A lively restaurant with a pool table in Chinatown, Speedboat Bar is the kind of restaurant that wants everyone to have a good time. Its crowd-pleasing Thai food will certainly help with that. Speedboar Bar comes from the Sethi brothers’ JKS Restaurants, the umbrella behind an impressive spread of ventures, from Mayfair’s Gymkhana and Iranian kebab house Berenjak, to Sri Lankan pancake favourite Hoppers and the Bao group. The culinary magic behind this spot, though, is British chef Luke Farrell, who’s spent a great deal of time in Thailand.
Before opening Plaza Khao Gaeng in Tottenham Court Road’s Arcade Food Hall at the foot of Centrepoint, Farrell was supplying Thai restaurants across London with tropical herbs and ingredients sourced relatively locally from his farm in Dorset. The success of his first restaurant has meant that this one – which is even louder and more filmic – was much anticipated. And as far as an experiential restaurant goes, this is up there. It’s food to make you gasp, blink and go back for more.
Farrell has described Speedboat Bar as his tribute to the full-on cafés along the neon-gilded Yaowarat Road in Bangkok’s Chinatown. Everything here is vivid, candy-coloured and maximum wattage – made up of Thai paraphernalia collected from his time in Bangkok. Whilst all looking casually thrown together, though, the knicks and knacks all have a very exacting placement. With dozens of tiny pictures of Bangkok street life dotted around, it’s as if it’s all been acquired over decades of trade.
The space at Speedboat are split over two floors. Downstairs, where tables are crammed close, feels pretty in-and-out and is tiled out in a canteen-like sludge green. It’s soundtracked by the chatter of tightly knit groups of friends and the scraping of spoons in excellent sauces and broths. Upstairs, which is more restaurant-come-bar and open until 1am at the weekends, is fit out in yellow tiles, turquoise window frames and stainless-steel tables. Although there’s a stumble-into feel about the room and the pool table can get rowdy after hours, the majority of friends around the metal canteen-style tables have booked well in advance.
Bright and boozy, Speedboat Bar is similarly inspired by canteen food in Bangkok’s own Chinatown. Both use Thai herbs, spices, fruits, and vegetables – in Speedboat Bar’s case, grown in Farrell’s Dorset greenhouses. To start we went for the Sweetcorn Fritters (£8). These are not to miss: crunchy pop-in-the-mouth bites of deep-fried joy. Like the décor, the orange sweet-sour dipping sauce is bright and the golden lacy batter pitted with the brilliant yellow of corn kernels. Totally moreish.
The Purple Aubergine with Chilli & Thai Basil (£12) is a masterclass in how aubergine should be cooked. Chunks of the veggie, served in a deeply umami soya sauce, are cooked down until their skins are crinkled and their flesh creamy with just the right chilli kick. East Asian cooking perfection.
No Thai meal is complete without a curry. The veggie option here is Seasonal Gourd & Potato Curry (£11.50) with Rice (£2.50). The pumpkin in the curry was the highlight: a gentle ode to autumn, it’s sweet, tender and brilliantly orange. The coconut sauce in which it sat was the perfect balance of sweetness and more chilli heat. Utterly delicious.
Drawing on Bangkok’s Chinatown caneteens, Speedboat Bar is a party restaurant with incredible Thai flavours. It’s definitely worth making that advance booking: this dive bar won’t disappoint.
Speedboat Bar, 30 Rupert St, London W1D 6DL
Website: https://speedboatbar.co.uk/
Rating: *****
Yumtini 
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