The folks behind Hakkasan and Yauatcha talk of launching a premier Thai restaurant in Mumbai that refuses to pander to the Indian palate
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From 2015 until now, Karyna Bajaj has made four trips to Thailand, each proving to be more intriguing than the last. "Thai cuisine has whet my appetite like no other. It's enough reason to warrant another overseas journey," laughs the 24-year-old executive director of KA Hospitality. It was back in 2011, that the group made its debut with Hakkasan Mumbai becoming the city's first Michelin-starred eatery followed by Yauatcha, a London-based dim sum teahouse. Now, they are set to open Nara Thai, one of Thailand's premier restaurants, in BKC. "There was no other place I could think of," she says when we meet her ahead of the September 11 launch.
"The word Nara is derived from Sanskrit, and stands for beautiful woman," says Bajaj, offering us a glass of Thai tea (R250), a strong brew spiced with star anise and cardamom. It could be a hit among masala chai fans.
Gai Hor Bai Toel comprising chicken wrapped in pandan leaf. Pics/ DattaâÂÂÂu00c2u0080ÂÂÂu00c2u0088Kumbhar
A look around the eatery reveals women staffers outnumbering the men. "That's not deliberate. Curiously, that's the case at Nara Thai outlets in Thailand too," she adds. The mother restaurant was founded in 2013 by Yuki Srikarnchana, who wished to serve comforting food like the sort available in traditional, upscale Thai homes. Designed by Nitipattara Yensup, the space is dotted with large windows, wine-coloured cushions and embellished lamps. In addition to the main dining area, a private dining room is available for intimate gatherings, while an al fresco courtyard (still in the making) landscaped with Thai orchids, makes it an ideal spot for a light working lunch.
Flowers turn out to be not just a decor element, but essential ingredient too. The Butterfly Pea Sour (R600) is a vibrant blue drink prepared using butterfly pea flower. "What makes the ingredient special is that when it comes into contact with lemon juice, it turns from blue to a pinkish purple," she says.
Bajaj, who has been corresponding with Yuki over emails and phone calls, said they unanimously agreed that food should be served without any tweaks. The menu reflects this line of the thought. There's Khao Phad Samunprai (R250) or butterfly pea rice with Thai herbs and Gai Hor Bai Toel (R350) comprising chicken wrapped in pandan leaf.
Chef JC and Karyna Bajaj at Nara Thai
The food menu has been designed Chef JC, a sprightly 36-year-old, who heads all four Nara's kitchens in Bangkok. "Indian and Thai cuisine has parallels," she says, sharing that in the last 200 years, Thai food has embraced culinary influences from other Asian and Central Asian countries. JC points to the coconut-based creamy curries, inspired by India, and the rice, a Persian import. For her, the key to cooking any Thai dish lies is perfectly balancing five key flavours -- sour, bitter, salty, sweet and spicy. "If you master that, you are sorted."
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