Larb bar @ Kiln

Last Monday some of our som saa kitchen crew headed down to Kiln restaurant in Soho to cook at an event called 'Larb Bar'. 

Larb (also sometimes spelt or laab / laap / larp) is type of Northern / Northeastern Thai salad normally made from minced meat or fish.  Punchy and delicious, larbs are best eaten with 'pak sot' - raw fresh vegetables and herbs, and scooped up on a ball of sticky rice.  It's the kind of Thai food we love and versions are often found on the menus at Kiln, som saa and The Smoking Goat.  

The Larb Bar concept was a winner: chefs from som saa, Kiln and The Smoking Goat all making versions of the dish, with the brilliant Hackney wine bar P Franco pouring some well matched and delicious natural wines to go with.  Pay on the door, head in, eat larb, drink tasty wine, have a nice time.  Simples.   

From our end som saa pitched in  three dishes:

- larb pla dip - Isaan raw trout larb with grilled trout skin and roasted rice powder

- larb muang nok - Northern larb of wood pigeon and duck offal

- dtom som gai baan - 100 day chicken soup with sour leaves, turmeric and 'makeua som' Thai tomatoes  (in Thailand you often find a soup of some sort served alongside larbs). 

The Kiln / Goat guys (Ben, Nick and Ali) were also putting up all sorts of other delicious iterations, ranging from Laos style fish with grilled aubergine in the paste, to a Northern style one with Ox heart.  It was a lot of fun and the food and wine all seemed to go down well with the punters - just another example of how up for it, interested and adventurous diners are in the city right now.  

Big thanks to all the guys at Kiln for having us down.

Pics from the night are courtesy of @benjaminmcmahon 

Look of for more 'Larb Bars' and Thai country food themed things to come!