Nick Buglione takes the spice road to Rosa’s Thai Cafe.
I like the fact that I can just dive into Brixton and see what unfolds. These days, that’s despite living in a world where even a quick refuel requires diary planning, scheduling and baby sitters.
Tonight we start with happy hour at Market House (cocktails on a budget) before hitting the streets to see what happens next. I think master planners call this a “non-specific visitor destination”. We are all here, we may not have a plan but we are going to see where the evening takes us. This evening, it takes us to Rosa’s Thai Cafe.
I am hoping for some classic Thai dining, but happy if there are a few surprises thrown in. Turns out that’s exactly what Saiphan Moore’s kitchen is all about. Trad family recipes and some interesting sideways detours. I know every meal out is supposed to be a riot of innovative dazzling gastronomy and Instagram food porn, but sometimes I don’t want to be challenged by innovation. I want to be cosily cuddled by comfort food.
Take our starters, accompanied as they should be, by chilly beers. As well as old favourite Chang, Rosa’s also has local brews Atlantic APA and Electric IPA. Peek tai tod – spicy chicken wings with pandan leaves and a sweet chilli sauce were unsurprisingly good while Sai oua was a northern Thai grilled aromatic sausage with not a little kick of deep, dark spice. Interesting.
The graffiti-clad room (courtesy of Brixton street artists Id-iom) is the latest in Rosa’s journey from East End street stall to metropolitan micro-chain. It’s all hustle, all bustle. The menu is infused with traditional pad thais, sizzling satay, curries, and I presume Saiphan and the team regularly raid Brixton market for raw materials. They are a chopstick’s length from the beating heart of the food market.
We tried Pal lii suan, something of a Rosa’s signature dish. A whole baked fish immersed in lemongrass, ginger, galangal, cashews and chilli with sturdy flavour flowing through the meaty fish. Nuar yang maintained the heat – chargrilled sirloin marinated in spice and chilli alongside steamed vegetables and drunken noodles – spicy flat noodles with “holy” basil sauce and Thai herbs.
Highlight of our evening was the fish, the one dish we ordered that took us out of a traditional Thai comfort zone. Rosa’s is not setting out to confound and surprise your run-of-the-mill diner. Everything you would expect on a Thai menu is here, and any innovation or culinary modernity is subtle. There is definitely room in our dining kaleidoscope for good, affordable, classic Asian dining. Instagram optional.
36 Atlantic Road, SW9 8JW | rosasthaicafe.com/brixton | 020 3393 8562 | @RosasThaiCafe
