Just a short walk from Liverpool Street Station, Straits Kitchen stands tall as the flagship restaurant at the Pan Pacific Hotel. Led by executive chef Adam Bateman, the diverse menu combines bold Southeast Asian flavours with high-quality British ingredients. It’s a fusion concept that, in the wrong hands, could spark images of clumsy sushi burritos. Thankfully, Straits Kitchen is far more nuanced.
Unlike countless hotel restaurants, Straits Kitchen doesn’t rely on glitzy interiors to do the heavy lifting. Dressed in neutral tones, flourishes aren’t overdone - with floor-to-ceiling views covering the Gherkin and the City below, they don’t need to be. Instead there’s a sense of serenity here, the type synonymous with high-end hospitality, where helpful staff calmly meander around softly lit tables set with attractive glassware.
Meanwhile, the menu keeps things playful, stretching from small and raw plates, skewers, dumplings, and snacks to larger mains and intriguing desserts. The restaurant also offers an ‘Experience menu’ which combines five seasonal favourites and Straits Kitchen signatures.
We kick things off with a fish finger bao. Executed with the style and sophistication that befits the Pan Pacific brand, it’s the furthest thing from gimmicky. Instead, served as a pair, they’re filled with pearly, lightly fried goujons, and topped with a helpful dose of salmon roe. Elsewhere, set amidst an aromatic garlic-laden master stock, chive and prawn dumplings come perfectly pleated with a marbled surface.
A similar degree of artistry is applied to the Hereford beef short rib. Served on a bed of miso polenta, it arrives with a smokey barbecue char, breaking down into moreish strands that melt apart effortlessly. It’s matched by blackened aubergine, perfumed with the sweet smoke of the grill and energised by a turmeric curry sauce that balances coconut creaminess with peppery heat.
Straits Kitchen does what it says on the tin; it straddles the realms of East and West, fine dining and casual fare, sophisticated hotel and effortless restaurant. You could quite comfortably stay for a whole meal, chatting against a background of gentle music. Equally, both restaurant and bar make a smart spot for sharing plates and Asian-inspired cocktails (a gin number with basil sesame is particularly good). Expensive hotel restaurants are ten a penny in this neighbourhood, and while Straits Kitchen slots easily into that bracket, there’s some skilful cooking bubbling beneath the surface.