Lemongrass Gate

Strips of chicken thigh rubbed with lemongrass, garlic and warm spices, grilled until the edges char, and served with a coconut peanut sauce and a quick cucumber relish. A shareable starter for the middle of the table.

Soft rice-paper rolls packed with cooked shrimp, cool rice vermicelli, lettuce, mint and carrot, with a peanut-hoisin dip on the side. Built to share before the hot dishes arrive.

A clear, hot-and-sour shrimp soup fragrant with bruised lemongrass, galangal and makrut lime leaf. Lime and fish sauce go in at the end so the broth stays bright.

Flat rice noodles tossed in a tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar sauce with shrimp, egg, tofu, bean sprouts and roasted peanuts. Sweet, sour and salty, with the sprouts staying crisp.

Chicken thigh simmered in coconut milk with green curry paste, eggplant and Thai basil. The paste is fried first so the sauce tastes rounded rather than raw, and the basil goes in at the end.

Beef chuck braised slowly in coconut milk with massaman paste, potato, peanut and a little cinnamon until the cubes are fork-tender. A weekend pot, mild and rich, for a full table.

Hot, salty minced pork stir-fried with garlic, chili and holy basil, spooned over rice and capped with a fully set fried egg. Holy basil is the peppery herb this dish is built on.

A thicker, peanut-scented curry of chicken in coconut milk, finished with Thai basil and torn makrut lime leaf. Richer and less soupy than the green curry, with the same careful chicken temperature.

Eggplant browned until creamy inside, then tossed with garlic, chili, soy and a handful of Thai basil. A vegetarian main, salty and fragrant, with no fish sauce in the pan.

Jasmine rice fried with shrimp, egg, pineapple, peas and cashews, tinted gold with a little turmeric and finished with lime. The rice is cooked and cooled first so the grains fry instead of clumping.

Chicken thigh tossed with roasted cashews, pepper and onion in a light soy and oyster sauce. The chicken is cooked through first, then the sauce goes on so the cashews stay crisp.

Wide rice noodles seared with sliced sirloin, chili, Thai basil and a salty mix of soy, fish sauce and oyster sauce. High heat, a short cook, and basil added at the last moment.

Cod simmered gently in a coconut broth with lemongrass, ginger and lime leaf, finished with Thai basil and a lot of lime. The fish goes in at the end so it stays in large pieces.

Sweet glutinous rice steamed until chewy, dressed with warm salted coconut milk and served with ripe mango. The salt in the coconut sauce is what keeps it from tasting flat.

A soft coconut pudding scented with pandan and set with cornstarch, chilled in small cups and finished with toasted coconut. Cool, green and not too sweet.