The Commercial Street restaurant has been closed since May after a fire in the kitchen extraction system caused ‘significant damage’.
The team has used this hiatus as an opportunity to travel, research and develop an evolved food and drink offering, as well as refining some of Som Saa’s signature dishes.
New dishes include lemongrass salad with squid, pork and cashew nuts; and salted beef and fresh bamboo braised in coconut cream.
For the first time, Som Saa will introduce a dedicated bar snacks menu, featuring new creations like pickled mango with fried shrimp paste relish; and rice crackers with grilled cockles and chilli jam.
A specials section will also debut, showcasing plates including glass noodle claypot with smoked duck and garlic chives, red curry of grilled pork, holy basil and green banana; and salad of coconut palm heart, prawns and Thai peanuts.
The restaurant’s interiors underwent a renovation earlier this year, in partnership with A-rnd Studio, and have since been refreshed during the closure.
“The fire and resulting period of closure have been very challenging, but the silver lining of this is that we’ve been able to reflect on how Som Saa has developed and matured since opening nearly 10 years ago,” Oliver says.
“The Thai food scene in London has come a long way since then, so it feels like a nice moment to re-introduce the restaurant to people who might not have visited in a while.”
Dobbie adds: “We loved the experience of opening Kolae recently, and having some time away from Som Saa has allowed us to remember what makes it such a special place for us. It’s a nice opportunity to give some attention to our first child, so to speak!”
The pair launched Som Saa in 2016 having both trained under Thai food legend David Thompson.
In 2023, Oliver and Dobbie launched Kolae, a marginally more casual restaurant in Borough Market that is focused on the cuisine of Southern Thailand.