Will St

Ambitious Asian fare with flavour for days.

Whichever dishes you choose at Will St, odds are at some point during your meal, you’ll see something you didn’t order and wish you had. But how do you pick from a menu that packs so much into one page, with the likes of trout-topped betel leaves or spaghetti squash chaat masala rubbing shoulders with pad Thai packed with soft-shell crab or tandoori rack of lamb with a side of Sri Lankan pol sambol? Simple. Bring friends, family, lovers, anyone to share with, then plan to do it all again soon.

Bring friends, family, lovers, anyone to share with, then plan to do it all again soon.

For now though, know there are hits throughout. Start with a plate of raw tuna, and the fish is packed with umami and acid from grapefruit ponzu, a sheet of crisp rice cracker riding shotgun for scooping. Then move to the som dtum, the Thai papaya salad coming loaded with dried shrimp and tomato and a fair whack of heat. Ask floorstaff, led expertly by Sarah Timmins, to pair it with the spin on dendeng balado – here rendered as sticky chilli-caramelised short-rib with a crunch of lemon basil – and they’ll happily oblige, matching it with something light from a clipped wine list. Oh wait, there goes the Southern-style yellow curry. Next time.