The top line: The first of two London restaurants from former Kiln head chef Karla Knowles. Earlier this year, it was revealed that Knowles was partnering with French brothers Edouard and Romain Bourrillon, who are behind French bistro group Cocotte and Queen’s Park Italian restaurant Casa Felicia. Close to Farringdon station on Charterhouse street, PAM promises a “contemporary, playful take on Thai cuisine”, with a menu that will feel familiar to followers of London’s new-wave Thai scene. Knowles and the Bourrillons are also opening Aree in the former e&o site in Notting Hill early next year. That sounds set to be a more grown-up affair, with Knowles describing PAM as its “naughty sibling”.
On the menu: Smaller plates include fried red curry sticky rice balls with tamarind caramel; Chiang Rai sai oua (spiced sausage); smoked pork belly with bitter leaves and nashi pear; and stir-fried fermented mushrooms with aubergine and sweet basil. More substantial dishes take in mutton hunglay (a Burmese-influenced curry heavy on pickled garlic and usually made with pork); grilled folded gurnard with prik takhrai and lime; and roast duck in a pool of red curry, accompanied by chips in a nod to the Bourrillons’ French roots. Dishes arrive as they are ready, and everything is designed to be shared. There are no desserts as yet.
The vibe: Occupying the former Cubana Smithfield site, PAM has an industrial feel, with concrete walls, high ceilings, exposed ventilation and moody lighting, and little visual reference to the South East Asian source material. There are 45 seats in the main dining area to the rear and a large communal table near the bar at the front, but the cavernous space could comfortably accommodate more. The kitchen is fully open, with everything from the dry stores to the kitchen porter’s station on display.
And another thing: PAM stands for People Around Me, but the name has another layer. Knowles says Pam is a common female nickname in Thailand, shared by several prominent chefs, making it a nod of respect too.
61 Charterhouse Street, London EC1M 6HA