Want a stress-free trip to Thailand without any tests or visa issues? Head to Armada bluebay in JLT to check out the summer-long licensed pop up by Café Isan. Ipshita Sharma is not only a long time fan, but was actually recommended to first go there by Thai friends! Here she is, singing praises about their new venture.
Café Isan has long been a cult favourite for its incredibly authentic food and simple fuss-free cooking. Not here the ridiculous price tags and fusion confusion. And so when we heard they were opening up a licensed pop-up, we were there with bells on!
Not only is the usual fare on offer but the menu has some brand new items as well. And to wash down all the fun, there’s Thai beers and also some special cocktails made up just to go along with the tastes and flavours of Thailand.
We get there and the kitschy interior sets the stage for an irreverent and whimsical taste of the real Thailand. We start off the meal with some fantastic chicken wings that are promptly named the best chicken wings ever! These are ably followed by green curry rice balls inspired by arancini but with an incredible flavour all their own.
We also get some coconut fried shrimp with the papaya salad because they are definite crowd favourites. Being able to choose spice levels from 1 to 5 is also highly appreciated by the spice phobic foodie in our group.
For mains we get Thai fried rice with chicken, yellow prawn curry and jasmine rice. Everything is fresh, fragrant and flavourful. We finally end the meal with the not-to-missed mango with sticky rice that is just a festival of fun in our face!
To top off this experience, we have a little chat with co-founder Lisa Knight:
What prompted this new venture?
It’s something we’d had our eye on because patrons keep asking for Thai beers. But finding someone who understood our brand took time; I kind of stalked the manager of this hotel for a while until he agreed to meet me.
You have a cult following with your fans. What do you want to tell them?
Ahah! Wow. So many things. That we always listen and do our best to deliver what they’re asking us for. That we’ve always got good value in mind. And also that we’ll never stop upping our game and surprising them.
Tell us what you love about Thai food and what’s your favourite dish on the new menu?
Phwoar! That’s a hard question. I love mostly everything other than the fermented fish sauce that Thais go crazy for. I’ve had a long-term love affair with our Tom Yum soup – perhaps because I see the beautiful ingredients and love that goes into it – its very traditional and has no flavour enhancers such as MSG.
If you could be a Thai dish, what you would you be? We would be a Yum Talay.
If I’m feeling tired it’ll be a yellow curry and if not a fresh and tangy Som Tum (Papaya Salad)
Good: Everything! This is a must try for all foodies. Get there now!
Bad: It’s only around till summer, had there and make it so popular that they have to stick around!
Trendy: Check out the new menu and the Thai cocktails. Yum yum!