Kolae
Thai restaurant · Borough ·
Southern Thai specialties like mussel skewers and spicy curries
Southern Thai specialties like mussel skewers and spicy curries
"Kolae is a southern Thai restaurant in Borough Market that's best enjoyed at the counter. Every so often, a whoosh of jagged flames shoots up from the wok in the open kitchen, diners squeal, and the chef expertly manoeuvres his wrist. The Soho House-lite space feels like somewhere that’s trying to appeal to everyone, but Kolae’s menu—with things like lively curries, herbaceous kale fritters, highly snackable crispy prawn heads, zippy mini martinis—is where it shows real personality." - sinead cranna, rianne shlebak, jake missing, daisy meager, heidi lauth beasley
"For Thai flavours near Borough Market, I’d pick Kolae as a calmer alternative to the busiest market stands." - The MICHELIN Guide UK Editorial Team
"At Kolae, the focus is on southern Thai flavours and marinated things cooked over a very hot coconut. The slick, three-floor spot in Borough Market suits all kinds of get-togethers, but the action-packed kitchen counter is where this place feels most alive. Flames shoot out beneath woks, mussel skewers are expertly grilled, and you won’t be able to resist having one more mini martini. Bigger groups will want to take a room upstairs to devour deep-fried prawn heads in privacy, but wherever you sit at Kolae, you’ll happily find the food is your focus." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing
"Kolae’s kitchen throws up all kinds of exciting Thai combinations. Its grilled mussel skewers, smothered in a lively marinade and paired with a squeeze of calamansi, is one of the great food-on-sticks in London Bridge. So it should be no surprise that its house-pickled mango martini is also wonderful. The brine adds a “gorgeous, zippy, floral element” (to quote ourselves) and is the perfect tonic to the fiery dishes. Look out for sticky rice and mango combinations for dessert, too." - rianne shlebak, heidi lauth beasley, jake missing
"In a city blessed with sensational Thai food, Kolae's electrifying flavours and sleek set-up stand out. Sitting at the counter, sipping on an itsy-bitsy pickled mango martini, unashamedly demolishing a bowl of crisp deep-fried prawn heads. The turmeric and garlic-dusted prawn heads and the grilled mussel skewer are a must. If there’s a sour curry on, order it, then ask what the spiciest thing on the menu is. Get it. Just pray there’s a sticky rice dessert on. The fierceness of Singburi’s flavours mixed with the polish of somewhere like Brigadiers." - rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, jake missing, heidi lauth beasley, heidi lauth beasley, sinead cranna, jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, heidi lauth beasley, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, rianne shlebak, jake missing, rianne shlebak, jake missing, jake missing