The Senses of Thailand promotion opened at Selfridges last night in a blaze of colour, exotic ingredients and Singha Mojitos.
For the next two weeks the Selfridges Food Hall will be crammed with Thai food demonstrations and tastings, as well as featuring plenty of unique Thai ingredients to experiment with at home.
Leading the showcase are a selection of Thai restaurants, headed by Nahm who are serving their dishes at the Oyster bar. Oysters have been perked up with punchy flavours of peanut and green mango nahm jim, another selection with ginger, chilli and kaffir lime. Head Chef Matthew Albert is excited about the collaboration.
“It is a wonderful opportunity to really showcase Thai cuisine to a wider audience and enable people to try things they wouldn’t have been able to try before in this country.”
There are plenty of intriguing products in the Food Hall, including Basil Seed drinks with honey and lemongrass, Mangosteen juice, Coconut water in its own portable container, new crop glutinous rice, and white bean mango cakes.
Food carts will also be on hand, Frith Street’s Siam serving spicy green papaya salad, Patara with parcels of Betel leaves stuffed with dried shrimps, nuts, chilli and shallots. Thai Square will be serving ice-creams and exotic fruit ices, while Busaba Eathai will offer their fresh fruit and juices. Even Hix restaurant will be involved, with renowned Thai chef Ian Kittichai leading a culinary journey through the regions of Thailand with a special menu.
Those Singha Mojitos? The Thai Ambassador kicked things off in Gordon’s Bar on the first floor, where Thai inspired cocktails are being served. Mojito topped up with Singha, Thailand’s oldest brewery. Ambassadors have come a long way since Ferrero Rocher.
Senses of Thailand runs from 14th-30th July in the Food Hall at Selfridges.
Author Zeren Wilson is behind the blog Bitten and Written. You can follow him at Twitter.com/bittenwritten
