When east meets west

In a move away from a big brand feel to Jim Thompson's, Noble House Leisure is adding a touch of Thai. Jo Bruce reports Noble House Leisure's launch of the Thai Pad restaurant for its Jim Thompson's brand in London marks the dawn of an East-meets-West theme. Thai Pad, which opened last month at the East Putney outlet, is a concept that marries Far East restaurant-style dining and an English pub. The company believes that Jim Thompson's had lost touch with its roots of being a local community restaurant combined with a pub because it had become too much of a brand. Noble House Leisure's head of marketing Sandra Parkinson explains: "We had become a bit of a Thai-TGI Friday's. "We lost touch with our roots as a local community pub with a Thai restaurant at the back. We are focusing now on putting the Thai restaurants back. People want to feel it is their own local Thai restaurant." Thai Pad will be known as Thai Pad at Jim Thompson's and the East Putney model will eventually be rolled out to the company's other 11 sites ­ each restaurant will feature its own name. Parkinson adds: "We want to get away from that big brand feel." The move to focus on Thai as opposed to using "oriental" in the name is aimed at increasing customer understanding of what Jim Thompson's is about. However, Thai Pad still features other Asian influences such as Malaysian, Indonesian, Chinese and Singaporean, but the main emphasis is on Thai. Head chef is Sopan-Eleni Tsami, known as Lily, who has been at the group for some time. Dishes range from Pad Thai to adventurous soups such as Laksa Lemak and Tom Yum. Other dishes include Goi Cuon (fresh Vietnamese spring rolls with mint and coriander) and signature hot skillet dishes such as Pla Yang Rad Nam Kratiam (skewered char-grilled red snapper) and Sew Tai Ha (freshwater jumbo prawns with coriander and garlic pepper sauce). There are also authentic Thai curries, noodle dishes, and freshly-baked Malaysian breads. Lesser-known Thai desserts are on offer too, such as Kau Niew Ka Noune (sticky rice pudding with jackfruits and coconut syrup) and Lotus Crepe (pancake with sweet lotus filling). It is expected that the average spend will be about £15 per person. Parkinson says: "People don't understand what oriental is, but they understand what Thai is." For the last six months, all chefs at Jim Thompson's have been cooking everything to order. So, although the core menu is the same in all Jim Thompson's, the same dish will have the individual touch of the restaurant's chef, as opposed to being a set formula. At Thai Pad, chefs also have the flexibility to create their own special dishes and menus as well as develop their own specialist skills. Chefs for Thai Pad have been recruited from Thailand. Parkinson adds: "As people get more familiar with Thai cuisine they are looking to experience different things. "The extra interest in creating their own dishes, beyond the core menu, and using their imagination, makes for a good happy team." Special events such as regional Thai cuisine evenings will also be held at the venue. Another big change in the Jim Thompson's thinking is replacing one big menu with six set menus which includes the likes of Dragon Dancer, Spice Merchant, Bangkok Feast and Silk Trader. Parkinson says: "When there are 80-odd dishes on a menu, people don't know what to have. We are taking away the pressure of choice and making some of the choices for them." The decor of Thai Pad is sleek and modern with an oriental feel. The use of stone tiles, wicker and timber furniture, and marble tables is all in keeping with Jim Thompson's attempt to be more tasteful. As Parkinson admits, the brand has got "a bit tacky". In Jim Thompson's bar, a menu of oriental and English specialities will be on offer, such as a Sunday roast at £6.95 and snacks from £1.95. Parkinson says the company has put expansion plans on hold because they felt the brand had got too big and formulaic. However, this latest project in East Putney certainly seems a giant step in the right direction. Jim Thompson's facts l Jim Thompson's is part of Noble House Leisure. The company also owns the Yellow River Cafés and the Oriental Restaurant Group, whose restaurants include Sri Thai Soho, Sri Thai City, Sri Siam, Sri Nam, Pacific Oriental and Imperial City. l There are 12 Jim Thompson's including outlets in Brighton, Cheltenham, London and Manchester. l Thai green curry is the biggest seller. l Many of the ingredients used in Jim Thompson's kitchens are sourced from National supplier Chung Lee. l The group's executive chef is Tamas Khan who develops all of the core menus. l The original Jim Thompson's brand was launched six years ago. l All Jim Thompson's chefs and waiting staff in its restaurants are Thai. l All food is now cooked fresh to order. Hom whips up new Spicy Varietals range Celebrity chef Ken Hom has launched a range of wines, specifically developed to matchoriental food. Called Spicy Varietals, the wines are available at Jim Thompson's. The range has been developed in Languedoc, France, after a constant demand for advice on which wines to match with oriental flavours. The wines include white Chasan and Roussanne and the Red Mourvédre and Grenache grape varieties. Hom suggests pairing the Chasan with adelicate dish such as Thai steamed sea bass or Grenache with aromatic duck. Hom says: "It annoys me when peoplerecommend Gewurztraminer as a wine to go with oriental food. I hate it. Because we don't have a tradition of wine in our heritage it doesn't mean we can't have wine to go with our food." The wines will retail at £15.95 per bottle or £3.85 a glass.