Best Thai in London

[ravelda]

I haven't seen a thread on the bst Thai restaurants in London, so thought I would start this one off. I have always found that some of the best Thai places are actually off the beaten track or not widely known about, so would love to hear about any gems that you know in London?

[Matthew Grant]

Mantanah Thai on Portland Road, South Norwood.

[ravelda]

Esarn Khew in shepherds Bush is also really good, as is Thai Nice in Acton. Very understated places, but very authentic!

[Tom Roberts]

Patara (the Maddox St one) is very good.

[Spike L]

Benja, on Beak Street

[nikkib]

Sukho is my favourite, and its always full - booking recommended!

http://www.london-eating.co.uk/7160.htm

[rjs1]

Is Nahm is the best, albeit at a horrendous price? Certainly the set dinner (just under £50 a head), with eight dishes matched for texture, flavour, etc., has been the best Thai food I've experienced.

[sunbeam]

Mantanah Thai on Portland Road, South Norwood.

←

Really? I live in sunny Streatham so this could be just what I want

S

[IanT]

Esarn Khew in shepherds Bush is also really good, as is Thai Nice in Acton.  Very understated places, but very authentic!

←

I'd second Esarn. I went there for the first time last night and really liked it. Very authentic. Thai must be the most abused cuisine in the UK - so many cheap restaurants/pubs serving watered down stodgy pap and calling it Thai food.

[sunbeam]

Esarn Khew in shepherds Bush is also really good, as is Thai Nice in Acton.  Very understated places, but very authentic!

←

I'd second Esarn. I went there for the first time last night and really liked it. Very authentic. Thai must be the most abused cuisine in the UK - so many cheap restaurants/pubs serving watered down stodgy pap and calling it Thai food.

←

Indeed, too many add chilli, lemon grass and coconut milk to bog standard chinese. My mate has a thai bride and her meals are the real deal, altho she piles in more chillis than any westerner can safely eat!

S

[IndolentAgain]

Nahm is fantastic and well worth a visit albeit v expensive. David Thomson's staff have a deft touch and the flavours are great.

Its a bit sterile inside and the waiting staff aren't up to the standard of the cooking but I can easily recommend it.

[joesan]

I support the recommendation for Nahm. The flavours and balance are visionary. Having said that I must agree that it can be expensive. I had my first taste of David's cooking in the original Darley Street Thai in Sydney and I will never forget just how fresh and good the flavours were in the curry that I had there. Everything just seemed to pop and taste so fresh yet in harmony. All this cost only about £5.

Nahm is considerably more expensive (i.e. 10 or 20 times more) but the guy is an undisputed master. After all this is the man that the Thai government has employed to re-establish the authenticity of Thai cuisine in Thailand. I don't think you'll get a stronger recommendation than that...

[Scott]

I thought David Thompson had moved on long ago??

[joesan]

I thought David Thompson had moved on long ago??

←

I believe he has but still consults on the menu and has a trusted disciple in place. Or am I mis-remembering??

[Kake]

Thai must be the most abused cuisine in the UK - so many cheap restaurants/pubs serving watered down stodgy pap and calling it Thai food.

←

Going off at a slight tangent, can anyone recommend any pubs in London that actually do decent Thai food? I quite liked the seafood dish I had at the King's Arms near Waterloo station a few months ago, but I've only eaten there that one time; it was also quite unpleasantly crowded (we were lucky and grabbed a tucked-away table fairly early on).

Kake