Speedboat Bar at The Electric

Scattered with tiny streetside plastic chairs and decorated with hanging red lanterns, first impressions suggest that Speedboat Bar Notting Hill has been pulled straight from Bangkok’s Chinatown and dropped on Portobello Road.

Speedboat Bar version two maintains Luke Farrell’s fiercely authentic, high-energy style, but this time, shoved into sixth gear. The whole thing is an assault on the senses: a head-turning whoosh of flames comes from the open kitchen, while hand-held footage of chefs at work plays on a TV. The chaos of it all is intoxicating, but the real magic is in the detail: checkered floorboards bear the marks of shoes gone by, a solar calendar is crossed off up to today’s date, and the beer taps are covered in Thai stickers, as if collected over years. It’s these deliberate touches that make the space feel effortlessly lived-in.

Food is whisked from wok to table via endearingly mismatched plastic plates. Each table is armed with a condiment caddy, containing the four pillars of Thai cuisine - salty, spicy, sour and sweet - but you’ll rarely need them, so harmonious is the cooking. Puffed, deep-fried chicken skins are the opening act, small in stature but with serious punch, thanks to the tangy signature seasoning. For anyone who has eaten on Thai soil, the crispy pork curry and morning glory are heartwarmingly familiar - the curry has the rich depth and mild sweetness of a massaman, and the morning glory is tossed in an umami-laden soy bean sauce. A crunchy chicken salad is the underdog of the night: a messy heap of juicy chicken, slithers of green mango, soy richness and a cooling burst of mint.

Speedboat’s reputation for spice hasn’t reared its head, until minced beef with holy basil crashes in - its fire-breathing heat is more ordeal than indulgence. Desperate for something cooling, we order dessert: a riff on the 7/11 pineapple pie, paired with taro ice cream. A bit of childish fun? Perhaps, but it also happens to be downright delicious.

A handful of dishes may not be for the faint-hearted, but Speedboat Bar captures the endearing mayhem of Bangkok with rare fidelity.

Speedboat Bar at The Electric brings the raucous energy of Bangkok's Chinatown to Notting Hill's iconic Portobello Road. This exciting new venture from acclaimed chef Luke Farrell represents the second location of his hit Thai eatery, following the phenomenal success of the original Speedboat Bar in Soho, which has received rave reviews including praise from food critic Jay Rayner for its ‘completely irresistible style.’

The restaurant promises the same dive bar vibes that made the original famous, complete with eclectic Thai pop music and a laid-back atmosphere that encourages lingering over cocktails and late-night partying.

The restaurant is a love letter to Yaowarat Road, Bangkok's neon-lit Chinatown street, where Chinese and Thai flavours collide in spectacular fashion. Farrell, who previously made waves with Plaza Khao Gaeng at Arcade Food Hall, has crafted a notably concise menu of around 20 dishes that celebrates the vibrant street food culture of Thailand's capital. The kitchen focuses on fast and furious wok cookery, featuring roasted meats and zingy seafood salads alongside market staples such as drunken noodle dishes, stir fries, and sticky treats. Snack options include chicken skins with zeep seasoning, sweetcorn fritters and crispy pork. Fresh salads feature poached pork with lime, garlic and chilli, and salted duck egg with celery, chilli and crispy anchovies. Stir-fry dishes include stir-fried morning glory with soy bean sauce, and purple aubergine with chilli and Thai basil, while curry options offer beef tongue and tendon, crispy pork and black pepper, or whole sea bream. Specials include fried fish fillet, wide rice noodles with beef and soy sauce, and crispy egg noodles with gravy, pork, prawns and squid. There’s also exciting dessert options, such as the pineapple pie with taro ice cream. Vegetarians are well-catered for too and food is served late into the night.