Grab your napkin, because this seafood establishment is about to show you a whole new world of Thai seafood, and will have you drooling over all their dishes.
In praise of Luang Sathorn Rajayutka (the founder of the house), Paii, which means to paddle, originated upon the appreciation for the man who was also the creator of the Sathorn Canal, one of Bangkok’s main waterways back in the olden days.
Intending to drive Thai cuisine forward, Paii within The House on Sathorn creatively propels forward an array of elevated seafood dishes with their full culinary force. Led by executive chef Weeraket “Joe” Nilayon, the former both Brasserie Europa and Niche chef, the menu touches on his innovative culinary creations, showcasing modernised Thai seafood dishes served in a picturesque colonial-style setting.
Recently, we got a chance to check out the space and tried some of the best dishes Paii has to offer. Here’s a list of must-tries you need to order.
Choo-Chee Goong Mae Nam (THB 1,950)
Massive river prawns are already heavenly in every possible way. But to layer on the drama, Paii showers the two gigantic, roe-studded river prawns in a cream of choo chee curry aromatised with kaffir lime. It’s sassy, spicy and scrumptious.
Larb Nhuad Pla Mhuek Yak Yang – Spanish Octopus Larb (THB 1,200)
If you’re no longer jazzed on the idea of pork larb, switch over to Spanish Octopus Larb for a change of scene and taste. Once grilled, the sun-shaded tentacle is sliced thinly before being plated in a half-moon shape. Larb condiments like red onion, chilli and toasted rice powder then get slathered on top to give the Spanish sea creature a slab of Thai flavours.
Poo Ob Klone – Giant Mud Crab Baked in a Clay (THB 3,600)
What’s the best way to cook a mud crab? Go back to its source. Baked in natural clay, the mud crab weighs over one kilogram, and is sauna-ed together with a pile of herbs under mud. This is done so that all the big, bright, bold flavours won’t escape, and instead, get trapped inside the gigantic crab.
Hed Pad Noey – Butter Stir-fried Mushroom (THB 210)
This Butter Stir-fried Mushroom may side dish, but it deserves tremendous love. Pan-fried in a pool of seaweed-spiked butter, the mushroom soaks up every bit of the delicious golden fat like a sponge, which makes it a wonderful side to pair with any pungent curry and rice.
Yum Hua Plee Nuea Poo – Banana Blossom Salad (THB 380)
Some salads are not good unless they are deep-fried and this banana salad fits right into this category. The blossom first gets chopped finely before being fried until crispy to get ready for the sumptuous coating of Paii’s chilli jam. The chef also adds in a generous portion of mud crab at the end for extra seafood texture and taste.
Coconut Sundae (THB 400)
Tubtim krob gets a fancy upgrade here at Paii. Instead of drowning the ruby-like sweet dumpling tub tims made of water chestnut in coconut milk, Paii deconstructs the dish and piles up all tubtim krob elements in a clear glass jar, and tops everything with big scoops of coconut ice cream. Just before you dig right in, throw in some coconut milk for extra deliciousness.
Paii, 106 N Sathon Road, Silom, +662 344 4025; Open: Mon-Sun, 12 pm-12 am.
