som saa
Thai restaurant · Spitalfields ·
Old-style Thai cuisine & intriguing drinks in warehouse
Old-style Thai cuisine & intriguing drinks in warehouse
"One of London’s go-to Thai restaurants, Som Saa is now doing delivery its smack-in-your face regional Thai dishes. You can order classics like tod mon pla (fish cakes), som tam thai (green papaya salad), gaeng baa gai baan (jungle curry), and much more from here." - oliver feldman, heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, rianne shlebak
"At the beginning of the 2010s, the indie sleaze scene started to die. Then, towards the end of the 2010s, an Anglo-Thai cooking renaissance began in London. Winklepicker fanaticism turned to laab and a whole swathe of restaurants opened—like Smoking Goat, Kiln, Farang, and Som Saa. A London-style of modern Thai cooking has been popular since then and, unlike indie sleaze, Som Saa is still doing it to a high standard in Spitalfields. In many ways, Som Saa is the same as it’s always been. A pungent mix of lemongrass and fish sauce hits as soon as you walk in and attaches to your clothes from there on out. The buzzing, NYC-ish, industrial space is popping like an early Boiler Room set and snagging a big wooden booth for shots and a sweat-inducing Bangkok papaya salad is a go-to move. But Som Saa hasn’t been without controversy. Back in 2018, it was in the headlines for a multitude of wrong reasons. It emerged that one of the chefs had produced a slew of racist content that was acknowledged by co-founder Andy Oliver. Since then the chef has been sacked and Oliver has spoken of “significant structural changes” behind the scenes. photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch photo credit: Karolina Wiercigroch Pause Unmute It may be hard to separate the food from Som Saa’s history, though it is among the best Thai restaurants in London. Whether you’re here with colleagues or celebrating so-and-so's birthday, it’s a great meal. The restaurant knows its crowd—mainly big and boisterous—and there are good-value set menus, as well as a vegan-specific one. So if you decide to come, it’s a restaurant to visit en masse. Because when it comes to flavour, Som Saa doesn’t disappoint. RESERVE A TABLE WITH RESERVE A TABLE" - Jake Missing
"Halal Thai food that doesn’t come from an ordinary chain restaurant or a dubious takeaway can be elusive in London. So it’s refreshing to know that Som Saa offers halal chicken, and either halal lamb or beef if requested in advance. The restaurant is spacious, the service is friendly without being overbearing, and the vibe is Thai-accented industrial chic. The whole deep-fried sea bream is one of the best seafood dishes in town, and the southern style chicken skewers are a simple yet highly memorable starter, especially with the tangy cucumber ajaad relish on the side. Those two along with any of the curries and some jasmine rice, and dinner is sorted. Make sure to get some icy milk tea or lychee soda." - Maazin Buhari
"With its fan base firmly established after years of popping up in small cafe's in Peckham and then Shoreditch, Som Saa has since settled down into a cozy space with wooden tables and exposed brick walls, remained jam packed with walk-ins, and been nearly impossible to book. The reason: uber-spicy Northern Thai curries, soups, and salads that simply surpass most all the other Thai spots in London. Their Burmese-style curry and fresh, green papaya salad alone will make the standard pad thai a thing of the past."
"Founded by Andy Oliver and Mark Dobbie, both of whom worked under David Thompson at his London fine-dining Thai restaurant, this spot is cited as part of a generation of 'Nu-Thai' restaurants in London and its founders regularly credit Thompson for their development as chefs." - Adam Coghlan
