THAI RESTAURANT BLUE LAGOON IN LONDONThe Blue Lagoon is the latest Thai restaurant in London specialising in Royal Thai cuisine with fresh ingredients flown in daily from Thailand.
Their executive Thai chef will entice you with the most exciting dishes and the best oriental flavours from their grand selection of seafood, meat or vegetarian dishes using fresh ingredients.
The restaurant is located in High Street Kensington. It is tastefully decorated on the outside to enhance the tropical effect and the romantic atmosphere. They have a large seating capacity and an exclusive area for private parties. But the interior of the restaurant would benefit from being brighter, having a makeover and decorated in a way which would provide the atmosphere of a proper Thai restaurant.
They offer to their guests the tastefull Thai dishes at very reasonable prices.
The wine list has been selected from all corners of the world to please every palate and pocket.
The manager and the staff do an efficient job providing friendly service and advice on items on the menu and taking the order.
Blue Lagoon- Adress: 284-286 Kensington High St, London W14 8NZ, UK
- Tel: 0207 603 1231
- Web: www.blue-lagoon.co.uk
- Advantages: Blue Lagoon restaurant offer a wide selection of authentically prepared Thai dishes.
- Venue Type: Bar/Restaurant
- Opening Hours: Daily 12:00-23:30
- Cuisine: Thai
- Avg Food Spend: £10 - £20 per person
THE MENUStarters:
1. Satay: Grilled thinly sliced chicken, beef or pork marinated in coconut milk,
served with peanut dip (Mixed satay) - £5.50 - £7.50
2. Spring roll: Rice pastry filled with vermicelli and vegetables – V - £5.50
3. Chicken wings: Chicken wings with peppercorn sauce - £5.50
4. Dim sum: Steamed prawns dumplings served with garlic soya sauces - £5.50
6. Spare ribs: Marinated in honey with seasoning and sesame seeds - £5.50
7. Lady in love: Marinated prawns wrapped in rice pastry - £5.50
8. Prawns on toast: Marinated mince prawns spread on toast with sesame seeds - £5.50
9. Fish cake: Deep fried ground fish and prawns mixed with spice, red curry paste and lime leaves - £5.50
10. King tod: Tempura style deep-fried marinated prawns in light batter - V - £5.50
11. Seafood platter: King prawns, crab claws, cuttlefish and squid in light batter - £6.25
12. Jumbo prawns: Charcoal grilled tiger prawns, served with ground chilli, coriander and garlic dip - £7.25 - £10.50
13. Thai calamari: Tempure style calamari in ginger honey sauce - £5.25
15. Blue lagoon platter: The house choice of mixed starters. Fish cakes, spring rolls, chicken satay, lady in love, jumbo prawns, prawns on toast served with
special dips - £15.99
Soups:16. Tom yum yong: The most popular spicy Thai soup with prawns, krachay roots lemon grass, mushroom and lime leaves – V – £5.50
17. Tom kar kay: A coconut chicken soup with mushroom, lemon grass, galangal and hint of chilli. – V £5.50
18. Tom yum kay: A clear spicy chicken broth with lemon grass, mushroom and spring onion. – V – £5.50
19. Tom yao waraj: Clear soup with spring onion, fresh green peppercorn, chicken and vermicelli noodles. – V - £5.50
20. Poh taik (2 persons minimum): Mixed seafood in clear spicy broth with lemon grass, krachay, and lime leaves. Containing crab claws, squid, mussels and prawns. - £14.50
Thai Salads:21. Yum woon sen: Vernicelli noodle salad with minced chicken, prawns, onion, lemon juice and chilli dressing – V - £7.25
22. Laab kai: Minced chicken cooked with lemon juice, mixed with dried chilli, galangal and ground roasted rice – V - £7.25
23. Yum neau: Grilled beef salad with fresh mint, coriander, sliced tomatoes, lemon juice and chilli dressing – V - £7.25
24. Yum talay: Squid, prawns and mussels salad flavoured with onion, green chilli tossed in garlic and lemon dressing – V – £7.25
25. Pla goong: Prawns salad with lemon grass, thai shallots tossed in lemon and chilli dressing – V - £7.25
26. Som tum: Shredded papaya and carrots seasoned with ground peanuts, lime juice, palm sugar, fish sauce and chilli. – V - £7.25
Seafood:28. Goong ob woon sen: A steamed delicate dish with king prawns, garlic, coriander, root vegetables and vermicelli noodles - V - £10.50
34. Pla muk kaprow: Stir-fried squid with garlic, basil leaves and chilli. – £10.50
35. Poo pad prik kaprow: Stir-fried crab claws with basil leaves, garlic and chilli in white wine sauce – £15.50
36. Pla sam rod. (fish): A whole crispy seabass in spicy chilli and tamarind sauce – £15.50
37. Pla rad plick (fish): A whole seabass deep-fried served in garlic and chilli sauce or green curry sauce – £15.50
38. Pla pewwan (fish): A whole fried seabass with pineapple, courgette and onion in sweet and sour sauce - £15.50
39. Pla noong (fish): Steamed seabass (choise of ginger and soya sauce or chilli lemon sauce) - £15.50
40. Scallops: Stir fried chilli paste & basil with peppercorn and onion - £15.50
41. Mix seafood: Stir fried squid, prawns, mussels, crab claws in chilli paste - £15.50
Thai Curries: 42. Kang keow wan: Green spicy curry with coconut milk, bamboo shoots, lime leaves aubergines and basil leaves (Chicken, beef, pork, duck or prawns) - £9.00
43. Gaeng phet: Red medium curry served with coconut milk, lime leaves, aubergine and basil leaves -V - ( Chicken, beef, pork, duck & fruits or prawns)- £9.00
44. Gaeng panaeng: Panaeng curry. A rich curry made from Thai herbs and spices, fruits cooked in coconut milk – V – (Chicken, beef, pork, duck or prawns)£9.00
45. Massaman: A southern Thai dish. A marinated braised beef or duck with potatoes, roasted peanuts, palm sugar and coconut milk. – £9.00
46. Gaeng leang: Yellow curry. Mildly spiced served with potatoes and onion – V (Chicken, beef, pork, duck or prawns) - £9.00
47. Gaeng par: Hot and spicy curry with fresh chilli, bamboo shoots and thai aubergine. – V – ( chicken, beef, pork, duck or prawns) - £9.00
Stir Fried Dishes:48. Pad ma muang: Chicken, beef, pork or prawns stir-fried with cashew nuts, pepper mushrooms and onion, topped with fried chilli – V - £9.00
48a. Pad kao pod: Chicken, beef pork or prawns stir fried with baby corn, courgette and mushroom in oyster sauce – V – £9.00
49. Pad lra praw: Chicken, beef, pork or prawns stir- fried with garlic, chilli and basil leaves – V - £9.00
50. Pad gra tiam: Chicken, beef, pork or prawns stir-fried with garlic and pepper in white wine sauce – V - £9.00
51. Pad khing: Chicken, beef, pork or prawns with ginger, mushroom, courgette and onion - £9.00
52. Pad pewwan: Chicken, beef, pork or prawns with sweet and sour sauce with vegetables – V - £9.00
53. Pad num mun hoy: Chicken, beef or pork stir-fried with onion, spring onion and mushrooms in oyster sauce – V - £9.00
54. Pad kea mao: Chicken, beef or pork minced, stir fried with chilli, onion, herbs and basil leaves – V – £9.00
55. Duck: Roasted breast of duck with tamarind sauce - £15.50
56. Duck: Sweet and sour with grapes, lyches & pineapple - £15.50
56a. Grilled lamb: Lamb cutlets served with a choice of sauce, chilli basil or sweet & sour - £15.50
Thai Noodles:57. Pad Thai: A traditional Thai dish of fried noodles with bean sprouts, shredded carrots - V - £8.50
58. Pad tank tek: Plain rice noodles stir-fried in eggs and soya sauce. - V - £5.25
60. Pad boy-sen: Vermicelli noodles with prawns, squid, mushrooms and vegetables - £8.50
61. Pad ki mao: Very spicy noodles with chilli, broccoli and basil leaves – V - £8.50
62. Pad seeiew: Noodles with mixed vegetables in oyster sauce - £8.50
Vegetables:63. Pad pak luam: Stir fried seasonal vegetables in oyster sauce - £4.75
64. Pad broccoli: Stir fried broccoli in oyster sauce - £4.75
65. Pad tour ngork: Stir-fried bean sprout in oyster sauce - £4.75
66. Thai vegetables: Stir fried Thai vegetables in tofu garlic chilli and soya sauce - £4.75
66a. Aubergine: Stir fried aubergine with fresh chilli - £4.75
Thai Rice:67. Kao suay: Plain steamed rice - £2.25
68. Kao meaw: Famous sticky rice from northern Thailand (or coconut rice) - £3.75
69. Kao pad khay: Egg fried rice - £3.25
70. Kao pad pak: Egg fried rice with vegetables and chicken - £6.75
71. Kao pad goong: Egg fried rice with vegetables and prawns - £7.95
72. Blue Lagoon rice: Fried rice prawns, squid and mussels - £8.95
DEFINITION OF THAI CUISINE FROM DIFERENT CHEFS POINTS OF VIEW Thai cuisine is the national cuisine of Thailand. Balance, detail and variety are of paramount significance to Thai chefs. In his book The Principles of Thai Cookery, renowned celebrity chef, writer and authority on Thai cuisine McDang wrote:
"What is Thai food? Every country in the world has its own food profile. It reflects its culture, environment, ingenuity and values. In the case of Thailand, these words come to mind: intricacy; attention to detail; texture; color; taste; and the use of ingredients with medicinal benefits, as well as good flavor.
We not only pay attention to how a dish tastes: we are also concerned about how it looks, how it smells, and how it fits in with the rest of the meal. We think of all parts of the meal as a whole - sum rap Thai (the way Thais eat), is the term we use for the unique components that make up a characteristically Thai meal."
Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components and a spicy edge. It known for its complex interplay of at least three and up to four or five fundamental taste senses in each dish or the overall meal: sour, sweet, salty, bitter and spicy. Australian chef David Thompson, a prolific chef and expert on Thai food, observed that unlike many other cuisines:
"Thai food ain't about simplicity. It's about the juggling of disparate elements to create a harmonious finish. Like a complex musical chord it's got to have a smooth surface but it doesn't matter what's happening underneath. Simplicity isn't the dictum here, at all. Some westerners think it's a jumble of flavours, but to a Thai that's important, it's the complexity they delight in.".
REGIONAL CUISINES AND HISTORICAL INFLUENCESThai cuisine is more accurately described as four regional cuisines corresponding to the four main regions of the country: Northern, Northeastern (or Isan), Central, and Southern, each cuisine sharing similar foods or foods derived from those of neighboring countries and regions: Burma to the northwest, the Chinese province of Yunnan and Laos to the north, Vietnam and Cambodia to the east, Indonesia and Malaysia to the south of Thailand. In addition to these four regional cuisines, there is also the Thai Royal Cuisine which can trace its history back to the cosmopolitan palace cuisine of the Ayutthaya kingdom (1351–1767 CE). Its refinement, cooking techniques and use of ingredients were of great influence to the cuisine of the Central Thai plains. Western influences from the 17th century CE onwards have also led to dishes such as foi thong and sangkhaya.
Thai cuisine and the culinary traditions and cuisines of Thailand's neighbors have mutually influenced one another over the course of many centuries. Regional variations tend to correlate to neighboring states (often sharing the same cultural background and ethnicity on both sides of the border) as well as climate and geography. Southern Thai food tend to contain liberal amounts of coconut milk and fresh turmeric, while northeastern dishes often include lime juice and ground toasted rice grains. The cuisine of Northeastern (or Isan) Thailand is similar to southern Lao cuisine whereas northern Thai cuisine shares many dishes with northern Lao cuisine and the cuisine of Shan state in Burma. Many popular dishes eaten in Thailand were originally Chinese dishes which were introduced to Thailand mainly by the Teochew people who make up the majority of the Thai Chinese. Such dishes include chok (rice porridge), salapao (steamed buns), kuai-tiao rat na (fried rice-noodles) and khao kha mu (stewed pork with rice). The Chinese also introduced the use of a wok for cooking, the technique of deep-frying and stir-frying dishes, and noodles, oyster sauce and soybean products. Dishes such as kaeng kari (yellow curry) and kaeng matsaman (massaman curry) are Thai adaptations of dishes originating in the cuisine of India and the cuisine of Persia.
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Thailand has about the same surface area as Spain and a length of approximately 1650 kilometers or 1025 miles (Italy, in comparison, is about 1250 kilometers or 775 miles long), with foothills of the Himalayas in the north, a high plateau in the northeast, a verdant river basin in the centre and tropical rainforests and islands in the south. And with over 40 distinct ethnic groups with each their own culture and even more languages, it does not come as a surprise that Thai cuisine, as a whole, features many different ingredients and ways of preparing food. Thai food is known for its enthusiastic use of fresh (rather than dried) herbs and spices. Common flavors in Thai food come from garlic, galangal, coriander, shallots, pepper, kaffir lime and, of course, chilies. Palm sugar, made from the sap of certain Borassus palms, is used to sweeten dishes while lime and tamarind contribute sour notes. From the coconut palm comes coconut milk and coconut vinegar. The juice of a green coconut can be served as a drink and the young flesh can be eaten.
Rice flour (paeng khao chao) and tapioca flour (paeng man sampalang) are often used in desserts and as a thickening agent in some recipes.
- Rice and noodles: Like most other Asian cuisines, rice is the staple grain of Thai cuisine. According to McDang, rice is the first and most important part of any meal, and the words for rice and food are the same: khao. Highly prized, sweet-smelling jasmine rice (khao hom mali) is indigenous to Thailand. This naturally aromatic long-grained rice grows in abundance in the verdant patchwork of paddy fields that blanket Thailand's central plains. Steamed rice is accompanied by highly aromatic curries, stir-fries and other dishes, sometimes incorporating large quantities of chili peppers and lime juice. Curries, stir-fries and others may be poured onto the rice creating a single dish called khao rat kaeng (Thai: ข้าวราดแกง), a popular meal when time is limited.
Other varieties eaten in Thailand include: sticky rice (khao niao), a unique variety of rice which contains an unusual balance of the starches present in all rice, causing it to cook up to a sticky texture. Sticky rice, not jasmine rice, is the staple food in the local cuisines of Northern Thailand and of Isan (Northeastern Thailand), both regions of Thailand directly adjacent to Laos with which they share many cultural traits. Thai Red Cargo rice, an unpolished long grain rice with an outer deep reddish-brown colour and a white center, has a nutty taste and slightly chewy compared to the soft and gummy texture of jasmine rice. Only the husks of the red rice grains are removed which allows it to retain all its nutrients and vitamins, but unlike brown rice, its red color comes from antioxidants in the bran. Black sticky rice is a type of sticky rice with a deep purple-red color that may appear black. Another unpolished grain, black sticky rice has a rich nutty flavor that is most often enjoyed in desserts.
Noodles are usually made from either rice flour, wheat flour or mung bean flour. Khanom chin is fresh rice vermicelli made from fermented rice, and eaten with spicy gravies like a green curry of chicken (khanom chin kaeng khiao wan kai). Flat rice noodles, adapted from Chinese cuisine to suit Thai taste, are called kuai tiao in Thailand and come in three varieties: sen yai are wide flat noodles, sen lek are thin flat rice noodles, and sen mi (also known as rice vermicelli in the West) are round and thin. Bami is made from egg and wheat flour and usually sold fresh, and are essentially similar to the Teochew mee pok. Wun sen, called cellophane noodles in English, are extremely thin noodles made from mung bean flour which are sold dried.
Thai noodle dishes, whether stir-fried like phat thai or in the form of a noodle soup, usually come as an individual serving and not meant to be shared and eaten communally.
- Pastes and sauces: The ingredients found in almost all Thai dishes and every region of the country is nam pla, a very aromatic and strong tasting fish sauce. Fish sauce is a staple ingredient in Thai cuisine and imparts a unique character to Thai food. Fish sauce is prepared with fermented fish that is made into a fragrant condiment and provides a salty flavor. There are many varieties of fish sauce and many variations in the way it is prepared. Some fish may be fermented with shrimp and/or spices. Pla ra is also a sauce made from fermented fish. It is more pungent than nam pla, and, in contrast to nam pla which is a clear liquid, it is opaque and often contains pieces of fish. To use it in som tam (spicy papaya salad) is a matter of choice. Kapi, Thai shrimp paste, is a combination of fermented ground shrimp and salt. It is used, for instance, in red curry paste, in the famous chili paste called nam phrik kapi and in rice dishes such as khao khluk kapi. Tai pla is a sauce used in the Southern Thai cuisine made with the fermented innards of the shortbodied mackerel (pla thu). It is one of the main condiments of kaeng tai pla curry and is also used to make nam phrik tai pla.
Nam phrik are Thai chilli pastes, similar to the Indonesian and Malaysian sambals. Each region has its own special versions. The words "nam phrik" are used by Thais to describe many pastes containing chilies used for dipping, although the more watery version tend to be called nam chim. Thai curry pastes are normally called phrik kaeng or khrueang kaeng (lit. curry ingredients) but some people also use the word nam phrik to designate a curry paste. Red curry paste, for instance, could be called phrik kaeng phet or khrueang kaeng phet in Thai, but also nam phrik kaeng phet. Both nam phrik and phrik kaeng are prepared by crushing together chillies with various ingredients such as garlic and shrimp paste using a mortar and pestle. Some nam phrik are served as a dip with vegetables such as cucumbers, cabbage and yard-long beans, either raw or blanched. One such paste is nam phrik num, a paste of pounded fresh green chilies, shallots, garlic and coriander leaves. The sweet roasted chili paste called nam phrik phao is often used as an ingredient in Tom yam or when frying meat or seafood, and it is also popular as a spicy "jam" on bread. The dry nam phrik kung, made with pounded dried prawns (kung haeng, Thai: กุ้งแห้ง), is often eaten with rice and a few slices of cucumber.
The soy sauces which are used in Thai cuisine are of Chinese origin and the Thai names for them are (wholly or partially) loanwords from the Teochew dialect: si-io dam (dark soy sauce), si-io khao (light soy sauce), and taochiao (fermented whole soy beans). Namman hoi (oyster sauce) is also of Chinese origin. It is used extensively in vegetable and meat stir-fries.
- Vegetables, herbs and spices: Thai dishes use a wide variety of herbs, spices and leaves rarely found in the West. The characteristic flavor of kaffir lime leaves (bai makrut) appears in nearly every Thai soup (e.g., the hot and sour Tom yam) or curry from the southern and central areas of Thailand. The Thai lime (manao) is smaller, darker and sweeter than the kaffir lime, which has a rough looking skin with a stronger lime flavor. Kaffir lime leaves or rind is frequently combined with galangal (kha) and lemongrass (takhrai), either kept whole in simmered dishes or blended together with liberal amounts of chillies and aromatics to make curry paste. Fresh Thai basil, redolent with a distinctive scent reminiscent of cloves and stems which are often tinged with a purple color, are used to add fragrance in certain dishes such as green curry. Other commonly used herbs in Thai cuisine include phak chi, (coriander or cilantro leaves), rak phak chi (cilantro/coriander roots), spearmint (saranae), holy basil (kraphao), ginger (khing), turmeric (khamin), fingerroot (krachai), culantro (phak chi farang), pandanus leaves (bai toei), and Thai lemon basil (maenglak). Spices and spice mixtures used in Thai cuisine include phong phalo (five-spice powder), phong kari (curry powder), and fresh and dried peppercorns (phrik thai).
Besides kaffir lime leaves, several other tree leaves are used in Thai cuisine such as cha-om, the young feathery leaves of the Acacia pennata tree, which cooked in omelettes, soups and curries and raw in salads of the Northern Thai cuisine. Banana leaves are often used as packaging for ready-made food or as steamer cups such as in ho mok pla, a spicy steamed pâté or soufflé made with fish and coconut milk. Banana flowers are also used in Thai salads or minced and deep fried into patties. The leaves and flowers of the neem tree (sadao) are also eaten blanched.
Five main chilies are generally used as ingredients in Thai food. One chili is very small (about 1.25 centimetres (0.49 in)) and is known as the hottest chili: phrik khi nu suan ("garden mouse-dropping chili"). The slightly larger chili phrik khi nu ("mouse-dropping chili") is the next hottest. The green or red phrik chi fa ("sky pointing chili") is slightly less spicy than the smaller chilies. The very large phrik yuak, which is pale green in color, is the least spicy and used more as a vegetable. Lastly, the dried chilies: phrik haeng are spicier than the two largest chilies and dried to a dark red color.
Other typical ingredients are the several types of eggplant (makhuea) used in Thai cuisine, such as the pea-sized makhuea phuang and the egg-sized makhuea suai, often also eaten raw. Although broccoli is often used in Asian restaurants in the west in phat thai and rat na, it was never actually used in any traditional Thai food in Thailand and is still rarely seen in Thailand. Usually in Thailand, khana is used, for which broccoli is a substitute.
Other vegetables which are often eaten in Thailand are thua fak yao (yardlong beans), thua ngok (bean sprouts), no mai (bamboo shoots), tomatoes, cucumbers, phak tam leung (Coccinia grandis), kha na (Chinese kale), phak kwangtung (choy sum), sweet potatoes (both the tuber and leaves), a few types of squash, phakatin (Leucaena leucocephala), sataw (Parkia speciosa), tua phū (Winged beans) and kapōt corn.
Among the green leafy vegetables that are usually eaten raw in the meal or as a side dish in Thailand, the most important are: Phak bung (morning glory), hōrapha (Thai basil), bai bua bok (Asian pennywort), phak kachēt (water mimosa), phak kat khao (Chinese cabbage), kra thin Thai (ipil-ipil), phak phai (Praew leaves), phak kayang (Rice Paddy Herb), phak chī farang (Eryngium foetidum), phak tiu (Cratoxylum formosum), phak "phaai" (Yellow Burr Head) and kalamplī (cabbage). Some of these leaves are highly perishable and must be used within a couple of days.
Several types of mushroom (het) also feature in Thai cuisine such as straw mushrooms[disambiguation needed] (het fang) and white jelly fungus (het hu nu khao).
- Fruits: Fruit forms a large part of the Thai diet, and are customarily served after a meal as dessert. Certain fruits like limes and tamarind are important as cooking ingredients. Although many of the exotic fruits of Thailand may have been sometimes unavailable in Western countries, many Asian markets import such fruits as rambutan and lychees. In Thailand one can find papaya, jackfruit, mango, mangosteen, langsat, longan, pomelo, pineapple, rose apples, durian, Burmese grapes and other native fruits. Chantaburi in Thailand each year holds the World Durian Festival in early May. This single province is responsible for half of the durian production of Thailand and a quarter of the world production. The Langsat festival is held each year in Uttaradit province around the middle to end of September. The langsat (Lansium parasiticum), for which Uttaradit is famous, is a fruit that is similar in taste to the longan.
Apples, grapes, pears and strawberries, which do not traditionally grow in Thailand, have become increasingly popular in recent years. Temperate fruits are grown on a small scale in the cooler highlands and mountains of Thailand, mainly in the North.
