffy it was barely noticed by our heaving stomachs, with taste ultimately triumphing.

We then ordered a pot of green tea and sat back to digest, discussing what had been a wonderful meal. Dessert snuck in in the form of Thai Ceylon panna cotta, completing what must be one of the best set meals for a minimum of two I’ve had in years. The wait staff found us very amusing throughout, chuckling as they came along with dish after dish. I can’t think of a better place to take a girl for a feast.

Patara Berners Street
Address: 5A Berners St, London W1T 3LF
Website: www.pataralondon.com
Twitter: @pataralondon
Phone: 020 7580 9923

Kaonow Berries (£7.50)

Kaonow Berries (£7.50)