Thai Exchange
Celebrate Songkran with special Thai delicacies that city restaurants are offering.
Crispy fish salad at Lemon Leaf.
During Songkran, the Thai new year, streets in Thailand are filled with revellers throwing water from buckets and waterguns at strangers. In cities, festivities could range from foam parties to wet-dance events with DJs playing EDM tracks. Closer home, this spring festival is being celebrated with a splash of flavours across the city’s Thai restaurants. As this gives Mumbaikars a perfect opportunity to sample special festive spreads,Talk picks a few must-try dishes.
San:Qi: At Four Seasons’ pan-Asian restaurant, guests are encouraged to follow the tradition of washing hands with scented water before a meal. Traditionally, the elders of the family or community are honoured during this ritual who in return bless other family members. Similar to the colourful nature of the festival, the menu here features salads made using locally available fresh produce such as raw papaya, raw mango and avocado. From its Songkran menu, try the crispy lamb rack with fried garlic, one of chef Seefah Ketchaiyo’s signature dishes inspired by her mother’s recipe. The soft and juicy meat is the perfect excuse of any celebration. This menu is available till April 17.
Eat Thai: Bandra’s latest Thai restaurant is celebrating Songkran with a special five-course menu that features favourites such as spicy cellophane noodles salad, grilled fish with lemon grass and hormok talay, a seafood curry served in tender coconut shell. During Songkran, fish is the star of all meals. The Siam sea lobster with morning glory (Vietnamese water spinach) is a perfect festive meal for its subtle flavours. End your meal with a lemongrass flavoured mango and sago pudding, a traditional delicacy. The menu is available till April 20.
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Lemon Leaf: Bandra favourite, Lemon Leaf specialises in pan-Asian food. However, its chef, Mitesh Rangras, who has travelled extensively through Thailand gives special attention to Thai cuisine. “We have tried to use a lot of fresh leaves such as lemon grass and pandan for the special menu,” says Rangras. Since the festival is celebrated mid-summer, use of fresh produce provides much-needed respite from the scorching heat. Try the Massaman curry, which has root vegetables in a creamy coconut gravy served with jasmine rice, and follow it up with fresh mango with coconut rice served with pandan coconut sauce. The menu is available till April 20.
meenakshi.iyer@expressindia.com
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