Platapian is the latest offering from the group behind Patara, a quartet of upscale Thai joints dotted around London, the first of which opened in South Kensington in 1990. It was once a quintet, in fact, until the Soho branch, on Greek Street, reopened this summer as Platapian, for reasons such as fidgetiness, one imagines. (You could say that opening five in 35 years represented a rather sluggish work ethic, or you might think it was eminently sensible given the insane vagaries of the hospitality business.)
Platapian, I gather from the PR blurb, means "a traditional woven barb fish made from palm leaves". Which leaves me none the wiser. Is a platapian a fish, or something that looks like a fish? Anyway, I think the idea is that Platapian sees restaurateur Parama "Nam" Raiva delving into her family recipes - particularly those of her aunt (and founder of Patara) Khun Patara Sila-On - and with chef Phayom Phimkrua delivering them with a modern touch for the cognisant diner. That's us.