Talking Fork

There’s a lot going on at Aramada Avenue - the hotel formally known as Blue Bay in JLT. There’s the award winning Nola and Mythos, there’s also been the Axe House and it’s various incarnations and there’s also another award winning restaurant - Cafe Isan which now has a brilliant roof top terrace to compliment their indoor space and it seems it’s the place to be - especially on weekends.

Isan’s terrace bar is classically Thailandesque (that’s a word right?) with its DIY style of recycled 40 gallon drums, scaffolding and crates along with the ubiquitous coke fridge in the back and it’s deep rooted Thai credentials are further underpinned by it probably being the only place in Dubai that you can get yourself a freezing cold bucket of Chang, just like you’d do when dining on the streets of Bangkok. The seating is a rough house mix of scattered reclaimed chairs and tables and as the sun sets it’s not hard to picture yourself in some obscure roadside eatery in the provinces. (Until you look out over the balcony across the tall buildings of JLT!)

With a clear focus on traditional food from the northeastern - Isan region of Thailand it’s the kind of stuff you’ll find at food markets, down side streets and at road side carts. The menu is a tour de force of all that’s good and great about Thai food and features so many things it’s hard to choose. To get things started we opt for some Grilled Fish Balls which is a serve of 3 Sticks (AED 31.50) along with the Grilled Chicken Satay (AED32) and the amazing Grilled Whole Squid (AED 59). When the squid gets to the table the first thing you’ll notice is the amazing char on the outside of it. It also comes with a senesational house made seafood sauce that is lip smacking good. (This needs to be bottled and sold on the side!) The squid itself is so beautifully soft and tender yet slightly crispy on the outside - a feat that takes a deft touch to manage. It’s a crash and burn situation and Chef New has expertly managed it like few can. This is a must try item.

So too is the Tom Yum Soup with Shrimp (AED 44) which you can either have in the traditional style or with coconut milk added, we went for the former and it’s as good as they come. The spicy broth with its combination of galangal, lemongrass, onion, kaffir lime and tomato is breathtakingly good, the flavors smashing around your mouth urging you to have more. It’s totally authentic and totally addictive. You could have 3 bowls and call it at night but that’s not how we roll.

You’ve got to try all your favorite things so we went for Pad Thai Noodles with Shrimp (AED 51.45) and the Massaman Curry with Chicken (AED 46.50) and of course they didn’t disappoint. The depth of flavor coming off of the curry was immense and it was balanced perfectly with each mouthful seemingly better than the other and the Pad Thai with its homemade tamarind sauce was as good a version as you’ll find anywhere in Thailand. It’s hands down the best in the city.

On side note, there’s so many other great Salads with classics like the Papaya & Noodle Salad and the Larb Chicken along with the The Hustler (Kra Pao Thai Basil) but at this point there was absolutely no room left to even consider giving them a go - we will not doubt use this as inspiration to make another visit soon.

The round things out on a sweet note, we had a go at the Mango & Sticky Rice (AED36.75) which was great! The nicely balanced coconut cream wasn’t too sweet and the rice cooked perfectly - what a way to finish a fantastic meal!

Bottom Line:

In case you hadn’t noticed we loved this place back when we first discovered it and we love this new addition now. If you’ve not been do yourself a favor and get on over to the terrace for a truly tasty slice of Thailand.