The Canteen Supper club is a collaborative between Caroline Saturley and Calum Spencer.
Caroline is the owner of the popular Canteen Restaurant in Nailsworth and Calum is a former partner at Tomari-Gi in Stroud.
Our host for the night, the amenable Calum put us at ease, on a sun-kissed Nailsworth evening.
Calum is a doppelganger for Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul, but unlike the complicated character Paul plays in the iconic TV series as Jesse Pinkman, Calum was full of charm and certainly played a big part in our introduction to the supper club’s night of Thai vegan dishes.

Calum took us to our booth in the Canteen courtyard, where our table was adorned with colourful flowers and chop sticks – immediately transporting us to Thailand.
Our evening was well and truly underway, we kicked-off with a refreshing Thai cocktail, aptly titled chai ang mai thai – the rum infused drink was complemented with pineapple, orange, with hints of mint and lemon and the all-important coconut milk.

Our starter was a beautifully presented canope. Traditionally done with beef – this gorgeous rice canope used tempeh, a plant-based protein originated from Indonesia – as its main component.
We anticipated our main course and it delivered all our expectations.
We were briefed by Ali Jones, of its origin. Dan dan noodles have 27 components, 17 of which are in the oil alone. On tasting, you could tell their were many elements to this extraordinary dish, but in Thailand this is regarded as a street staple.

Ali told us that dan dan is the name of the pole on which the noodles are carried, the other end of the pole carries the broth. Traditionally these noodles are served roadside in Thailand.
Finally, as our evening drew to a close, we were served a mango rice pudding. A perfect bedfellow to the spices of the evening.

Apart from the sumptuous food, the brilliant team behind the scenes made it not only a culinary delight, but an education in Thai cooking.
Chef Adrian Jones has worked with the likes of feisty celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey. Adrian’s partner Ali is the perfect foil to his sublime cooking, complementing each dish with her knowledge, which comes both of their extensive time spent in Thailand.
The next Canteen Supper Club will take place on Friday, August 25th at 7pm. Click HERE for more details.
