Thai Thai Poppetje: your not so ordinary Thai bar
By Neil Roake
Van Speijkstraat 157HS, 1057 GX Amsterdam, Netherlands
BOOK NOWCheck your Buienradar before cycling over to Thai Thai Poppetje, or else you’ll make your entrance, like I did, with a ‘wet dog shake.’ The weather in the darkest months in Amsterdam is brutal, so arriving at TTP is just the cure you need… Sunshine, Moonlight, Good times… Blame it on the boogie. The soundtrack of TTP is the mixtape I want to borrow, the fragrance of Thai holy basil, turmeric curries, and fish sauce I want to bottle, and the warm embrace of owner Kora I want to return for. Okay, I’m gushing just a little bit, but this place is like a good espresso martini—it wakes you up, picks you up, but luckily does not F you up. And with current airfares to Thailand and its dreamy beaches soaring as high as kites, it’s good to know you can dive into Amsterdam West for a quick one-night-in-Bangkok.
I went straight for a cold Chang, but the mango chilli margarita now sounds like a zippier choice. (Another reason to go back.) Cold beer is definitely a good choice with their iconic crispy Tod Man Pla, aka fish cookies, or the KHAO THOD, Red Curry ‘bitterballen.’ The menu at TTP is shortish yet curated with enough sweet, sour, salty, and hot flavours to keep you coming back for more, especially with their ever-changing ‘dish of the month,’ such as the Northern Thai Hung Lay curry of pork belly, pickled garlic, and fried onions, featured on our visit. This curry originates in Myanmar, and the name “hung lay” is derived from the Burmese word “hin lay,” which means “heavy curry.” If there were a veg version, I would have been in, but the table next to us seemed to be tucking in with zest.
The cheery interior is a mishmash of plastic tablecloths, colourful roof umbrellas, and collected paraphernalia. It’s super-relaxed, thus no one’s gonna bother to give you a second look or a side-eye if you’re wearing your comfy Zara hoodie—it’s probably going to get curry sauce all over it anyway. Further joy set in with the arrival of their deliriously delicious signature dish of Kai Soy, a delicious bowl with yellow coconut curry soup, fresh egg noodles, crispy egg noodles on top, and condiments of red onion, pickled cabbage, and lime, luckily with options of tofu or jackfruit for us veg heads. Coriander lovers would die for their PA NAM TOK, an Isaan-style salad of oyster mushrooms with shallot, mint, coriander, spring onion in a lime, chilli, mushroom soy, and toasted rice grain dressing. When I say packed with coriander, I say full-on! We loved it. Add sticky rice and use it as a sponge. And finally, the silly craze of ‘sharing plates’ actually makes sense at TTP – you really want to taste it all. You can also turn up the hipness quotient and knock back a good selection of Italian natural wines sourced through their supplier, @angolovinoso.
So, even though it was a Thursday night, it felt like a Friday night out, and on leaving, I even thought we could head to an anthem-singing bar on regulierdwarsstraat, but my partner had the four-letter word the next day: work. So, we cycled home knowing we’d finally found my soft-spot restaurant in Amsterdam. After all, you know it’s been good when you’re planning the next visit before even finishing the current one. Kora? Any plans for opening another in the East? It would be nice to have you just down the road. xxx
Thai Thai Poppetje
The Place: Your not so ordinary Thai bar serving riffs on Thai street food and iconic dishes.
The Space: Super relaxed. Like a confetti machine blasted sunshine and ribbons of color into the room.
The Base: Starters from €8.50 and mains €15-20. Expect €35-40 per head.
The Face: The young and restless, the older and not wiser, the fun and flavour seekers.
The Ace: Being served by the owner Kora! How often do you get to meet the magic!
The Veg: Enough to keep any hardcore vegetarian deeply satisfied.
Opening Times: Tues – Sat 17:30-23:00, Sun – Mon Closed
Images from thaithaipoppetje.nl, Thai Thai Poppetje
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