There aren’t very many cities in the world where you could spend an entire day exploring a completely foreign culture, but London can absolutely claim that title. With people from all over the world making their home in the capital of England, there’s a melting pot of different nationalities that makes London the special city that it is today. From the upscale dim sum restaurants of China Town, to the hustle and bustle of the market stalls of Little India, London has districts that feel entirely different to what you might expect from an English city. If you love this side of London, then you’re going to love the Thai exploration that we have in store for you today.
Start With Supper
Walk down the high street of just about any city in the UK and you’re guaranteed to find a Thai takeaway. There’ll be the familiar Thai green, or red curry, perhaps a massaman curry and a selection of deep fried starters. Whilst there’s something comforting about the familiarity of all of these dishes, if you’d like a real taste of Thailand then you need to head to one of London’s pioneers of true Thai cuisine, The Begging Bowl. Opened in Peckham in 2012, the Begging Bowl has now withstood its first decade and is as popular as ever. This kitchen sources its fresh ingredients entirely from local producers and its dried herbs, spices and specialist ingredients directly from Bangkok. This ensures that everything you taste is both vibrant and fresh, as well as authentic. Don’t expect any strangely green curries on the menu here, but rather small sharing plates that will light up your palate. Take a seat on the pretty terrace and allow the staff to bring you a selection of dishes to share. Order yourself some Larb spiced nuts to munch on and a Canopy plum and ginger sour to slurp whilst you await your first course.
Enjoy a Thai Pastime
Thai people tend to be very into competitions, whether that’s mind games, sports or really anything else. If you want to experience Thai culture at its most competitive then you have a couple of different options. The first is to head to the Firefly Bar & Kitchen in Balham and settle in for some sport viewing and of course, a few Thai snacks. The most popular spectator sports in Thailand are football and volleyball and the Firefly Bar always makes sure that the screens are on when there’s any of these games showing. As well as this, their Thai kitchen dishes up delicious food, with snacks that are perfect for watching the game. If you’re with friends then a sharing platter is the perfect choice, with a mixture of Thai favourites including spring rolls, steamed dumplings, prawn toast, fish cakes & prawn crackers, served up with some salty and spicy dipping sauces.
The other option is to go down the route of playing the games yourself. Games are a huge part of Thai culture, particularly dice rolling games. Sic Bo is perhaps the most famous, a game involving three dice with the numbers rolled on the dice determining the scores. It can easily be found in any Asian casino, but in London, it’s probably easier to play online. This Thai language guide is full of online casino reviews that can help you to get a truly Thai experience without having to leave the capital. Each of the casinos is ranked on their choice of games, with many including favourites like Sic Bo, as well as the bonuses that they have available to new customers. Relaxing after dinner with a little gaming on your phone is the perfect way to wind down from a busy day, but if you’d rather have the real-life experience then you could try another Thai favourite game at a nearby casino. As well to Sic Bo, Thai people also love other casino games that are easier to find in the Western World. Baccarat is very popular, with almost half of Thai players enjoying this game above all others.
Celebrate Anglo Thai Relations With a Dance
Of all the most fun you could have trying out Thai experiences in London, there’s one place that does it better than any and that’s the Anglo Thai Society. This society was set up to foster and celebrate the strong relationship between England and Thailand and it’s running strong with more members than ever today. If you join the society then you’ll be invited to all kinds of events and some of them are really quite special. On the 2nd of September, there’s an annual Gala event, where people dress to impress, eat and drink delicious food and all get together for a dance as well. It promises to be a fantastic evening with the opportunity to meet lots of like-minded people and have a truly brilliant time. This year the Anglo Thai Society is celebrating sixty incredible years of success, so it promises to be a very well-attended event. The dinner is being held at the prestigious Royal Lancaster Hotel and will be attended by the patron of the society HE Pisanu Suvanajata. Certainly, an event not to be missed.
