This Kolkata pop-up is doing Thai food differently

There’s a particular kind of confidence it takes to open a Thai pop-up in a city that already loves its food loud, and Kin Thai has it in spades. Tucked into the same 26-seat room on Park Street that usually houses To Die For, the space wears a light disguise — the same matte black shell, but now with pops of red: flowers on the table, new art on the walls, red cushions on the seats.

The dishes that make Kin Thai stand out

We started, as one should, with a drink — the Thai bloody mary, built on guava instead of the usual tomato base. It’s spicy, a little sweet, thoroughly balanced, and easily the most memorable thing we drank all week.

The Chicken satay arrived next, and it did something a lot of satay fails to do: stay juicy. No rubbery skewers here, just well-marinated, well-grilled chicken that played beautifully off the peanut sauce. The shrimp spring rolls were exactly what you want them to be: crisp and hot. The fish cakes were a standout, soft with a flavour that lingered pleasantly.

The green papaya salad, or som tam, felt almost necessary in Kolkata’s humidity — sharp, cooling, and a good palate reset. Crunchy shreds of raw papaya, ribboned with chilli and lime, carried just enough funk from fish sauce to keep things honest, with a scattering of crushed peanuts for welcome crunch.

The soy pad kra pow held its own with plenty of character. It leaned into holy basil and garlic without tipping into heat for heat’s sake. Then came the Thai green curry, mellow rather than aggressive, the kind you find yourself spooning up long after you meant to stop.

By dessert, the room’s little makeover made more sense — same bones, same address, but everything dialled up just enough to notice. Mango sticky rice closed things out beautifully — the right note to end on.

On till November 21.

Meal for two: INR 2,000.

Timings: 12 pm - 11 pm

Address: At Celica Park, Park Street.

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