Straits Kitchen at Pan Pacific London

A stone’s throw from Liverpool Street station, Straits Kitchen is a high-end Singaporean concept, the flagship restaurant of Pan Pacific London.

Found on the hotel's first floor and accessed via a curved wooden staircase, Straits Kitchen’s floor-to-ceiling windows offer views of the bustling City below, but the atmosphere inside is positively serene, where soft, attractive lighting is coupled with a soundtrack of lyric-free spa music.

The safe, minimalist decor means you never quite shake the feeling you are dining in a hotel, but the menu is rich enough in both colour and flavour to make up for any lack of atmosphere. Straits Kitchen opens from breakfast, but we visited at dinner, choosing to dine from the set ‘Discovery’ menu (a la carte also available).

We were impressed by the steady stream of well-executed dishes and particularly enjoyed that Straits Kitchen is not afraid to serve messy food: pork ribs were sweet and sticky, with the meat practically melting on the tongue, while chicken satay skewers were served alongside peanut sauce and fluffy rice that was pressed together into miniature cubes.

The best thing we ate was the Lobster Nonya Laksa: a steaming bowl of pure comfort which combined thick vermicelli rice with sweet coconut gravy and tofu chunks that absorbed the chilli spices peppered throughout. Lobster tongs were also provided to help prize the flesh from its shell - a fun, if somewhat laborious, task.

Puddings are given mysterious one word titles (‘Chocolate’, ‘Coconut’), but we were taken by ‘Apple’, presented at the table as the kind of shiny fruit you see used as a prop on television sets, but revealing itself to be a pudding of caramel soaked sponge and refreshing apple compote. You can find a similar version at other City favourite Coq d’Argent, but here hunks of cinnamon crumble add a welcome crunchy texture.

High-end restaurants where you can splash the cash are hardly a novelty in this neighbourhood, but Straits Kitchen sets itself apart with its wide-ranging, adventurous menu and warm staff - everyone we encountered, from the doorman to the hostess to our waitress, was a delight.

Proudly presenting a menu of melting-pot favourites, Straits Kitchen celebrates the very best of Singapore’s far-flung flavours, giving classic Singaporean dishes a contemporary twist, in a menu devised to stay true to traditional recipes while simultaneously being staunchly environmentally conscious.

This New Year, Straits Kitchen is hosting a special New Year's Eve 2024 bash, where guests can relax in the luxurious surrounds of the restaurant and enjoy a sophisticated Singaporean set menu, alongside Champagne, canapes. Later, guests can head over to the nearby Orchid Lounge where DJs will spin party tunes into the early hours.

The eclectic dishes of this island city-state have been introduced over the years via the Straits of Malacca – hence the restaurant’s name. Via this route traders and neighbours have brought global flavours into the country, resulting in a run of incredibly impactful national dishes. Rather than importing produce, the duo has worked to source purely Asian ingredients that have been grown or made in the UK to minimise the restaurant’s carbon footprint.

Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, the restaurant’s light-filled dining room features floor to ceiling windows and a pared-back modern look with a neutral colour palette and feature lighting.

Signature dishes in the evening include wok fried chilli crab with fried mantou and fresh mud crabs; a teapot double boiled soup with galangal, red dates, wolfberries and chicken; and a butter aged Buccleuch 16oz sirloin served with roasted black garlic, Himalayan salted chips, lemongrass and curry leaves.

The accompanying 500-strong wine list has been designed to complement the flavour profiles on the food menu, and has been carefully devised by head sommelier Francois Bertrand.

At breakfast there’s pork banh mi with pickled vegetables; a chilli crab omelette; coddled eggs and chicken pho. Elsewhere on the menu classics like eggs Benedict feature.

With celebrations and gatherings in mind, the restaurant also has two private dining spaces which can accommodation up to nine and twelve people each.