Located on the first floor of Nilaya Anthology in Peninsula Corporate Park in Lower Parel, Fireback comprises a lit up archway that opens up into the seating area with dim lighting, thin bamboo snaking through the ceiling, covered with plants near the windows and the corners of the room.
The chandelier, made of pieces of curved rectangle glass feels familiar. A look around the space and you see it is made of the same glass used for the lighting on the walls. The seating is comfortable, interiors are clever, and post 8 pm the lights become dimmer.
Culinary director Chef David Thompson, for whom Thailand has been home for the last four decades, has crafted the menu at Fireback in a way that could be seen at a leading restaurant in Bangkok.
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To maintain the authenticity of Thai cuisine, Thompson says some ingredients, such as lemongrass, galangal, among others, have to be procured from Thailand. “A vegetable maintains the characteristics of the land, climate and soil of the region. It is different for Thailand than in India and it shows in the taste. So there are some moderations and some compromises, but some ingredients are just unavoidable,” he adds.
Chef Thompson, who is widely recognised as a world authority on Thai food, believes the cuisine has the answer and a dish for any emotion that anybody might ever have.
Even as the menu may look like a simple one-page affair, with soups, small and large plates, grills and sides, diners must know that each dish is packed with flavour.
Whether it is the pineapple salad to begin with, the tamarind and crushed peanuts, add a zing to the dish or the chicken salad with fish sauce that is both sweet and spicy at the same time, diners can expect a surprise with each dish.
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While the paan is a popular among Indians, Thailand too has a version of it — the Miang Kham. At Fireback, the betel leaf is layered with pomelo, toasted coconuts and roasted peanuts.
The chicken in gorlae sauce is made of a peanut and onion base with coconut milk and fried onion. By itself, it tastes alright. However, the sweet vinegar it is served with is what enhances its taste. The sweet vinegar comprises cucumber, green chilli and shallots.
Fireback is not a place where one may find their regular Thai curry order. It lets diners dive deeper into the cuisine with its curries such as the Massaman curry, which is made of pumpkin, potatoes coriander seeds, onions and peanuts, or the Khmoy Green Curry, made of corn and heart of palm.
They also have the jungle curry of grilled pork with house-made chilli paste, deep-fried shallots and turmeric, as well as red curry with soft-shell crab, ginger, lime leaves, and more.
The dessert menu comprises five dishes — water chestnut rubies, grilled banana, cashew nut pudding, an ice-cream trio with coconut and jaggery, kaffir lime and coffee flavours and the famous mango sticky rice.
Rohit Khattar, the founder chairman of EHV International, said their team of chefs, led by brand chef Kaustubh Haldipur, were extensively trained in Bangkok by Chef Thomspon. While, Varun Sharma, the head of bars for EHV International, travelled through Asia to create an ideal cocktail list.
The 10 cocktails on the beverage menu are crafted in a way that complement the Fireback menu. The Thai Spiced Diablo is made with tequila, tomato water, a house Thai spice mix with wasabi foam, while the Tom Yum Highball is made with gin, guava and lemongrass cordial, kaffir lime and sparkling water. The Galangal is made with whiskey, pickled Galangal brine and honey, and the Mango Rice is a playful take on the iconic dessert of the same name, made of rum, rice, mango and pineapple fino.
Fireback, which is named after Thailand’s national bird Siamese fireback, also speaks of the fire-grilled cooking behind many of the dishes on the restaurant’s menu. The space is warm and intimate and the food gives Mumbai a fresh perspective on the Thai culinary world.
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