Stitched by flavour: Thailand to Japan in one menu

The premise of Little Soi’s The Asian Night Market is a straightforward one. Take the energy of Asia’s busiest street food corridors—Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Burma, and Japan, and bring them together on a shared menu. Built for sharing, this curated limited-menu serves everything as small plates, so guests can sample a range of flavours across the table.  

Follow along as we take you through the bustling night streets of Asia through flavour stamps.

This Asian food festival brings stall culture to the table

Our first destination was Thailand where we opened with the Thai corn cakes. Crisp corn fritters marinated in Thai flavours and served with a sweet chilli sauce, they were light and well-seasoned. Meanwhile, the pickled cucumber alongside gave them a freshness that kept things from feeling too heavy at the start. Honestly, we didn’t expect it to be so good. But it impressed us by all means.

However, the Kambing bakar, which arrived next was our absolute favourite. This is an Indonesian-style grilled lamb chops, cooked in butter and finished with roasted Malay curry powder and a generous arrangement of toppings. The lamb was well-executed, tender through the centre with a good grilled edge, and the curry powder gave it a depth that made every bite slightly more interesting than the last. In fact, the meal pieces almost melted as soon as it was put in our mouth.

On the sides we had Crystal bay, a clarified fresh mango juice with coconut water, from their Summer Mocktails menu. The juice had a perfect blend of both mango and coconut without overwhelming each other’s flavours.

Then came the Manila chicken inasal skewers, which brought the Philippines to the table with marinated chicken, black pepper, soya, and star anise. Fragrant and properly seasoned, it was reminiscent of the street-style skewers. They were easy to hold and bite into. A dish that was simple but well done. 

Next up was Vietnam. The Saigon bun cha grilled red meat, featuring charcoal-grilled red meat patty, glass noodles, fresh herbs, and nuoc cham brought together as a Vietnamese bun cha. This was a meal in itself. The nuoc cham dipping sauce was sharp and tangy without being too acidic, and the fresh herbs gave the whole thing a lift that balanced the richness of the patty well. 

By the end of it, we were ready to board our next flight to Burma. We were welcomed with the Ame hnat roti tacos. It featured a Burmese roti taco filled with roasted meat. We tried its chicken and the red meat versions and found them loaded, warming, and considerably more complex in flavour than the casual presentation might suggest.

Final destination: Japan. The Grilled tako yaki rounded out the evening— grilled seafood balls dressed with spicy tonkatsu sauce, garlic flakes, curry powder, and yuzu mayo. The sauces were layered without being overwhelming, and the yuzu mayo added a bright, citrusy finish that worked well. 

In addition to this, we also tried their Tokyo Monsoon drink, which was a refreshing fusion of watermelon, muskmelon, and passion fruit.

The Asian Night Market is on till June 30. Meal for two: INR 2,400. Lunch: 12 pm to 3.30 pm, and Dinner: 6.30 pm to 10.45 pm. At Little Soi outlets in Chennai, Coimbatore, and Kochi.

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