Nam – Modern Thai

Thai food in Delhi-NCR hasn’t really found its groove. Sure, there are a few Asian spots that serve dishes from the cuisine, but there isn’t a full-blown Thai restaurant that the city has taken to. Nam in Hauz Khas could just be that.

Now, let’s be clear: if you’re looking for a place that’s 'authentic', liberal with its use of fish sauce and heavy on lemongrass and other such ingredients, this isn’t it. As founder Pratinav Meera Singh describes it, Nam is a modern interpretation of Thai food. Plus, there are plenty of vegetarian dishes on the menu.

And it isn’t as though Singh is taking a chance. His first venture, Pop Thai, started as a delivery kitchen in Delhi in 2021. It also taught him what works, and what doesn’t, when introducing diners to a cuisine they may not know very well. 'Dishes that required a little assembling at home struggled to take off, while more familiar flavours found their audience,' he says. 'Nām is where I get to do things my way, with the added advantage of having diners right there at the table.'

The food

As co-founder of the successful Gurugram restaurant NIKO, Singh knows that comfort is what many diners look for. Nam plays to that, too, with a menu that straddles familiar dishes and a few experiments.

I started my evening with the pomelo salad. Peanut butter may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the dish, but it lends the citrus fruit a creamy counterpoint. 

Another bestseller here are the money bags, crisp little parcels with a generous filling of wild mushroom and cream cheese, served with red curry foam. The curry adds depth without drowning out the crunch.

Prawn donuts seemed like a slightly brave choice when I ordered them. To my surprise, they looked like a bunch of medu vadas on a platter. My first bite was too hot, so I hardly got a taste of the flavours. Let them cool down, though, and you’ll find that the crunch remains, while the kaffir lime and curry leaves begin to shine. Dip them in the sambal chilli sauce for a nice kick.

There are playful takes on familiar dishes elsewhere on the menu. Chicken krapow, usually served as a stir-fry, arrives as bite-sized pops topped with crispy rice, potato floss and fried basil. Very addictive. 

However, the Nam poached prawn gyoza was average. The lemongrass, bamboo shoot, garlic and prawn filling sounded promising, but the red pepper soy-vinegar dressing didn’t really leave a mark.

There’s enough beyond the small plates, including grilled dishes, green and red curries, and a rendang that isn’t traditionally Thai. I skipped these and went straight for the Nam crab egg fried rice with mala chilli prawns and was transported into carb heaven. It’s one of those mains that you chomp off in minutes, and once the cocktail programme is in full swing, it should make for a good accompaniment to drinks.

Drinks to desserts

At the time of my visit, the bar license was still awaited. So I went for the non-alcoholic coriander drink with lemongrass and raw mango cordial, palm sugar and lime, which felt very much like a Picante minus the booze. 

The Thai iced tea, made by shaking brewed tea with condensed milk before serving it over crushed ice, has a frothy texture without the overwhelming sweetness that can make the drink feel heavy. It’s a tiny adjustment, but an effective one.

For dessert,  Nām offers a fun take on the mango sticky rice. The dish layers black rice cooked with coconut and pandan, with mango and Biscoff. The biscuit spread could easily tip it into overly sweet territory, but the rice's fudgy texture and a mint leaf help keep things in check.

The space

It’s interesting to see Singh not follow the 'bigger and better' template favoured by many restaurateurs in the city. Instead, he calls himself “lucky” to have snagged a spot in a prime location, as its low ceiling had put off several others. The highlight of the 50-seater restaurant is an 18-foot eating bar facing the open kitchen, where diners can watch the wok, flames and steam at work.

You’ll also notice natural materials throughout, including sanded cement blocks, a mix of mango, oak and ash wood, Lapata marble flooring, leather and handwoven jute details. Stainless-steel tableware adds a more modern touch.

The verdict 

Nam's strength lies in its mix of accessibility and flavour. It doesn't insist that diners arrive with prior knowledge of Thai cuisine, nor does it rely on gimmicks to make the food interesting. Instead, the emphasis is on balanced flavours, a generous vegetarian selection and an atmosphere that doesn’t take itself too seriously. For anyone looking to move beyond the usual Thai restaurant order, it’s a promising place to start.