I’m not going to lie, it’s been a while now since I last had a good Thai meal in London. I had an astonishingly good one not so long ago in Dubai, but before that my last memorable experience was a little place in Barnes – and that was three years ago. But all that has changed as I’ve discovered Nipa Thai. A glamorous Thai restaurant inside the Lancaster London Hotel.
As well as the restaurant looking absolutely stunning inside, a plus point of Nipa Thai is the huge floor to ceiling windows which look out over Hyde Park. The light pours into the room and people watching becomes a sport. We started our dinner here with a glass of Champagne while watching the world go by beneath our feet and it was a lovely way to start.
The only one real struggle with Thai cuisine is that you always want to eat just about everything. That’s why we ordered the ruam mitr. A platter full to the brim of a selection from the chefs special starters. Char-grilled chicken satay, crispy glass noodle spring rolls, traditional Thai fish cakes and crispy fried prawn dumplings. Everything was so well-cooked and everything was packed with flavour. It’s a great showcase of what they offer here and price wise it was very good value.
A dish that I really love and that screams Thai cuisine to me is a massaman curry, especially when it comes with lamb. And that’s exactly what we had here at Nipa Thai. Onions and baby potatoes, tender meat and a coconut and chilli heavy massaman curry of dreams. Silky, rich and full of flavour. It went great with the simple, but delicious side of stir fried mixed vegetables too.
Another fantastic dish was the stir-fried prawns with pepper, coriander and crispy fried garlic. Again the dish was so well cooked and despite how hot our heated plate was, the tenderness and juiciness from the first to the last prawn was absolutely perfect – with a good hit of garlic lingering in the mouth. I’m not sure what it was I loved most about this dish, but when I return I know I’ll be ordering this again.
We were so full from the incredibly generous portions that we had barely any room for complex or heavy desserts so instead ordered something light, yet very satisfying. Three scoops of creamy coconut ice cream and a trio of creme brûlée. Mango flavoured, green tea and my favourite – coconut with lemongrass. A lovely way to finish our meal.
We had a really wonderful evening at Nipa Thai and it was great to finally find a quality Thai restaurant in the city that offers a little finesse and fine dining atmosphere for any occasion. Good food, excellent value for money and views across the park – there’s more than one reason why I and you should be visiting Nipa Thai very soon in the future.
NB: My meal was complimentary. All views are as always, my own. My views are not influenced by anyone other than my own palate and slightly poor eyesight
Good Thai food is a rarity in London so it’s good to know about Nipa!
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it was lovely!