Rice Paddy, Peckham Rye
Have you ever looked at a chef, then the food, then back at the chef again with your eyebrow raised and thought, 'You made this?!'
This, my dear reader, is Rice Paddy. I knew it would be delicious—all my Thai friends raved about it—and I couldn't wait to try it, especially in great company with Patty, Sasika, and Lalita!
The Story Behind Rice Paddy
Let's talk about Rice Paddy, owned by Irish chef Paul Asher. His passion for Thai food led him to travel to Thailand, where he learned and worked at different restaurants before returning to the UK and launching his own pop-up kitchen.
After a year of travelling, he scored a full residency. Armed with a custom-built grill and his trusty mortar and pestle, Paul is now cooking his take on Northern Thai dishes at The White Horse Pub in Peckham Rye, which is a great reason to visit!
Walking into the pub, I wasn't expecting the space to be particularly large or aesthetically pleasing. However, you instantly know you're in a pub when you're greeted by that familiar, slightly questionable sticky-yet-musty lingering scent—a smell only a place like this could have, and one you never really question.
But dear reader, you're here for one thing, so let's get into it.
The Food
Coconut + Peanut Miang Kham was served first—vibrant flavours of sweet, sour, spicy, and a touch of bitterness from the betel leaf. It was a great first bite.
I have a soft spot for Moo Ping, and Rice Paddy's grilled pork skewers are no exception. They would definitely hit the spot when the craving kicks in. Great balance of sweet, savoury, and a bit smoky, aromatic from the charcoal grilling. Really liked their version of it.
I love anything aubergine. This BBQ aubergine with relish, herbs, duck egg, and rice crackers felt a bit like a Thai version of baba ghanoush. It's very good, flavourful, and moreish, but I did wish there were more than two pieces of rice crackers.
The crispy rice, pork naem, chilli, ginger + peanuts were my personal favourite in terms of flavours and texture. Seasoned well and oh so crispy, and if you know me, I love a crisp! But don't be fooled, as it's pretty spicy from the fresh chillies. I could eat an entire bucket if given the chance!
This was easily the table's favourite dish. The prawn ceviche with spicy green nam jim was fresh, sweet, and the seafood sauce was tangy, spicy, yet so addictive. We couldn't get enough!
The fried chicken wing laab was zingy, spicy, and I could have eaten a platter of it alone. It's a great dish for ice-cold drinks, especially beer, and we saw every table had a plate or two. They were really great.
As much as I love Sai Oua, the Sai Oua herbal sausage hot dog wasn't my cup of tea, which made me a bit sad. It was a bit burnt and lacked the garlicky, lemongrass-flavoured aroma. However, the second time I had the sausage, it was better, so it might have been an off day.
The smoked pork belly hang lae curry felt like a nostalgic dish I'd had with family during dinner time. It was rich yet aromatic, with a sweet and savoury profile that wasn't overly sweet, with a slight kick from the tamarind. It was more stew-like, in my opinion.
I liked the Gai yang BBQ chicken with tamarind nam jim jaew. It was juicy and slightly smoky from the grill. It could have been seasoned a bit more, but I enjoyed it nonetheless with their homemade sauce and sticky rice.
Their version of spicy som tam salad has cabbage, carrots, and apples. There's also a scent of celery, yet we didn't notice any pieces of it. It's not bad and is rather refreshing; however, I prefer the green papaya version.
The Zaab fries were moreish and another great snack for ice-cold drinks. Zingy, spicy, with a lingering sweetened flavour. A great sharing order.
Desserts
I understood the coconut rice pudding with mango sorbet concept; however, it did confuse my taste buds as we found it quite salty. The touch of salt is supposed to elevate the sweetness, but we tasted more salt than sweet. Not a bad dessert, just very unexpected.
I enjoyed the condensed milk ice cream, crispy roti, and banana much more, as I love anything with bananas. I did wish the banana was caramelised, and Paul was up for the idea, but I don't know if he's actually tried it. Still my favourite of the two.
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed a lot of the dishes, and Paul is one of the nicest chefs I've met so far. So humble yet down to earth, and with the attention he's getting—especially for his Sunday lunch set menu, which consists of crispy pork belly, the grilled chicken, the Sai Oua with sticky rice, his version of som tam, and his homemade sauces—he deserves all good things in life.
I'm happy to see Rice Paddy thriving and can't wait to see what he brings out in 2026!
Address - White Horse Pub, 20 – 22 Peckham Rye, London, SE15 4JR