Esarn Kheaw

Unbelievably terrible service. The man who runs this place is the rudest person I have ever seen work in hospitality. I called the restaurant to check their BYO policy because ti is not listed on the website. They told me I could bring wine and even said there was off license near by - we were greeted by the owner who simply yelled at us 'if you open that it costs £10.50'. He then told me that it was the waitress fault for not telling me on the phone. He said he heard her not tell me. But it is a rule and it will cost £10.50 to open. We had bought a cheap bottle from Tesco and were going to a gig afterwards so did not want to take it with us but they would not budge on the ridiculous corkage charge. The manager sent the waitress over to apologise but she could not offer us any compromise on the corkage. She said her manager would get mad at her. He was standing right there, and did not have any desire to help her out of the embarrassing situation. She just admitted it was her fault and stood there whilst we were staring at her gobsmacked at the ridiculous situation. Service was quite slow generally because it seemed the manager would not help her. I asked him where the drinks were that we ordered after we admitted defeat and he just pointed at her even though she was clearly busy. They also put 15% service on the bill!

I must say that the Tom Yum soup was a nice flavour but it was £8.50 and mostly mushrooms.

The owner manager needs to take a look at his customer service and also the way he treats his staff. Truly appalling.
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Libby Wetherall
3 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, August 31, 2011

We booked this restaurant for a dinner at 6pm and went there about 5.50pm, fair enough that it was 10 min before restaurant is open but it was really freezing cold and we have to wait outside seeing member of the staff eating his dinner and ignoring the fact that people are waiting in this weather condition in front of him. Afterwards we had nice starter and my husband curry was delicious but I was dissatisfied with my stir fry prawns - very watery and no tasty like dishwater water . We wanted a dessert but our choice sadly was not available ???? Wouldn't really advise people to go there for special occasion but for nice curry - yes !
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Anna
4 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 5
Saturday, January 22, 2011

We went on Saturday with a group of friends for a birthday dinner.

The young and very friendly guy who took my reservations over the phone was not there that day and front house was served by a bunch of older folk. Nevertheless, initial service was cordial.

Comments on the courses we ordered - Deep fried pomfret with basil had a great sauce but the fish was tiny and barely enough for the 5 of us. Tom Yum Koong (sour prawn soup) was excellent but had a strange dark colour, most likely from the use of portobello mushrooms. Red curry chicken was tasty but again, portions were very small. Son-in-law''s Eggs was basically deep fried hard boiled eggs coated with a sweet sauce, nice enough for a side dish. They only had one vegetable dish which was mixed vegetables, nothing too special here.

As we were there for a birthday dinner, the head waiter was nice enough to dim the lights and sing us a song when they brought out our cake. We had some leftover cake which we asked if they could pack in a takeaway box or the cake box it came in so that the birthday person could take it home. From here on, things started to go downhill.

First, the waiter claimed they had no takeaway boxes (which is very strange since they have a takeaway menu!). Secondly, he boldly asked if we could give the leftover cake to their kitchen staff! All of us were taken by surprise. Politely we declined as the birthday person really wanted to have more cake but couldn't because we were stuffed from dinner. Personally I don't think we were obliged to say yes at all and that the waiter was slightly audacious given the occasion. Instantly, the smile was wiped off his face and he said he would find a cake box for us. He also returned with the bill and just to add insult, we were charged for 'cake corkage' of £5.00!! No explanations provided.

SHOCKING. I have never been charged to have birthday cake in a restaurant in London and I doubt this is usual practice anywhere else! If they had wanted to impose a charge, they should have informed us beforehand, leaving the decision to us if we wanted to have our cake there or somewhere else. The waiter was obviously annoyed at us for declining to share cake with his kitchen staff and to the time we paid the bill until we walked out of the door, he put on a very sour face.

Unfortunately, the night had a bitter ending and we have all decided never to return to the restaurant as clearly, management does not appreciate our custom. We will not be worse off as there are plenty of good and authentic Thai restaurants with far superior levels of customer service and food in this city.
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3 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Tuesday, August 17, 2010

I don't know how the headline numbers are arrived at-scroll down the reviews and you'll see one bad and loads of positive. They are a bit dated though, a problem perhaps when a restaurant has been good for so long, so I'm adding my update. Older service problems have been fixed, with a younger family member now doing most of the front of house. He's a bit full-on for some I guess, but his quirky friendly style is enjoyed by many, including me. The decor is a bit faded, but is jolly enough, murals of thai scenes, ubiquitous photos of the royal family, and yes, tables are cramped together. Not somewhere for a first date then, or even for a second unless your sure your beloved enjoys the pungent earthy tones of northern thai cooking. This restaurant offers something a bit different to many a thai in our capital, with an authentic heat level and judicious use of fish sauce providing the pungency that is always present but never overbearing. Curry standards are also there for those who don't fancy that, but of its type, this is an excellent restaurant.
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8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Sunday, April 18, 2010

We went on a very quiet weekday lunchtime and were greeted and served by a lovely, smiley, mature Thai waitress.

The much-touted crispy fried pomfret with basil had a great sauce but the fish was not really fresh. Both Tom Yum Koong (sour prawn soup) and Tom Kha Gai (chicken and coconut soup) were excellent on first tasting but had developed a somewhat muddy taste by the second half. The Laab Gai, a northern speciality (and served in a restaurant with a northern name) somehow managed to be both tasteless and bitter.

Finally, for a restaurant in such a downmarket location, it seems rather expensive. £8 for the prawn soup (mostly mushroom) and £6 for the chicken/cocounut soup (also mostly mushrooms). This place, for us, has had to be described by rather too many wishywashy words like "not reallys","somewhats", "somehows", and "rathers" and therefore we will not return.
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exotissima
5 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 4
Thursday, December 03, 2009

Thai food is my favorite food and because of that, I'm not coming back to this place, ever. The service, by the very rude owner, was awful, and the food was bad, really bad.

And for the quality of the food and the location, it is very expensive. Actually it is more expensive than Busaba, in Soho, where the food is hundred times better.
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1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Thursday, October 22, 2009