Thai Thai

We ate at Thai Thai last Friday and had a good overall experience, though there are some issues with the place.

The restaurant is nicely decorated (to our eyes at least) but it does suffer from having too many tables quite close together. Another flaw is the fact that there is only one toilet each for such a large place, though they were clean. The main problem for our visit though was the second rate R&B background music. I'm not saying they should be playing authentic Thai music, but listening to this all night long was unpleasant.

Another issue was with the cutlery as there were no knives, just a spoon and fork, which were not washed between starter and main, we found this very strange.

We had an early booking so had a choice of tables which was good as the place certainly filled up quickly, creating a good atmosphere (unfortunately could still hear the music). It was the first time we had eaten Thai away from our green/red/yellow curry local pub, and the menu is very long so we took some time before ordering, and there was no problem with this. In the end we went for the platters, one meat one veg & they were a good size and tasty, though the tempura could've been less oily.

For mains there were two chicken dishes which were both well done (and had more than one piece of chicken), a fish dish which was a bit oily and bland, and a pumpkin curry with prawn which I really enjoyed.

My thoughts on the food are that the fish mains and river prawn dishes are overpriced, but the rest of the food is good value, even without 50% off, although I do think there is scope for an extra chilli level, they have one or two on the menu but I could certainly have taken it hotter.

The service we found good, they let us have our time when we needed it, when the food came it was served by more than one so everyone could get down to eating & there was no pressure on us to vacate the table even though it was very busy at the time we left.

Overall we had a good experience, just not great, however if we were in the area again we would go back, hope your experience will be as good if not better than ours.
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delstar
7 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Friday, November 18, 2011

went last night for the first time as i've now got a gourmet card giving 25% off the bill. bit surprised we had to wait as we had a booking. after sitting down found the staff very attentive and asked for tap water-ice would've been nice..water bit warm. ordered 3 dishes, one of which was tom yam-absolutely awful. 4 prawns and no spice what-so-ever. tasted like it was out of a packet. sent back to spice it up but only marginally better. also ordered chicken with cashews, my favourite thai dish. also, awful. they used a brown gravy and pineapples and carrots in the dish which is frankly bizarre. at least they remembered the chicken. the final dish, at 12 quid, was beef with peppers in a curry served on a huge, cold plate. needless to say, the whole thing was almost stone cold before we started. why not serve in a bowl like normal thai restaurants?

whoever says this is an authentic thai restaurant needs their heads testing.

it was the wetherspoons version of thai. i would highly recommend to save your money and don't go here. they add 12 1/2% to the bill also which i found a bit cheeky. 40 quid for 3 dishes, rice and 2 beers (with my discount card)-what a liberty!
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jason glover
4 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Absolutely awful, I cannot believe this place is actually running as a business!

The whole experience was dreadful from start to finish. We were offered a table practically on top of a couple despite the restaurant being half empty, moving was no issue however we then waited 15 minutes before our drinks order was taken.

Our waiter (sweet as he was) could barely understand 2 words of English - thinking we were trying to order more food when in fact we were simply enquiring the whereabouts of my Dads main dish… My tasteless jungle curry with approximately 3 pieces of limp beef (presumably?) arrived 10 minutes before his dry, bland, grilled (?) chicken.

The whole place was completely disorganized and for quite a sizable establishment there is only 1 toilet which was pretty grim to say the least!

The disappointment of the poor service and terrible food was in no way compensated by the “tastecard” discount, we both left feeling thoroughly ripped off – AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
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Emma
2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, June 15, 2011

About 10 years ago you could not move in London without seeing a Thai restaurant, and although im sure there are now fewer they seem to be still going strong.

After a couple of drinks around Old street we turned up just before our 7.30pm booking, but we were not seated until just before 8pm. The menu was classic Thai with all the classics on it, and we opted for a mix platter starter, then a jungle curry, panang and some noodles. The starter was very average, the main course curries a little better with the pad thai being the only really good dish.

We washed it down with a good bottle of Kiwi sauvignon blanc for about £25.

Service was not great, bit slow but friendly.

Overall not great, doubt I would go back, but im sure they will do okay as the place was packed, everyone taking up the 50% off I guess.
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Chris - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Don't dine here. The food was terrible, the service was slow and it felt like everyone was sat on top of one another. Tried to complain but the staff simply weren't interested.
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Jacqui
1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Monday, January 17, 2011

Well what can I say? Customer service is obviously not paramount at this restaurant. And it's not really a surprise when you see how the managers treat customers.

My experience at Thai Thai absolutely ruined my birthday. If you book a table here be advised that you have not actually 'booked a table'. I booked a table for 20:00, arrived at 19:35 and was still waiting for a table at 20:15. When I asked what was happening I was told 'you have to wait ok.' No apology, no nothing. The staff are extremely rude. 4 members of the group were present from 19:35 and we were told that when the rest of the group arrives then you can have a table for 10 people - but if you want to sit down now you can sit at a table of 4 and when the rest arrive they can sit somewhere else. I've never heard this before in my life.

I asked to speak to the manager who displayed even less manners than the staff. If you ask to speak to the manager regarding anything - do not expect an apology, do not expect to be spoken to like a human being and don't for one minute think that they value your feedback or care what you say.

At 20:20 we left after we were told that there was now no table available for us, how ridiculous. I enjoyed a fantastic evening at Yum Yum instead of this vile place - and they even managed to accomodate us well at such short notice. So all the reviews about rude staff are right. Don't spend your money here.
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Anon
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Monday, January 17, 2011

Overall a very pleasant experience at Thai Thai. The restaurant is an attractive, airy space with lots of dark wood and copper, and our table for three managed to feel cosy at 8pm on a Saturday night, with the restaurant very busy.

We found the food consistently good and (not always the case in a Thai restaurant) generously portioned. Plenty of tender duck in my red curry, plenty of juicy king prawns in my wife's green curry. We also had a superb vegetarian flat noodle dish whose name escapes me.

Service was friendly if a little rushed at first, but they left us to chat after we'd paid the bill, which we appreciated. Here as in most places, we found that if you're nice to the staff they tend to reciprocate.

Food prices are reasonable though wine - starting at £16 for a passable Chilean Sauvignon Blanc - is a little on the steep side.

We would certainly return.
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Andrew Duff
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Monday, November 22, 2010

This is the most authentic Thai food you can get outside of Thailand. We should know, we've been there countless times. The vermicelli or papaya salads are amazing and very spicy. We also recommend the golden curry. The customer service is fantastic. Our only criticism is the artex on the wall, which the restaurant inherited from it's predecessors. The place is humble and peaceful. A must for all Thai foodies.
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Ratna and Andras
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Saturday, October 30, 2010

I went to Thai Thai on a Saturday evening at 5.30pm with my dad. We were served promptly and the waiters/waitresses were very attentive and friendly. The food was authentic and extremely delicious. The waitresses were also very helpful in accommodating our dietary requests (we are vegetarian).

I would recommend this place and will definitely be back for more awesome Thai food.
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Maggie
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, September 12, 2010

Two of us ate here this evening, availing of a reward meal from a rival restaurant website. The selection was pleasingly varied and the red duck curry main course was notable; the sauce was excellent.

Other dishes (fishcakes, sweetcorn cakes and a red vegetable curry) were fine (excepting the sticky rice, which was overly-starchy) - nothing beyond the basic expectation of a Thai restaurant, which does give Thai Thai a conveyor-belt feel. This was compounded by rushed service; the main course was served far too quickly after the starter, while the staff hurried our menu choices and the collection of dishes.

Thai Thai proved to be a cheap night out in pleasant surroundings; don't go if you're looking for a special experience, but it's worth a visit for a quick bite in a lively atmosphere where you'll be seated very close to other diners.
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dawnage - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, July 21, 2010