Indulge In Authentic Thai Cuisine At Koh Thai
Koh Thai can be found in the heart of Bath and it offers authentic, rustic Thai food and bags full of flavour. The twist here is a tapas style menu for a truly versatile and dynamic dining experience. If you are a fan of Thai cuisine, then this is a destination not to be missed! You will be happy to hear that there are also Koh Thai restaurants across the UK.
The ethos behind the restaurant is to challenge the “normal ‘course’ format and order whatever takes your fancy”. For us, this leant the dining experience a real social feel and there was certainly more of a sense of excitement and fun, than you would find at a typical restaurant.
Plus, it should also be mentioned, the location is simply ideal for tourist and locals alike. If you are looking to indulge in the areas rich history, then the restaurant is perfectly located and slap bang in the middle of the lively City. You are only minutes away from the Roman Baths, bars and a range of premium retailers.
The wonderful food, top notch service, fun tapas sized dishes and an exciting tasting menu, were underpinned by a décor with Thai influences and authentic style. Rather than a décor full of Thai clichés and a sense of insincere imitation, it was heart-warming to see the restaurant had a true feel of Thailand. Koh Thai is one of the best examples of Thai cuisine on British Shores that we have sampled for some time and it won’t break the bank either. It’s certainly worth a visit and here is why…
Cocktails anyone?
Although visiting at the start of Autumn, I began my Koh Thai experience with the refreshing “Summer Daze” cocktail. This blend of Larios gin, lime passionfruit and Midori Melon liqueur. My partner opted for the dramatically titled “Dragon’s Ruin”, which also packed vibrant. Described as a “refreshing muddle of passionfruit, raspberry, orange and apple with Stolichnaya vodka served over crushed ice”, this cocktail was also superb. In fact, both cocktails were expertly blended and presentation also had an air of finesse.
The rest of the cocktails menu sounded equally as appetising and we would have quite happily sampled the lot! For those looking for something a little more tried and tested, there is a strong selection of global wines and beers available also.
Koh Thai Tasing menu – a unique and exciting way to order!
Before we look into the food itself, it is worth mentioning that Koh Thai offers a unique and exciting way to order. This uniqueness comes in the Koh Thai tasting menu and we absolutely loved it!
Essentially, your server will spend time asking you a range of simple questions relating to your food preferences and will report this to the kitchen. The kitchen will then deliver a menu geared to your personal taste. For £22 or £26 (the price reflecting a difference in the calibre of dishes you may sample), you are offered a range of tapas sized dishes, without the need to worry about selecting the dishes yourself.
This was particularly useful for us, as the menu was just so appealing throughout, thereby making it almost impossible to pick for our ourselves. Plus, it was really exciting not quite knowing what delights would reach our table!
Koh Thai offers authentic Thai flavours and more!
So, having had our discussion with our waiter (who was excellent by the way), we were champing at the bit to see exactly how the restaurant had interpreted our tasting profile.
Our favourite starter (and according to the menu, a house favourite also), was the Thai sliced crispy beef (below). The beef melted in the mouth and married perfectly with a hot and sweet dipping sauce. Crispy beef is one dish we always look for on Asian menus and this one had to be one of the best.
We also sampled Kohs Duck and Cucumber roll and Koh Thai’s own Chicken Satay. With a delightfully rich in-house sauce and juicy grilled chicken breast, this satay was also a particular hit. A pretty faultless start.
Each dish was hit after hit and perfectly matched to our taste
Upon finishing our starters and receiving our main dishes, it became obvious that our waiter had perfectly translated our preferences to the kitchen and the menu presented to us was full of dishes which totally hit the spot.
Massaman Lamb curry and King Prawn red curry arrived first and the smell was wonderful. Massaman curry is typically deep with flavour and a hearty curry, completed by new potatoes, peanuts and slow cooked pieces of lamb. In this case, the lamb melted in the mouth and each spoonful burst with stunning Thai flavour. The tapas sizes King prawn Red Curry was also sublime. Rich, aromatic, full of herbs and pulled together by coconut milk, this was oozing with flavour. Plus, Duck Tamarind, finished with seaweed was also terrifically tasty and a real treat.
As you can probably tell by our glowing account of our visit, each dish really was faultless and the entirety of the dishes we tried were what we consider to be a true taste of Thailand. There is no pretentiousness here, just honest and full on flavours.
Upon speaking to the manager, he revealed that the chefs behind the fantastic food at the restaurant are Thai themselves, therefore giving a strong indicator as to how the food packed such authentic and honest flavour.
We will certainly be re-visiting.
Find out more here.
