Kolae

good quality, good value cooking

Another new kid on the Borough Market block, this offshoot of Thai favourite Som Saa in Spitalfields is all about kolae (sometimes called gaw lae) – meat and fish threaded onto bamboo skewers, dipped in various spicy, coconutty curry marinades and grilled over an open fire. As a sampler, we kicked things off with crispy prawn heads ramped up with turmeric and garlic, before two types of skewer – the signature ‘chicken bamboo’ and a neat row of soft, juicy mussels. Both were immensely delicious ‘sticks of pleasure’. Respectable British produce underpins most of the recipes: slow-cooked Middle White pork belly and ribs bathed in dark soy sauce arrived chock-full of umami and reminded us of barmy holidays on Phuket, while a rich, vivid yellow curry of stone bass, prawns, chopped kale and fragrant betel leaf had us licking the bowl clean. There’s just one dessert, and it’s a good call – pandan sticky rice with coconut sorbet, peanuts, jackfruit and slivers of fleshy young coconut. The restaurant itself (spread over three levels) is designed to match the easy-going mood. The busy ground floor has an industrial look (concrete flooring, bare brick walls, exposed ventilation), with a bar extending to the fired-up open kitchen and lots of counter seating. There's a thrum of energy about the place, helped along by bubbly service. And to drink? Take your pick from spice-tolerant wines, tropical cocktails or esoteric beers including the splendidly named Jiddler’s Tipple (a hazy ‘summer chug’ flavoured with apricots). The combination of emphatically spiced Thai food, good vibrations and moderate pricing make Kolae a solid recommendation, even in a crowded marketplace.