Location: The O2, Peninsula Square, Millenium Way, Greenwich, London SE10 0DX

Web site: www.thaisilkrestaurant.co.uk/O2_thai_silk/O2_welcome

Telephone number: 0208 8581 899

Date of visit: 15/12/2011

Approx. cost per head: £10 (buffet) (£20 non buffet)

Comments on wine list/beer: An average selection of wines and beers.

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Review:

If you’ve ever been to London’s O2 arena you’ll be familiar with the popular array of restaurants and bars found inside.

Having only ever visited on a Friday or Saturday evening, for various events, and seen the queues of 20-30 people outside each one, I’ve never had the time or inclination to try any of the restaurants.  This time, turning up mid-week, we decided to be different. Amongst the line of chain restaurants is the welcoming and very well priced Thai Silk.

2 courses for £10 as part of the weeknight buffet tempted us inside (the same meal is normally priced around double this). Thai Silk is a large restaurant, spanning 2 floors, and even relatively early on this weekday night, was bustling. Both the starters – grilled marinated strips of chicken and vegetable spring rolls- and the mains – a Thai green curry and stir fried duck -were delicious. The service as very friendly and the experience as authentic as it will ever be in the middle of a large dome in south London.

I gather than on Friday and Saturday evening, like most adjacent venues, Thai Silk transforms into a bar with a dance floor but don’t let that deter you from what’s actually an ideal spot if you’re looking for a pre-event/concert meal.

Dave Lamont

Sabai Sabai

Location: 25 Woodbridge Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8EH

Web site: http://www.sabaisabai-restaurant.co.uk/

Telephone number: 0121 449 4498

Date of visit: 25-10-10

Approx. cost per head: £20

Comments on wine list/beer: fairly standard wine list priced between £11.50 and £25 a bottle

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Review:

Sabai Sabai is a small gem in the heart of Moseley. The restaurant itself is tiny, seating on 44 people at any one time, but the food is something special.

The menu is extensive and provides a range of dishes which are available with a choice of ‘protein’ – one can select beef, chicken, duck or prawns for the majority of accompaniments. Most dishes also include a high vegetable content, which is surprisingly rare when eating out.

My friends and I are regular customers at Sabai Sabai and are particularly fond of their set menu, which provides a good balance of food. For £20 a head, one can enjoy prawn crackers, followed by a mixed starter of chicken satay, golden bags, sweetcorn fritters and tempura prawns. This is then followed by pad thai, chilli and garlic prawns, green thai chicken curry and fragrant jasmine rice. The portions are extremely generous and it is unusual that we are able to finish our meal.

I have even taken a friend who once lived in Thailand to Sabai Sabai, who, when asked if the food was good for England, replied “that green curry is good for anywhere!”.

The one thing I would say can be disappointing is that when busy, the service can become extremely slow and things such as drinks can be forgotten. However, in my mind the quality of the food more than makes up for the occasional lapse in service.

Jo

Web site: http://thaielephantswansea.com

Telephone number: 01792 650 050

Date of visit: 15/8/10

Approx. cost per head: £15

Comments on wine list/beer: A safe selection of wines and beers

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Review:

Situated in Swansea’s swanky new SA1 development on the edge of the City Centre, The Thai Elephant is adjacent to a few similar sized bars and restaurants with ample parking nearby.

Having read a few online reviews before our meal, the one recurring criticism people had was service – something we immediately noticed on arrival. Despite having booked we were initially turned away rather rudely and told the restaurant was closing in an hour. Having then been chased by an apologetic waiter we went on to enjoy a very nice meal.

The atmosphere was a little sterile and the restaurant is somewhat small but the food is the best Thai food I’ve found in the area. In fact, in Wales.

Starters, which are rather substantial, average around £5 and mains just short of £10. Wine is reasonably priced with a good selection on offer.

The Thai Elephant is also relatively new and still, I think, finding its feet. If they can breathe a little life into the service and atmosphere it’s a hard option to overlook for a nice evening out.

Address: 95 High Street, Esher Surrey KT10 9QE

Telephone number: 01372 477 139

Website: www.siamfoodgallery.co.uk

Date of visit: 20 June 2010

Approximate cost per head: From £20 – £30 plus depending on how many dishes.

Comments on wine list/beer: Normal wine list for this type of restaurant. For example, Pinot Grigio is under £16  a bottle

Summary:

The restaurant is sited on the High Street. Parking could be a problem but you can park in the Waitrose car park if you buy something.

There were four of us. We decided to share dishes.

For starters we had satay kai (chicken sate – £6.50), Tempura Jay (vegetable fritters -

£6.50) and Po Pia Pad (duck spring rolls). We were lucky. The satays  came in 4 skewers, the spring rolls in 4 halves …… so everything shared out equally. The satay were quite tumeric but the sauce were not peanutty. The skewers were quite small – little chicken cubes. The duck spring roll had more noodles than duck, the vegetable fritters were spot on. On the whole, the starters were fine.

For main courses we had: kang kai wan kai (chicken green curry £11.90), moo pad  prik khing (spicy pork £9.50), nuea pad nan mon hoi (beef in oyster sauce £12.95), kung pad nor mai farang (king prawns and asparagus in oyster sauce £12.95). The above dishes were accompanied with several portions of kao kra ti (coconut rice 3.95 per portion) and finally pad thai kung (prawn noodles £9.95). We washed the meal down with tap water and a bottle of pinot grigio.

With regards to the main courses, I thought that the dishes were pretty mild but the pad thai  was too hot for one of my friends. The portions were adequate but then I can’t remember a Thai serving large portions. The green curry was very gingery, The dishes in oyster sauce on the sweet side. But they were fine. The coconut rice was slighly green in colour – what was in it – but it tasted of coconut.

After the meal we had liqueur coffee. We ordered Tai Maria and it was quite a ritual. The glasses were filled with Irish Whisky. It was the sprinkled with brown sugar and the rim rotated round a flame to caramelise the sugar – think margaritas with a salt rim. Hot black coffee was then poured in, the glass then topped up with cream. Next, they flambé the liqueur and poured it on top of the cream so you get a flaming glass.

On the whole – a pleasant meal.

When we got back to the Waitrose car park, it was full of spotless convertrables and range rovers – but then this is Esher

E

Name of restaurant or pub: Thai Corner

Location: 47 West Street, Reading, RG1 1TZ

Web site: http://www.thaicornerreading.co.uk/

Telephone number: 0118 959 5050

Date of visit: 11 December 2009

Approx. cost per head: £25

Comments on wine list/beer: A reasonable Sancerre is perhaps the pick of a rather simplistic wine menu. An ample selection.

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Review:

A former pub, the building has been tastefully and usefully converted into Reading’s newest Thai restaurant – not something the town has an abudance of.

It’s located in the centre of town, just a 3 minute walk from the train station or the Oracle riverside.

The menu offers an excellent array of traditional Thai dishes, with a starter averaging £4 and a main course between £7-11. The restaurant appears to be very popular with both business people and couples – usually a good sign. It’s rather small, making for an intimate and relaxing meal, so best to book.

The service is not the quickest and a little tricky at times – mainly due to the occasional language barrier.

If you’re looking for well priced, well prepared Thai Food then this is arguably the best Reading has to offer.

Dave Lamont

Name of restaurant or pub: Ty Thai

Location: South John St, New Quay, SA45 9NN

Web site: http://www.ty-thai.com/36105.html

Telephone number: 01545 560400

Date of visit: 18 August

Approx. cost per head: £15 – £20

Comments on wine list/beer: From around £15, reasonable choice

Review:
I would never expect to find a “healthy” Thai in New Quay, Wales. But there it is – its upstairs only!

The menu offers an “artificial sugar” version so its a great boon to diabetes or those that want fewer calories.

The food is  right up there with the top Thais that I have been to outside Thailand but there is no staple like Pad Thai. Apparently, the owners went and lived in Thailand for sometime to “learn” to cook Thai dishes.

Beware of the chillies. When they say its hot, they mean it.

It is not easy to park in New Quay town centre. Park outside town and walk in.

Eddie – eddie@botlesandcooks.com