Part of an international chain, with branches in Bangkok, Geneva and Singapore among other cities, this plush Soho restaurant – the newest of four London outlets – has an air of confident sophistication. The dining room is low-lit, the staff polite and in the centre of the space sits a carved wooden spirit house.
From the ample menu, a fusion dish of wafer-like ‘Thai taco’ shells served with a light filling of minced prawns and pork worked well. A main of slow-cooked osso buco in massaman curry sauce with lotus seeds also blended eastern and western techniques, though the accompanying pitta bread seemed a step too far. Of the more classically rendered dishes (and there are plenty), a pad thai was a sedate affair, while the chargrilled sea bass in a red curry sauce was punchier.
Like the food, the diners are a refined bunch: by day, many a business lunch is devoured here; the evenings are more about special occasions. If you’re in search of a well-executed contemporary meal in Soho with spice-levels that won’t offend, Patara will deliver – but don’t expect a cheap eat.