Looking towards the open kitchen at PAM
So this is the hot new Thai place everyone's been talking about?
It's fair to say there has been a lot of interest in PAM. Billed as a live-fire Thai restaurant, most of the buzz has centred around its chef Karla Knowles. Knowles was head chef at Kiln, so it's fair to say she knows her stuff. But she's also chosen some interesting partners for this venture. Those are brothers Edouard and Romain Bourrillon, who run Maison Vivantes - a group of restaurants that includes Cocotte and Casa Felicia. Knowles is also going to head up their upcoming Aree restaurant in Notting Hill.
Where is it?
You'll find it on Charterhouse Street, beside the part of Smithfield Market that's about to be unveiled as the new Museum of London. The nearest tube here is Farringdon.
Where should we meet friends for a drink first?
Nearby you've got the newly opened The Horses from the Public House Group, and we always like the bar at St John's if you're after a decent glass of wine. But, that said, there's also a large bar area as you enter PAM, partly used as a place to display their rotating art collection, with one long communal table that's an easy place to meet for one of their cocktails.
This is the communal bar as you come in.
What kind of food is it?
Karla describes the food as "rooted in Thai flavour, shaped by British seasonal produce...and finished with European techniques". So it's inspired by her travels throughout the country, but given more of a London slant. On the soft launch menu, we tried that was split into snacks and then a mix of small and larger plates, most of which are aimed at sharing.
Here's what we tried to give you an idea:
Fried red curry sticky rice balls with tamarind caramel - fabulous texture and a sauce with a delightful honk of fish sauce in it.
Grilled turmeric chicken thigh, with roasted chilli relish, one of our absolute favourite dishes of the night.
Miang kham with Cornish crab and Mexican lime
At this point you move into the larger dishes
Brill rib with yellow coconut curry and sweet basil - this was a dish that divided us. One of us thought it was a fabulous piece of fish, the other thought it was too delicate a fish for the curry it came with. You'll have to order it yourself to see what you think.
Roasted duck breast with fries and red curry - this was the only dish our waiter had to issue a warning over heat/spicyness. And while it was the hottest thing we ordered, it's 100% the must-have from the menu.
What's on the menu for vegetarians?
There are a few dishes to choose from in the starters and small plates section, including the Khao Soi Noi with egg and pickled mustard greens. But everyone should add this next dish to their order.
Stir-fried fermented mushroom with aubergine and sweet basil - after the heat of the other dishes we'd ordered, this took a while to grow on us, but it's a keeper.
Any dessert?
There's no dessert on the menu right now, but come the new year they're opening Napo in a side room here that will be a Neapolitan gelataria and coffee shop.
Overall thoughts:
We're very much here for the resurgence of EC1 as a hot part of town to eat out. First we had the opening of The Horses, then there was the news about Daniel Craig's new pub, not to mention all the restaurants and bars at the new Museum of London that are about to hit us. To all of that, we can now add PAM. If you're looking for somewhere a bit more edgy than the other places round here to hit up for a glass of wine and some spicy small plates, we can't think of a better spot.
More about PAM
Where is it? 61 Charterhouse Street, London EC1M 6HA
How to book? Book online
Find out more: Follow them on Instagram @pam.restaurant
Hot Dinners dined as guests of PAM. Prices correct at time of publication
