Thai Oyster Festival at Suda Thai

November 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Oysters, some love them, some won’t even get near them and some have never tried them.

I love oysters, especially those large platters that the serve in Parisian brasseries with your choice of different species, shapes and sizes.

Oysters with Thai flavouring are a whole different way of enjoying fresh oysters. Instead of the usual lemon, tabasco or shallot vinaigrette, instead you add a few slices of lemongrass, some crispy shallots and a thai vinaigrette. It is delicious and complements rather than overwhelm the taste of the oysters.

This is what we had for starters at a recent meal at Suda Thai. These were Maldon Rock Oysters and were fresh, plump and succulent.We shared a plate, 3 each, could have had quite a few more but there was more food to come.

Suda Thai Covent Garden

We then had a couple of the other starters that our server recommended, the guay-teow Luisan (their signature SUDA fresh rice wrap with braised duck and Thai herbs) and the delightfully named Pratad Pu Cha (Suda crab and chicken fire cracker).

Suda Thai Covent Garden

Suda Thai Covent Garden

Crab Fire Crackers

Suda Thai is the more casual outlet of the Pattara family of Thai Restaurants. They are staffed by Thai Chefs and use authentic Thai ingredients for the items on their menu, resulting in authenticly flavoured Thai food.

At this point, I should mention their extensive cocktail list. We tried a couple of fruity, icy drinks while waiting for the next course.

For mains, we had some crispy sea bass, lightly battered and deep fried, served with a sweet chilli dipping sauce. I was expecting a whole fish and not in pieces and the sauce was quite sweet.

Suda Thai Covent Garden

We also had some Roast Duck Red Curry, coconut milk based curry with tender pieces of duck and hidden in there are a few lychees and grapes. To balance the meal, we had a plate of stir friend morning glory or as their menu calls it, Chinese water spinach stems. We had these mains with a bowl of red rice.

Suda Thai Covent Garden

The portions were very generous and we couldn’t manage pudding. On a previous visit, we did have the banana fritters which are highly recommended.

Suda Thai has a prime position in the newish St Martin’s Courtyard, set back from Floral Street. It is a street with some boutiques and other eateries like Jamie’s Italian and Italian Wine Bar Dalla Terra. The main restaurant is on the first floor and has a wall of windows overlooking the courtyard. It’s a great place to people watch.

Repeating my previous review, I like the food here as it is authentic and standards have been maintained even after a long break between visits. The menu has variety and not just the more common Thai dishes that some other places offer. Prices are moderate and you can get a simple lunch for less than £10 and a more complete meal for about £20. One of the better casual places to eat in Covent Garden.

SUDA Thai Cafe Restaurant
St Martin’s Courtyard
off Upper St. Martin’s Lane
Covent Garden
London WC2E 9AB

Tel: 020 7240 8010

http://www.suda-thai.com

Slow Food Kitchen was a guest at Suda Thai.

 

 

 

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Mango Sticky Rice Recipe

June 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

At a recent event at Suda Thai Restaurant in Covent Garden, we were show how to make this very popular Thai Dessert.

Print
Mango Sticky Rice

Rating: 41

Prep Time: 6 hours

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 6 hours, 15 minutes

5-6 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 cups glutinous rice
  • 1 cup coconut cream or thick coconut milk
  • 3tbsp coconut cream for topping
  • a pinch of salk
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 5-6 Thai mangoes

Instructions

  1. Soak the 2 cups of glufinous rice for 6 hrs. Draìn.
  2. Wrap the rice in clean muslin cloth. Steam in a double pan (a bamboo steamer over a pan of boiling wafer will suffice) for 15 mínufes or until rice is cooked.
    3. Preparing the topping
  3. Boil 3tbsp of cocount cream, add the pinch of salt and set aside.
    4. Sweet Sticky Rice Preparation
  4. Dissolve 1 cup sugar in 1 cup cocount cream over a very low heat.
  5. Add salt and pandan leaves to add aroma. Stir well and remove from heat.
  6. Put the cooked sticky rice in a bowl and gradually blend in the coconut cream.
  7. Stir with a wooden spoon, cover and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
  8. Then fold/ turn again, cover to let the aroma develop.
    9. To serve
  9. Peel and slice the ripe mango. Place sîicky rice on a small plate and top with mango slices.
  10. Spoon the Coconut cream on top of The mango and rice. Serve.
    11. Tips:
  11. Here are the instructions for cooking sticky rice in a microwave:
  12. For 300 grams of sticky rice
  13. I) pouring boiling water over uncooked sticky rice, about on inch over the rice.
  14. 2) stir occasionally for about 5 minutes.
  15. 3) after washing the rice thoroughly with the some water in the container, drain out the water.
  16. 4) put in warm water again just enough to cover the rice.
  17. 5) microwave at high for 5 minutes.
  18. 6) toke it out and stir, it should be ready now.
  19. 7) if the rice is still hard. put into microwave for another 3 minutes.
http://www.eatcookexplore.com/mango-sticky-rice-recipe/

You can read the review of Suda Thai Restaurant here.

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Mango Masterclass at Suda Thai Restaurant

June 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

What better way to kick off the Mango month than by hosting a Mango Masterclas.

This is the time of year when the Thai mangoes comes into season. Iif you’ve never tried one keep an eye out in Asian supermarkets. It has quite a more delicate flavour then the Alphonso Mango, very fragrant but has a bit more tang.  They look like this:

Suda Thai Restaurant, Covent Garden

Suda Thai in the newly built St Martin’s courtyard in Covent Garden is part of the Pattara family so you can expect great authentic Thai food.  You enter into a small dining area on the ground floor but do not be deceived as the space on the first floor is at least 3 times the size. An open kitchen on one end, stretching pass a circular bar in the middle and well spaced seating area at the other end, flanked by large glass windows overlooking the courtyard.

Suda Thai Restaurant

As we sat down, we were offered a selection of Mango cocktails and some lovely mango inspired canapes.

The first dish of the Mango Masterclass was the famous Thai green mango salad (Som Tum) but with a twist. The addition of crispy fried seabass to the salad and gave it a nice flavour and texture contrast to the sharp green mango flavour. You can see the recipe here.

The second dish that we were shown the Mango with Sticky Rice. We were shown how to steam glutinous rice in either a traditional bamboo basket over a metal pot or the quick way, in a microwave. The addition of sweetened coconut milk makes the rice very rich but a delicious accompaniement to freshly sliced mangoes.

Following the masterclass, we sat down to sample a selection of dishes from the menu including a Roast duck red curry, fried fish,barbecued seafood skewers, stir fried vegetables, all served with jasmine rice.

Roast Duck Red Curry, Suda Thai Restaurant, Covent Garden

All the dishes were dishes were very generous and the service throughout was very attentive.

Crispy Sea Bass Suda Thai

For pudding we were served me Mango with sticky coconut rice. Mango Sticky Rice, Suda Thai Restaurant, Covent Garden

Suda Thai has an extensive cocktails list too and quite a few were sampled. The unanimous vote was for the spicy Wakeup Call and the Thai Pimms.

I think the concept at Suda Thai and at this price range is brilliant especially for the quality of Thai food that they’re serving. It is a little bit hidden away from the main thoroughfare of convent garden but I think as more people find it I think its a brilliant new addition to dining choices in Covent Garden.

Suda Thai’s Mango Menu is available for the month of June and I would highly recommend a visit there.

Suda on Urbanspoon

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