The Concept of Patara Fine Thai Cuisine - Essay Example

Satisfaction towards Patara Fine Thai Restaurants in London Patara Fine Thai Cuisine is a Thai restaurant that has four branches in London. The first branch opened was in South Kensington in 1990, with the second branch opening in 1996, third in 2002 and the fourth in 2010. The restaurants have gained popularity and acceptance across the city, with the most recently opened branch in Soho becoming the most popular, and acting as a flagship for the entire chain1. The name Patara translates to gracious lady, and there are additional restaurants from this franchise in Singapore, Taipei, Geneva and Bangkok2. The restaurants take inspiration from Khun Patara Sili-on who has been involved in the restaurant industry for the past 30 years, and shares her version of Thai food and hospitality through all the branches of the Patara restaurants. Patara’s Bangkok branch has won has won numerous awards, including best Thai restaurant in Thailand two years running. This is important for the London branches, as they share the same menu, atmosphere, overall feel and levels of service. Indeed, the London Patara branches had been present for some time before the restaurant headed for its style’s birthplace where it flourished3. This provides substantial proof of the authentic nature of the food, atmosphere and service present in the Patara restaurants. In London, the menu has both the Thai and the English names for meals along with English descriptions, preventing the embarrassing need to try and pronounce unfamiliar names, while allowing diners to make informed decisions about their dining without the need to ask a large amount of questions to simply comprehend the menu, Waiters are able to recommend meals and dishes based on your desires, and there is no shortage of range, including meat dishes, vegetarian and seafood. Indeed, the menu incorporates many different appetizers, main courses, soups, curries and signature dishes. Branches Patara’s South Kensington branch is located on Fulham road, opening from 12 noon each day, closing between lunch and dinner on weekdays, while remaining open the full time for weekends. As well as an extensive menu they also offer signature dishes, ensuring there is something for everyone’s palette. The Knightsbridge branch is located on Beauchamp place, and keeps the same hours as the South Kensington branch. A few reviews focus on the Oxford Circus branch of the chain, but most focus on the new Soho branch. As the company itself has proclaimed, this site serves as the flagship for the entire chain, offering an open and comfortable environment that pays special attention to authenticity. You feel like you have been transported to the Orient, with the entire atmosphere, food and staff contributing to this impression. Oxford Circus Branch In Oxford Circus there is a Patara branch located on Maddox Street. This branch opens for lunch each day of the week from noon to 2:30pm and opens again for dinner from 6:00pm till 10:30pm. This branch also offers online booking, allowing you to choose date and number of guests as well as to check availability. Patara is mentioned in Fluid London’s4 listing of Top Ten Thai restaurants. They visited the Oxford Circus branch, remarking on the contemporary setting, good service and pleasant atmosphere. They considered the restaurant to have satisfying food, and an overall fulfilling experienced that was simple and non-complicated. Soho Branch The Soho branch is the most recently opened restaurant in the chain, and has come to represent all four restaurants. It is located on Greek Street and opens for lunch from Monday to Saturday from noon till 2:30pm. On all days of the week it opens for dinner from 6:00pm till 10:30pm. QYPE, a review site, has many positive reviews of the Soho branch of Patara. On average, customers gave the restaurant four out of five stars, with many customers giving it the full five stars. Reviews for the food were exceptional, with customers commented on the quality of dishes such as deep fried sea bass which came with a red curry sauce, dumplings, lamb in ginger as well as the authenticity of the dishes. Most reviewers considered the service fantastic, if a bit slow on the busiest of nights, and the prices reasonable considering the quality and cleanliness of the establishment5. Another popular review site, yelp, also features the Soho branch of Patara. Of the 20 reviews featured, the average review was four and a half stars, with no one giving it less than three stars. One reviewer comments on how the inside of the restaurant is very elegant, with a scaled down Buddhist temple centrepiece. Aesthetically, the restaurant was very pleasing, with solid cutlery, chairs and tables. Another reviewer raved about the quality and the taste of the food. In particular he commented about the lamb leg curry and the Pad Thai, saying that both meals were exquisite, with fresh ingredients and sauces that were rich, but did not overpower the dish, making it a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Service was rated highly, with many reviewers commenting on the fast service by waiters, and prompt delivery of beer and food. The servers paid good attention to the customers. Some reviewers commented that the meals were a little pricey, but many more said that they were reasonable given the quality of the establishment and the food6. It is not just individual reviewers that have a good opinion of Patara; The View did an extensive review of the restaurant at the start of May this year, and had many good things to say. They considered the restaurant to be well furnished with contemporary furniture, while the restaurant itself contained many traditional Eastern elements. The layout is easy and comfortable to use, making the place feel like it is somewhere Oriental, not in Soho, London. The food is unique, varied and beautifully presented. There are many available options, and the combinations of ingredients make decisions difficult. Along with food the restaurant offers a selection of beer, wine and cocktails. The cocktails are particularly unique, combining Thai ingredients with alcohol, making the experience an all-round authentic one7. Specific Dishes One of the highlights of Patara is the varied menu. It doesn’t matter what restaurant you go to within the chain, they all over an extensive menu consisting of appetizers, salads, soups, side dishes and of course their main courses. In addition, they offer a number of signature dishes that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else. You will find yourself spending a good portion of the night just deciding what to order, and you will want to go back simply to try the dishes that you couldn’t the first time. If you are concerned about the heat of dishes, or have specific dietary requirements such as being vegetarian there are a range of options to accompany. Furthermore, if you desire seafood, there is a wide range of available seafood dishes, ranging from appetizers right through to main courses. The View reviewed a number of specific dishes in detail. For starters they looked at steamed dumplings and poached king scallops. The scallops came with a lime and chilli dressing which complemented the taste of the seafood without drowning it out. The steamed dumplings were fresh and contained fresh prawns. For mains, the View considered the lamb shank curry, which they found was tender, with strong flavours and complemented by a coconut sauce8. Several reviewers recommend the lamb shank in red curry. The meat is succulent, tender and easy to eat and the flavours of the sauce complement the meat well. Likewise the fried sea bass was well received, with multiple reviewers commenting on the large size of the dish9. One reviewer highly recommended the spicy green mango salad which was accompanied by soft shell crab10. A reoccurring theme in the reviews was the desserts, with several reviewers rating them as heavenly, and one commenting specifically on the baked banana with ice cream and almonds that they were very impressed with11,12. Overall Impressions Patara draws a large number of positive responses from reviewers across the board. The food receives raving reviews, while many customers also comment on the atmosphere, the drinks and the levels of service. A Yelp reviewer summed it up well, commenting that the food served was real Thai, not a fusion, which is commonly seen in London Thai restaurants. In addition, the ingredients used in the meals were high quality ensuring that the meals were wonderful, mouth-watering and flavourful13. A good indication of the quality of Patara’s food is that it has several outstanding reviews from people from Southeast Asia. They found the wooden furniture refreshing, compared to the gilded nature of many other establishments, as wood is more traditional14. Impressions of service varied widely. Some reviews considered the restaurants to have bad service, complaining about having to ask multiple times for the bill or having the wrong item to them several times15. However, the vast majority of reviews had positive feedback for the service, especially with how busy the restaurant got. There was no debate about the ambience of the restaurants. All reviews agreed that the restaurants were well decorated, traditional and preserved a good atmosphere. On average the price tag was considered high, but most reviewers said that this was reasonable given the upmarket quality of the restaurant and the outstanding food. While reviews focused on the Soho restaurant, the most recent edition to the London restaurants, the reviews appear to extend across the restaurants, as many of the features are the same. All of the Patara restaurants in London offer the same extensive menu in a comfortable and authentic environment. Several of the restaurants allow online booking, and all allow phone booking. Any one of the Patara restaurants in London, regardless whether you go to the South Kensington, Knightsbridge, Oxford Circus or Soho branches offer a wide range of authentic Thai food that is high in quality and rich in taste. Service is generally good, and while the prices per meal are on the high side, this is more than balanced by the quality of the food and the atmosphere. Patara is a source for an authentic Thai experience in the heart of London, and you can’t go far wrong with whatever you choose from their menu, be it appetizers, mains or desserts, and their food is accompanied by a selection of wines and beer as well as cocktails using authentic Thai i Bibliography Patara, Patara: Fine Thai Cuisine, 2011, retrieved August 19 2011, . Fluid London, Top Ten Thai Restaurants, 2011, retrieved August 19 2011 . Yelp, Patata, 2011, retrieved August 19 2011, . View, Patara, 2011, retrieved August 19 2011, . QYPE, Patara, Soho, London, 2011, retrieved August 19 2011 . Read More