Klerm: Cacha Cacha Returns With a Refreshed Take on Thai

原创 Tom A. theBeijinger

While pockets of old Beijing have been wrestling with forced closure and reclamation over the past several months, Cacha Cacha in Sanlitun’s Taikoo Li North was enduring their own property battle. Now, after nine months of lying dormant, and with the addition of the city’s skinniest escalator having eaten into its floor space, the restaurant resurfaces just in time for summer as the peculiarly-titled Klerm. Fans of the former establishment will be relieved to hear that the original Hong Kong-by-way-of-Bangkok team remains intact and so does the kitchen’s general premise: bright, fun, and modern Thai dining with nary a hint of arrogance.

Some of Cacha Cacha's old artistic spirit has remained intact

We might as well start with that name: Klerm. Not so much a word that rolls off the tongue so much as a sound that you’d make after a serious head injury, Klerm means something in the vicinity of the drowsy or pleasant feeling you get while intoxicated. In that vein, the space itself exudes a supine disposition with colorful murals, dangling potted plants, and well-trained staff that are both friendly and attentive.

Thai seafood salad

But even these elements pale in comparison to the food. Much like its predecessor, Klerm relies heavily on the cuisine of northern Thailand; hearty dishes laden with spices and a fiery kick that might be too much for some (ask them to hold back if necessary), all embodied in rich and creamy curries, big chunks of juicy meat and seafood, and fresh, tangy salads.

Crispy seafood pancake

Favorites from our Southeast Asian feast include the poached mussels in green curry (RMB 78), the clams some of the freshest we have tried in Beijing, bulging and ready to be dipped in the puddle of curry below; and a gargantuan crab in thick yellow curry sauce with onions and tomatoes (RMB 298). The crispy seafood pancake (RMB 88) made for a good filler to mop up any remaining juices, that’s if the accompanying sweet marmalade wasn’t so hard to forfeit. However, the show stopper is the signature beef fillet (RMB 268), which comes sizzling on a metal bell contraption brought over specifically from Thailand, the huge slabs of steak then flambéed at your table.

Crab in yellow curry sauce

If you have the wherewithal to cram more in, we’d recommend the sticky rice pudding with condensed milk and fresh mango (RMB 68), a rich mix of sweet and sour and the ideal cooling dessert to escape Beijing’s heat. Despite that, at this point every bite was pushing me a little closer to understanding what was meant by “klerm,” grasping for any previous semblance of self-control and slowly entering a state of sloppy delirium.

Flambéed signature beef fillet

Although the food here is the highlight, management is looking to enliven the space by putting more focus on the manned bar that sits in the center of the space, already offering a handful of classic, and more tropically-themed, cocktails and a short list of imported Thai beers. Nevertheless, those aspirations won’t come true until the property management okay for them to remain open past their current 10pm curfew.

Sticky rice pudding with condensed milk and fresh mango

Klerm is still in the process of polishing the final product – expect more focus on the bar as they settle – but the effort that they’ve put in so far in bringing a slice of Thailand to Beijing is plain to see. Given that the city already has slim pickings for good Thai food, Klerm presents a fresh option over some of the dreary and tired Sanlitun hangers-on.

Klerm
Daily 11am-10pm. NLG45, B1/F, Taikoo Li North, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District (5721 2286)
朝阳区三里屯路11号院太古里北区地下一层NLG45

This article first appeared in the July/August 2017 issue of the Beijinger, which you can read via PDF online or in hard copy at all of your favorite venues across town.

Click the cover to read the July/August 2017 edition of the Beijinger

Photos courtesy of Klerm

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