Exhilarating: Plaza Khao Gaeng
(Picture: Adrian Lourie)“So how are you with heat?” said our yellow-aproned server with a little smile, in the striplit glow of Plaza Khao Gaeng at Arcade Food Hall. It is the sort of question that is often answered optimistically rather than truthfully; simultaneously a red rag to daredevil diners and the culinary equivalent of a liability waiver before a particularly hardcore theme park attraction. In this instance, it was both necessary and revealing. And not just because almost all the dishes at this opening really are marked by the kind of searing, almost psychoactive heat that should be approached with extreme caution and light, breathable fabrics.
But also because it tells you something of the surrender necessary to get the most out of your experience here. An uncompromising southern Thai curry joint that is the brainchild of chef Luke Farrell, and the flagship of JKS’s shiny reimagining of this ill-starred food court, Plaza Khao Gaeng makes almost no concessions to Western palates and sensibilities (controversially, there’s basically nothing suitable for vegetarians).
