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I thought I would bring this thread back to life rather than starting a new one...
Where do people think is the best Thai meal in London these days?
I like the look of the menus at the Heron in Paddington , Thai101 in Hammersmith and KhaoSan in Chepstow Rd.
Have people been to any of these recently? Are there any others that are better?
I'm not fussed about restaurant interior or location. The cheaper the better, but ultimately my main wish is for good thai flavours that are not 'dumbed down'.
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re: usualsuspect
Went to Heron today. It was pretty good but not without fault.
Som Tam Pu- nice and spicy (they asked how we wanted it so we asked for typical Thai spice levels). The fermented crab they used was a lot less pungent than most I've had in Thailand and as a result, the papaya didn't take on the crab flavour as much as I prefer. I also like the crunch of long beans in a SomTam, though this just used green/fine beans. I would say the balance of seasoning was slightly off as well, but still better than most I've had outside of Thailand.
Pad Kha Prao - This was also well spiced, though unfortunately the holy basil was barely present
Laab Gai- Well made laab, pretty authentic tasting. no complaints, again pretty spicy
'Orange sour curry' with prawn and bitter leaf omelette - This was far and away the highlight. A fantastic dish, it really reminded me of some of the dishes that a Thai friend's Mum cooks in Bangkok. A proper hearty soup, like I have never seen outside of Thailand.
I will definitely return again for the orange sour curry.
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condor
Jan 16, 2012 09:20 AM
I found Nahm very disappointing. I found the decor old fashioned & lighting very poor.
We ordered the tasting menu .. the first two dishes were fine. Then the remainder was served all together which meant it went cold very quickly.Poor value and not very good.
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re: t_g
I was writing a blog (http://capitanoche.blogspot.com/) on Thai food the other day and wondered if anyone ever came across a dish called Yum Pla Foo in the UK. It's essentially crispy ground fish served on a bed of mango salad. I had this at Sripraphai in NYC and also found it at Tuk Tuk in HK, it is quite a rare dish and despite visits to some of the best upmarket Thai places in London I was unable to find it.
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re: elcapitano
You may wish to search for it as yum pla dook foo. There is a pub called the Heron near the Edgeware Road which is the only place I know of in London to serve it. Search on the board for further details, as you don't want to accidentally order from the Thai for Westerners menu.
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re: elcapitano
klyeoh
Jul 19, 2011 08:38 AM
You're talking about Yum Pla Dook Foo (ยำปลาดุกฟู). Pla dook is catfish - maybe it's not that readily available in London as catfish has a kind of "muddy" taste which locals here have not quite taken to.
The only place I had Yum Pla Dook Foo in London was at Ben's Thai In Maida Vale, but that was quite a while ago. Call ahead to ask:
Ben's Thai
The Robert Browning Pub
15 Clifton Road
London W9 1SY
Tel: 020 7266 3134 -
re: elcapitano
Yeah you get get it at The Heron if you know what you're ordering (menu is not in English). There's some more on it here: http://theskinnybib.com/2011/04/17/th...
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re: jonY
hi jonY,
yes, i definitely think it's a fun excursion...my rec is to a) scout the various dishes people have rec'd on chowhound, and b) go w/ at least one more person: solo would be fun too, but the more dishes you can try the better, since some may be fishier/spicier/etc than any one person might love and it's a matter of personal preference...so to try 4 or 5 dishes will give you a better sense of the place, the more the merrier...
Definitely a fun group outing...hope you enjoy and please report back :) Simon
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klyeoh
Jun 13, 2011 01:57 PM
Some highlights at a recent meal limster & I had at Thai 101:
- Laab ped: minced duckmeat salad flavored with chilli, lime, toasted ground rice (not evident here though), fresh coriander root, mint leaves. Tasty, spicy, less salty than Bangkok versions;
- Spicy stir-fried prawns with sator (stink beans) & long beans. This dish was ultra-spicy & ultra-delicious. Must-not-miss!
- Pad Krapow with crisp-fried seabass fillets: the fish was not the crispy-crunchy type we expected, but batter-coated fillets - stir-fried with chillis, lemongrass, garlic, coriander leaves;
- Gaeng daeng gai (chicken red curry), which was very piquant, despite the chilli & nam pla content being toned down here.
Loved the platter of raw vegetables & pork crackling which came with every order. Bring an Isaan restaurant, little basketfuls of khao niew (steamed glutinous rice) is de riguer, although they sadly ran out of Isaan sausages the evening we were there.
For dessert, the Thai pumpkin-palm sugar pudding was nice,. Also enjoyed the refreshing tub tim krob.
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re: klyeoh
limster
Jun 16, 2011 05:01 PM
The menu is quite different since I was last there nearly 2 years ago. Echo the love for the superb stir-fried prawns -- wonderful combination of pungency and spice, the prawns were perfectly textured, snapping and ripping easily on the teeth. Wonder if the less "generic" southern thai dishes would also be good. Will have more to try next time!
Loved the pork cracklings (crispy and pleasantly dry), added that to everything! The duck laab had all the right ingredients, including nice bits of gizzards, but I also felt that it was somewhat underpowered, that more spice and herbs would make it even better. I think I liked the fish salad a bit more for that reason.
Will have to ask for extra spicy (and by that I don't mean just the heat levels) next time; they seemed really accommodating, so it shouldn't be a problem.
In terms of flavour nuance and balance, for the moment I'd give Kaosarn an edge, but with the caveat that it's not a comparison of the same dishes. Will obviously need to work through 101's menu more.
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re: limster
still havent made it to kaosarn, last time i was in brixton i had a look but the menu seemed kind of unadventurous so i went elsewhere (this was before yr chowdown review) will definitely be trying it next time im there tho... but for other places, at the moment i would say that the heron is giving 101 a good run for its money (and they do yam pla dok foo which is one of my fav thai dishes)
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