Our Top 5 Menu
1 Tom Yum Goong (Spicy Shrimp Soup)
The quintessential Thai aroma A bold, refreshing blend of fragrant lemongrass, chilli, galangal, lime leaves, shallots, lime juice and fish sauce shapes this classic soup, giving it its legendary herbal kick. Succulent fresh prawns and straw mushrooms lend it body. A versatile dish that can fit within virtually any meal, the distinctive smell reminds you of exotic perfume, while it's invigorating sour-spicy-hot taste just screams 'Thailand'!
1 Tom Yum Goong (Spicy Shrimp Soup)
The quintessential Thai aroma A bold, refreshing blend of fragrant lemongrass, chilli, galangal, lime leaves, shallots, lime juice and fish sauce shapes this classic soup, giving it its legendary herbal kick. Succulent fresh prawns and straw mushrooms lend it body. A versatile dish that can fit within virtually any meal, the distinctive smell reminds you of exotic perfume, while it's invigorating sour-spicy-hot taste just screams 'Thailand'!
2 Som Tum (Spicy Green Papaya Salad)
Hailing from the Northeast state of Isaan, this outlandish dish is both great divider - some can't get enough of its bite, some can't handle it - and greatly distinctive. Garlic, chilies, green beans, cherry tomatoes and shredded raw papaya get dramatically pulverized in a pestle and mortar, so releasing a rounded sweet-sour-spicy flavour that's not easily forgotten. Regional variations throw peanuts, dry shrimp or salted crab into the mix, the latter having a gut-cleansing talent that catches many newcomers by surprise!
2 Som Tum (Spicy Green Papaya Salad)
Hailing from the Northeast state of Isaan, this outlandish dish is both great divider - some can't get enough of its bite, some can't handle it - and greatly distinctive. Garlic, chilies, green beans, cherry tomatoes and shredded raw papaya get dramatically pulverized in a pestle and mortar, so releasing a rounded sweet-sour-spicy flavour that's not easily forgotten. Regional variations throw peanuts, dry shrimp or salted crab into the mix, the latter having a gut-cleansing talent that catches many newcomers by surprise!
3 Gaeng Daeng (Red Curry)
Made with morsels of meat, red curry paste, smooth coconut milk and topped off with a sprinkling of finely sliced kaffir lime leaves, this rich, aromatic curry always gets those taste buds tingling. At its best when the meat is stunningly tender, it could be likened to a beautiful woman: it's mild, sweet and delicately fragrant. And like all true love affairs, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
4 Num took Nua (Spicy Beef Salad)
Thailand's zesty own breed, or 'yam' as they are known here, would surely take pride of place. Unconvinced? Experience the fresh, fiery thrill of yam nua with its sprightly mix of onion, coriander, spearmint, lime, dried chili and tender strips of beef - and you won't be. It perfectly embodies the invigorating in-the-mouth-thrill of all Thai salads, the yummy-ness of yam.
5 Pad Thai (Thai style Fried Noodles)
From Cape Town to Khao San Road, the default international Thai dish! Dropped in a searing hot wok, fistfuls of small, thin noodles do a steamy minute long dance alongside crunchy beansprouts, onion and egg, before disembarking for the nearest plate. A truly interactive eating experience, half its fun lies in then using a quartet of accompanying condiments - fish sauce, sugar, chilli powder and finely ground peanuts - to wake it from its slumbers.
