Isarn

A good Thai restaurant, with good service and above average quality. The place is quite small, and it may be a bit too crowded and noisy for a first date, but we would highly recommend it. We had possibly our best tofu ever, and our only regret was the wine list (we resorted to a Chianti for £24 pounds, which wasn't great value).
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Sunday, February 03, 2008

This is my favourite Thai restaurant in London... and I must say that I've tried a lot of them!

The food is always excellent and they have some dishes that you can't get anywhere else. My favourite dish is the salt and pepper squid, which is far superior to any I've tried before. The betel leaves with crispy duck is one of the entrees which is a must-eat. Isarn do less well at the 'standard' Thai dishes, which are average to good, like the Beef with basil and chilli. The red curry with prawns is delicious but I can't help but think that a few prawns is a bit of a rip off for the price you pay - some vegetables wouldn't go astray in filling out the dish a bit more.

The wine list is the only thing that I find slightly disappointing. They tend to start at around £20 and having tried all of the ones between £20-28 I have yet to find an outstanding one.

The service is always excellent - polite and prompt. The atmosphere is also nice and I really like the decor.

Dinner price is normal for London standards but certainly not cheap. If you want to give it a try, you could go at lunch and try the £5.90 lunch special. The place is normally empty at lunchtimes yet packed in the evenings.

All in all, a fantastic restaurant and one that I return to time and time again, never disappointed. Friends that I bring always think the same.
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Tyce
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Friday, November 23, 2007

Isarn is possibly my favourite place to eat out. The staff are amazing, so friendly and polite. A few times I have been in almost as they are closing; they always serve us and never rush us out. The food has been lovely every time. The garlic prawns are so good, unlike any thai dish I have found in restaurants here. They also serve delicious brown jasmine rice, another item I haven't found anywhere else. Everything is beautifully presented. The prices are the minimum of what you pay at any other restaurant in London/UK. The atmosphere is my perfect setting; simple and modern, with beautiful touches such as the unusual lampshades. The music is unobtrusive. The lighting is perfect; it makes it an intimate place to eat.
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Thursday, October 11, 2007

I too, am extremely suprised to see bad reviews. I absolutely loved this place! It's a bold statement, I know, but I might go as far as to say that this is the best restaurant outing I've ever had... And I'm reasonably experienced.

Excellent food. Excellent service. Nice decor and atmosphere. Best of all, inexpensive.

I highly recommend Isarn!
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The Lazer
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, August 09, 2007

Very surprised at the bad reviews. Service here is fantastic and the food delicious. Soft shell crab salad is the best I've tasted and I love the holy basil beef stir fry and the chicken green curry. The place is always packed so sometimes feels a little cramped and I wonder if that's off-putting to people. It's not expensive at all but it's also not intended to offer cheap eats with quick table turnaround like the other restaurants mentioned in previoous reviews.
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Lucy - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Sunday, February 11, 2007

I have to admit I was intrigued seeing as Isarn is owned by Alan Yau's sister and I'm a big fan of Busaba and Yauatcha. Unfortunately the standard was no way near, the food was unimaginative and lacked any kind of quality. My partner had duck with shitake mushrooms which was tasteless and boring, and my chicken dish was overly deep-fried and was more like eating KFC! Decor wasn't bad but nothing special. The only good thing was the service. My partner and I went for our anniversary meal and were expecting something special and instead left the restaurant very disapointed. Do not go here unless you want to pay expensive prices for poor food - believe me you are better off with Busaba!
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Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Sunday, November 26, 2006

Went here on Saturday night. Table was booked for 9pm however we did not get served until 10.15pm. I am a huge fan of Alan Yau and was intrigued by this place owned by his sister. Food was so-so - not the best, not the worst but okay. Been to better Thai restaurants. After spending a year in Thailand I am able to say the food here does not live up to the mark.
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Nick
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Monday, September 04, 2006

Having been to Thailand many times, we were excited by the prospect of a new restaurant to bring back those fond memories of tasty food. We should have stuck with Busaba. The 'papaya' spring rolls were filled with over-cooked vegetables and not a hint of papaya came through. The asparagus, shitake and celery stir fry was dismal... they'd run out of shitake mushrooms and instead used cheap and tasteless button mushrooms and tried to charge us £6.50 for the privilege. The pad thai was underseasoned and the noodles were over-cooked...if they can't get that right, they have no chance. I will most definitely not be returning to this lame excuse for over-charging people... I will continue going to Busaba Eathai or hop on the plane to Bangkok.
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Anjal
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 3
Monday, August 07, 2006

I totally agreed with the last person about the £12 starter being over price also the fishcakes were chewy like it had been re heated in a microwave. I am really dissapointed with their food, It was just very average compare to other thai places, their service was really good but then again you pay for in in the discretionary 12% being added on at the end of the bill.
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anon
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Friday, August 04, 2006

Dined here last friday night, and was disappointed - the food was all fine, but not as good as Busaba or other Thai restaurants I frequent. The problem is that it's horribly overpriced - £12 for a starter box for 2 people which, while well presented, contained barely enough for 1 (aside from the inexplicably generous pot of satay sauce...). The same goes for the decor - it's fine, but nothing special. I keep racking my brain trying to work out why it's so expensive; perhaps because it's "trendy" and in Islington?
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Tuesday, July 25, 2006