Ekachai Re-Opens
EKACHAI: Oriental Dining, Liverpool Street-Style
One of the foremost pioneers of pan-Asian casual dining in the UK, Ekachai has over the last decade earned the well-deserved reputation as the authority on South-East Asian cuisine. As we enter 2014 the buzzing Liverpool Street Oriental Dining Room, where their pan-Asian casual dining concept really began in 2000, has had an exciting makeover.
Ekachai’s success is down to the passion and dedication of Hong Kong born owners, Thomas Tjong and Sidney Tsang. Experts in their field, having run over 30 successful restaurants, they are also responsible for bringing one of the UK’s first noodle bars to Selfridges in Birmingham’s Bull Ring Shopping Centre as well as a dim sum bar to London’s iconic Harrods store.
Of course, the food – South East Asian with a focus on Thai, Malay and Cantonese style dishes – remains very much the heart and soul of Ekachai. In Thomas and Sidney’s own words, ‘Our aim has always been to recreate the food we enjoyed when we were growing up and our restaurants reflect this.’ Prepared with passion by talented specialist chefs, the enticing new menu has been devised with the expert help of the highly regarded Norman Musa, Europe’s leading Malaysian chef.
The ambition? According to Thomas and Sidney: ‘As well as the classics, we would like to introduce more adventurous dishes through our seasonal specials.’
Focusing on quality ingredients and authentic flavours – and introducing some stand-out seasonal specialities – all dishes, from the traditional likes of Pad Thai and Nasi Goreng to the more adventurous Kapitan curry or Tempe with anchovies, are freshly cooked to order. The new menu showcases an extensive choice of deliciously fragrant wok-fried noodles, stir fries, soup noodles, salads, as well as a totally irresistible selection of ‘little plates’, offering taste sensations such as Indonesian spiced chicken (Ayam Goreng) and prawn & crab siu mai (a mouthwatering steamed dumpling).
The newly refurbished Liverpool Street dining room creates the perfect backdrop for this culinary adventure. Inspired by the Far East’s traditional street food style of eating, the new design, including the huge chunky wood tables, suspended by rope from above, incorporates authentic materials such as reclaimed timber, bamboo, natural rope and recycled metal. Meanwhile, clever lighting delivers mood-changing flexibility – from the high-octane energy of the busy lunchtime rush to a more laidback evening ambience.
Honest, authentic and affordable, Ekachai’s simple mantra is to deliver the real taste of South East Asia in a casual, relaxed setting. And now, with the innovative relaunch of their original flagship location, Ekachai’s Oriental journey just took a really exciting turn.
