In the land of smiles, April marks the arrival of Songkran, a celebration steeped in tradition, marking the Thai New Year and a cleansing of spirits, symbolised by the joyous splash of water and, of course, good food. To pay homage to the festival, Lotus, the Pan Asian restaurant at The Park, has come up with a food festival that whispers secrets from the country’s culinary soul.
Expect rustic flavours, laden with authenticity, promising to tickle taste buds and warm hearts alike. Right from Sticky jasmine rice to a hearty street-style omelette, the menu has a lot to offer and we dropped in to give it a taste — good food always attracts gastronomes as moths gravitate to fire.
As our culinary adventure began, we were greeted with a table adorned with white plates decorated with colourful delights, and an array of tantalising smells brimming in the air — sweet, salty, delicious.
Without further ado, we dug right in, starting with Pan-fried red curried corn cakes, which nestled a fiery flavour of red Thai curry paste, the corn adding sweetness to each bite. Along with it, we were served Sweet and sour crispy noodle bites. Resembling a mix between a chikki and mini protein bars, the dish had us intrigued but fulfilled its promise. The bites were full of crunch and a sweet onion crumble soothed our taste buds.
After this promising start, we couldn’t wait for more and the menu, printed on a blue sheet, listing the upcoming dishes made the wait a little hard. Soon, the anticipation was satisfied with a portion of Lump crab meat omelette and Stewed rice with chicken in Khao man gai sauce. Easily the star of the meal , the omelette, inspired by a Thai lady who sells them on a street shack, was soft, bustling with flavours of the special lump crab, fish sauce and chilli oil. The salsa served with it, coated in peanut sauce, made it almost a ‘perfect meal’ had the salt been a little less.
Moving on, it just got better with the Sticky jasmine rice, cooked in chicken broth with braised chicken. As soon as it graced our palate, it knocked us out with its simplicity making us think about the power of comfort food. The broth lent the rice a lovely chicken flavour, pairing well with the meat. To elevate it, we had Khao man gai sauce, spicy, pungent and excellent, made with fermented soybean paste, Thai chillies, garlic and seasonings.
But as all good things come to an end, our meal culminated with a sweet touch — the dessert. The White sticky rice with mango was simply delightful with the rice housing perfect sweet mango flavour, made creamier by the bed of thick coconut milk it was served on.
Overall, if you want to have comforting Thai food, or just enjoy a slice of Songkran festivities, do visit the outlet and we promise, you will come out with a happy heart and a full tummy.
INR 2,000 for two. From April 12 to 20. At Lotus, The Park.
Email-Mayurkaushal @newindianexpress.com
X-@KaushalMayur
