How do you make a restaurant both cool and of its place? One simple answer is to involve the Sethi brothers. Their JKS Group is behind many of London’s perennially on-trend restaurants. Despite their Indian roots, the team has done it again, taking the former venue of Xu and turning it Thai. Our recent visit to Speedboat was a marked success; a happening vibe with some superb food to boot.
One of your reviewer’s more memorable dining experiences of last year was at Plaza Khao Gaeng, the Thai outlet upstairs at Arcade. Yes, JKS was behind this too – and in a masterstroke, they have given the chef there (Luke Farrell) free reign over the cooking at Speedboat. Of course, the restaurant is about far more than the food. Gone are the mellow and subdued tones of Xu, replaced by the bold brashness at Speedboat. It’s quite emphatically kitsch and retro with its bright colours, metal tables and comic book feel, but it kind-of works. It captures the zeitgeist (or Thai-geist) of being knowingly post-modern and ironic, but in a way that commands respect.
A similar mindset prevails when it comes to the food. The chef has always emphasised the use of his own garden-grown herbs and Speedboat’s menu comes with a riot of basil, coriander and all things green. A prawn ceviche with seafood dressing almost glowed with intensity; the super-soft prawns pairing off superbly with a wasabi-influenced sauce. If our palates were not tingling with this offering, then they would have been by the chicken skins coated with zaep seasoning (a typically homemade blend of Thai spices). They were salty and sour; very moreish too.
Speedboat could not be described as a venue for the faint-hearted. Beef tongue and tendon is a possible option. We chose it (and loved it), but were not to, every dish that you do, will still come with a thud on the table as soon as it is ready. Diners’ mouths – even those accustomed to spice, such as your reviewer’s – will constantly zing and tingle. The noise levels are elevated. Nonetheless, it all hangs together marvellously. Maybe the ‘Singha Tower’ of beer helped. It’s a nice touch; five pints for self-pouring. There’s even a pool table upstairs for after eating fun. All-in, it will set you back about £50 a head. Come and experience the exuberance of one strand of Thai culture.