Typically, if you have an urge for Thai food, Brick Lane in London; the go-to place for a curry, is not your obvious choice, but that’s where hubby and I found ourselves at Kinkao restaurant on a warm day in July.
Their tag-line, ‘The Best Thai Food in London’ is a bold statement and we hoped it wasn’t an empty promise. First impressions didn’t give any clues. The decor was all oriental reds, golds and ornately carved woods. We were shown to a table by a friendly waitress and promptly given our menus to peruse. It was around 8.30 so it was still quite busy. Side note, any tall diners, beware the limited leg room space under the beautiful tables!
The menu choices were clearly labelled and helpfully highlighted the heat factor of each dish through number of chillies to indicate spiciness. Hubby and I can take the heat, so for starters, I went for the three chilli Goong Tempura (fried prawn in filo pastry) and hubby went for the spring roll option, both served with a chilli dipping sauce.
The starters, when they arrived, were a visual delight, beautifully presented as they were with the salad they came with arranged in a pleasing display. The light filo pastry that encased the prawns as well as the prawns themselves, were cooked to perfection. It was thumbs up from hubby too on his spring rolls.
We didn’t have to wait long before our mains arrived. I went for the Ped Ma Kham, which was a grilled duck breast, stir-fried and topped with a tamarind sauce. I also chose the house egg fried rice to go with it. The dishes were steaming hot, just how I like it. While my duck dish was spicy and full of flavour, in my opinion, there wasn’t a lot of it on the plate, a small criticism. Aside from that, all of the dishes we ordered were tasty.
Did they live up to their aim of being the ‘best Thai food in London’? I’m not sure as that’s a rather big aspiration. The food was really rather good though.
All in, we had a pleasant dining experience and the customer service was faultless. If you happen to be in the Brick Lane area and are looking for something other than Indian food, a tasty, quick meal, that is reasonably priced, then check out Kinkao restaurant.
Price range: dinner for two approx. £40, minus drinks.
Visit: Kinkao.co.uk
