Yum Sa Putney Review

Food, Flavour and passion are the ingredients for success at Yum Sa in Putney.  The newly opened Thai restaurant is my latest hidden treasure in South London and one that will get everyone’s attention!

It’s not often that you sit down for a meal that transports to a place in the world you’ve never been and let’s you experiences flavoured that you’ve never had paired so perfectly before. Yum Sa in Putney have raised the game for food in South West London and have scooped the top spot for the best Thai food I have ever had, and I have tried a lot!

When chatting to owner of Yum Sa, Roger Narula he summed up the restaurants ethos and passion in one sentence “We are serious about our food. The food above everything else”

It is very hard to write about food that tastes so incredible you can’t find the words to adequately describe it. Thank you Roger and Chef Shveta for their introduction to their philosophy of food and the delicious food at Yum Sa.

My visit to Yum Sa

Walking in you are greeted and seated at fabulously large tables either in the entrance area which gives you a spectacular view of the open plan kitchens. You can see the expertly trained chefs make your food, an aspect I really like. Or you can be taken in to the more exclusive and fine dining area fit with private dining space perfect for business lunches, booths and more tables. The different areas make the restaurant so perfect for any function or event from family meal to a quick word day lunch.

Part of the restaurant has been devoted to a meditation room that anyone can come in and use without having to buy food. It was great seeing local business men and women using the room during my meal. Any mental health positivity and support gets my support.

During my visit the feast I feel so privileged to experience so much from the menu. Yes I’m greedy but sometimes you just need to indulge on your favourite cuisine.

So lets get on to the food – Starters

The starters Yum Sa in Putney were a treat and I’m sure I’m not the only one who loves dipping a starter in to an oyster, sweet chilli or peanut sauce. The plate of goodies I had in front of me consisted or Thai specialities I knew and a few I’ve never come across before. The well known crispy spring rolls were beautifully crisp on the outside with the filling tasting delicious but also it was easy to identify all the ingredients used which I liked.

Also among the starters was a section of stunning bright coloured pieces all made with natural ingredients to colour the dumplings and gyoza. The stunning colours of the blue sapphire prawn gyoza, the black crab dum yum with orange roe definitely creates a statement on the plate plus the rich crystal jade vegetable dumplings.

The colours and flavours of the starters were outstanding. The dumplings are so super for a quick lunch or light meal or a super start for a multi course dining treat.

Main Meal

The food adventure continued into a selection of their main curries in the similar style they serve them at their brunch on Sundays. I had a tray filled with copper bowls of curries to try from including the their green curry, an aromatic green curry with vegetables & sweet basil.

The Lamb masaman, a mild yet rich curry with the most tender cuts of lamb. With the Panang curry, a rich sauce made with curry paste, kaffir lime with a dash of peanuts. All of these dishes were incredible. The use of spices and herbs made each of the dishes so unique, but retained the flavour palette that made each dish work so well together.

I also got to try the tender stem broccoli cooked with chilli and garlic and that was dream like. A favourite dish for me and it was cooked to perfection. Again the flavours worked so well with the different curries.

For mains we also tried the Yum Sa customer favourite the egg dressed Pad Thai. A traditional Thai noodle dish with a sweet and sour tamarind sauce, peanuts and unusually for local Thai restaurants wrapped in an omelette. It looked so intriguing on the table and cutting it open the noodles were still hot and had been kept perfectly soft and moist. It came with chilli flakes, bean sprout, peanuts and a lemon slice to personalise the taste. I loved that you can adjust the dish to perfect for you.

The final part of our main dish journey was the beautiful and intriguing king prawns padcha with pineapple rice. The dish has jasmine rice flavoured with sweet green and red peppers, and king prawns, baked in a carved pineapple with rum and chilli pineapple served on top. It looked beautiful and the sauce was fantastic rich and spicy which was so beautiful paired with the sweet and fruity pineapple.

Time for Dessert

I really didn’t think I had room enough for pudding, but I did! Pudding, dessert however you like to call it was two plates with different things to try. There was a kaffir lime creme brûlée with Thai ginger shortbread, mango rice pudding topped with mango salsa and coulis, green tea & red bean dumpling with a fruit coulis and apple and cinnamon gyoza served with creme anglaise.

I have been dreaming of these since my visit.

The creme brûlée was so stunning and an artisan treat that I will hold all other brûlées too. The lime mixed with the cream and the crisp hard topping was a mindful pudding and really engaged all the senses. For the fans of apple pie the apple and cinnamon gyoza were on the same level as the bite size portions of the best apple pie you will have, especially if you love cinnamon as much as I do. It was warming and fresh and fruity in one go with the crispy shell making it beautifully easy to pick up and enjoy.

The rice pudding was so special and completely not what I expected it to taste like. The rice pudding was so sticky with a hint of sweetness from the mango but retained that beautiful rice texture.

Delicious drinks

They do offer takeaway but the delicate nature of the food means it is better eaten when freshly prepared. The incredible restaurant and delicious food are also available for catered food. Having their brilliant and flavourful canapés to be served at a party is definitely on my wish list!

When you visit Yum Sa in Putney make sure you try their great range of drinks including their signature fresh watermelon juice and coconut water. Delicious and refreshing the drinks are perfect for lunches and special occasions if you’re not drinking alcohol. If you do fancy something a little more alcohol based their cocktail list looks wonderful. Plus they use the fresh watermelon and coconut water just to make them extra special.

Yum Sa
Unit 1, 3 Plaza Gardens, 88 Upper Richmond Road, Putney SW15 2DT
www.yum-sa.com