Nipa Thai

There is something intrinsically intruiging about hotels. I still get a childish excitement when I find myself in a brightly lit lobby, surrounded by mysterious guests. Saying that, there is something distinctly odd about making your way through a rabbit warren of stairs and traversing a carpeted waiting area to find a restaurant.

On most occasions, you may miss Nipa, hidden away on the first floor of the Lancaster Hotel. Luckily, and somewhat reassuringly, when I arrived there was a huddle of Thai tourists waiting outside.

This isn’t surprising considering that the hotel – in which this inadvertently kitsch restaurant is nestled – is Thai-owned. From the head chef, Nongyao Toopchoi, who trained on her mother’s Bangkok food stall, and her team of six female chefs, to the abundance of carved vegetables that make their way onto every dish – everything here is undeniably geniune.

The restaurant was cosy, wood-panelled and candlelit and offered what turned out to be traditional, pleasingly presented, very decent Thai food. If taken the wrong way, Nipa could give the impression of a slightly dated hotel restaurant but the service was, as would be expected from an all Thai waiting staff, given with an unfaultering smile. There was an undeniable charm to it, which earned more respect with the reliable quality of the food, albeit unsurprising.

The main courses were fragrant, warming and fresh much like the food I enjoyed when making little use of myself on Koh Samui. A dish that could have been destroyed by a heavy hand – stir fried scallops and asparagus – was perfectly cooked.

Soft shell crab with mango salad came on recommendation and it was well deserved: light, meaty and steering well away from being greasy.

Had I been more abstemious throughout the first courses I would have tried the fried ice-cream but settled for some really delicious poached lychees and more intricately carved fruit. By this point I had been so taken in by Nipa’s charm that I admired the flour-shaped chunk of papaya without a hint of irony.

Nipa Thai is not ground-breaking, but it is comforting and I would wage that the quality of their food didn’t falter. Don’t expect experimental fusion dishes or designer decor but do expect a really genuine Thai experience, with fantastic service.

Nipa Thai Restaurant
Lancaster London
Lancaster Terrace
W2 2TY

Monday – Friday: 12 Noon – 2.00 pm
Monday – Saturday: 6.30 pm – 10.30 pm

T: 020 7551 6039