Celebrate Thai new year with traditional fare at Mumbai's hottest restaurants this month

Last week, Thailand rang in its new year, but Mumbai restaurants are celebrating the Songkran spirit throughout the month with traditional treats, drinks and also backing a good cause

Fill the glass

Phad Thai noodles

For centuries, philosophers have sparred over whether the proverbial glass is half empty, or full. But the team at city-based eatery Nara Thai likes to take the optimist’s view, egging themselves and their diners on to fill the other half with their generosity. To celebrate Songkran, popular for its water festivities, they devised the #HalfGlassFull campaign to raise awareness on water conservation. This time, they have partnered with the non-profit Save The Children to highlight the lack of opportunities faced by several Indian kids. “Their half-empty glasses inhibit their achievements and growth, and deter them from reaching their true potential. We aim to fill their glasses and accelerate their dreams,” explained Karyna Bajaj, executive director at KA Hospitality. Diners can drop by at their outlets to try an array of punchy salads, sweet and sour curries and healthy stir-fries such as phad thai, khao phad samunprai (butterfly pea rice), pla neung ma nao (steamed John Dory with spicy chilli lime sauce), tom yum soup and more. They will be encouraged to donate to the cause; additionally, a portion of the proceeds collected by the restaurant will go towards the NGO’s Dream Accelerator Initiative.

TILL May 20, 12 pm to 1.30 am 
AT Nara Thai Colaba and BKC.
LOG ON TO support.savethechildren.in/dreams/  

Actor Dia Mirza (left), a supporter of Save The Children, at the launch of the collaboration in Nara Thai, Colaba, on Wednesday. Pic/Bipin Kokate

This one’s for Bangkok

Chicken and cheese katsu with rice

The new year has translated to new beginnings for chefs Seefah Ketchaiyo and Karan Bane, who run the Thai-Japanese restaurant Seefah on Hill Road. The duo has seized the festival of Songkran to launch a brand new menu that pairs delicacies they are popular for, along with eclectic Asian-inspired cocktails. “Every year, we do something special for Songkran, from different parts of Thailand. We hadn’t changed the menu after we opened the bar. So, we thought why not do a new menu altogether, to mark the beginning of the Thai calendar,” explains Bane. Although Songkran has meant family time and homely meals for Ketchaiyo, the treats on offer are inspired by the sights and sounds of Bangkok’s streets that come alive during the new year. Dig in to silken tofu carpaccio, cha yen or Thai milk tea basque cheesecake, or chicken and cheese katsu with rice and miso soup, among other specials. The bar is doling out in-house carbonated cocktails, Seefah signatures such as chiangmai, along with umeshu cocktails made with Japanese plum liquor. 

Karan Bane and Seefah Ketchaiyo

TIME 12 pm to 3.30 pm and 7 pm to 12 am 
AT 2nd floor, Khan House, Hill Road, Bandra West. 
CALL 8928888710

Treat time

Tuck into mee grob (crispy rice noodles with corn and water chestnuts in a rice tartlet), gung yai pow kratiem prik thai (lobster with pepper garlic), thord man pla or red snapper cakes, tub tim grob (diced water chestnut with coconut milk) and many more Songkran treats at celebrity chef Ananda Solomon’s Thai 
Naam By Ananda.

TILL April 31, 11 am to 11 pm 
AT Unit 11 A - B, The Orb, CSIA, Marol. 
CALL  7417300300

Yum hua blee 

If you want to create a slice of Thailand at home, chef Solomon suggests a banana blossom, asparagus and lotus root salad.

Ingredients
. 1 banana blossom 
. 10 ml lemon juice . 15 gm asparagus (peeled and cut in diamond shape)  
. 15 gm lotus root (peeled and thinly sliced) 
. 15 gm spring onion (chopped) 
. 10 gm roasted coconut 
. 5 gm coriander leaf
For the dressing:
. 2 tbsp tamarind pulp 
. 1 tsp lemon juice 
. 2 tbsp 
jaggery 
. 1 tsp salt  
. 1 tbsp roasted chilli paste  
. 60 ml coconut cream 

Chef Ananda Solomon

Method
Mix all the dressing ingredients together, and set aside. Remove the purplish-red outer bracts from the banana blossom. Discard the flower-like clusters and thinly slice the inner bracts width-wise diagonally. Place in a bowl filled with two litres water, lime juice and 1 tsp salt. To prevent browning, halve the banana blossom cores, slice diagonally and add acidulated water. Drain the banana blossom and place in a bowl. Add asparagus, spring onion, coconut, coriander and the dressing; toss gently to combine. Add sliced crispy lotus root for garnishing, and serve cold.

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