Imagine the smoky sizzle of chicken skewers at a Bangkok night market, the gentle pull of hand-folded dumplings from a Singapore hawker stall, or the briny depth of a Burmese tea leaf salad eaten street-side in Yangon. For three days, Hyderabad didn’t need a flight ticket to get there. Zega, the Pan-Asian restaurant at Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel, partnered with Soy Soi for an exclusive pop-up that brought the soul of Southeast Asia’s street food culture straight to the city’s table.
Led by Chef Te Yuan Peter Tseng, culinary director at Pricol Gourmet Pvt Ltd, Soy Soi has been Chennai’s go-to Pan-Asian destination since opening in March 2017. The restaurant was born out of a deeply personal culinary journey — through the night markets of Singapore, the hawker centres of Kuala Lumpur and Malacca, and the street stalls of Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Bali and Jakarta (Indonesia), and Bangkok (Thailand) — and has spent nearly a decade translating these experiences into plates that feel both authentic and thoughtfully crafted. “This collaboration represents more than a pop-up event; it’s a cultural bridge between two dynamic cities through the universal language of Asian cuisine,” says Chef Peter Tseng.
The pop-up menu drew from dishes that have earned Soy Soi its loyal following. Highlights included Soto Ayam Madura, a turmeric-poached chicken dish with devilled egg and vermicelli noodles; Lahpet Thoke, a Burmese fermented tea leaf salad with roasted Bengal gram dal and pumpkin seeds; Xiaolong Bao with miso broth and pork; Yellow Tail Usuzukuri with yuzu koshu and herb oil; Sate Ayam Bakar, grilled chicken skewers with sambal hijau and coconut milk reduction; and Jasmine Tempura Prawns with Sichuan chilli and tea leaf oil.
Mains featured the standout Lamb Rendang — a New Zealand lamb rack with bumbu and roasted coconut shavings. The meal concluded on a delicate note with Thap Thim Krop, pandan chestnut rubies paired with lemongrass and coconut panna cotta, and the signature Bon Bon collection of matcha and sweet tamarind.
Among the offerings, the clear yet deeply flavourful broth of the Soto Ayam Madura stood out, while the Yellow Tail Usuzukuri impressed with its precise, delicate cuts enhanced by yuzu koshu and herb oil. The Sate Ayam Bakar, paired with sambal hijau and coconut milk reduction, left the palate tingling — a fitting addition to a menu that captured the vibrancy and nuance of Southeast Asian street food traditions.