Thaikhun Manchester – A Review

I was so excited when I heard that Thaikhun was opening in Spinningfields, Manchester. The area was in need of some good authentic Thai food and being one of my favourite cuisines, I couldn’t wait to try it out.

Pronounced “tycoon”, the restaurant on The Avenue at Spinningfields, boasts bright and busy interiors, reflecting the streets of Bangkok with an open kitchen and casual dining setting. It has an impressive food and cocktails menu, which I enjoyed tucking into one Friday lunch time.

The idea behind the eatery is to bring a sense of Thai street-food to Manchester and I think Thaikhun certainly does that. So onto the best bit…the food…

We walked into the nicely busy restaurant one afternoon and chose a table in their covered terrace area, so it felt like we were outside, but from the warmth of our tables indoors. 

The first thing I noticed when we got to our table, were the cool cutlery and chopstick holders, and the hanging bags of what looked a bit like prawn crackers but weren’t. Instead they were pork crackers and were like a cross between the prawn cracker and pork scratchings. Yummy – they helped keep us happy while we perused the menu 🙂

Now for what to drink…you don’t necessarily expect to see an impressive cocktail menu at a Thai restaurant, so when I noticed Thakhun’s, I was a very happy bunny.

We loved the names of the cocktails and there is a great selection available, with a Thai twist on each one – with additions such as lemongrass and coriander. I had a My Thai  and Amy went for the Thaikhun. Both looked amazing, served over crushed ice in metal buckets and tin can. And they were seriously refreshing and moreish (but it was lunch-time, so we had to be well-behaved).

Then onto deciding what we were going to eat. We of course had to have starters, but with such a choice on offer, struggled to choose what we wanted. So only one way for it… the Sukumvit 38 Platter. 

This had a great selection of thai fish cakes, spring rolls, deep fried honey pork and wontons...mmmm. We ordered enough for 2 people and when it arrived at our table, were not disappointed! Served on a wooden block, the presentation was mouth-watering. 

From left to right…Thai fish cakes. These were light and a little spongey (in a good way). Packed full of flavour with a kick of chilli and lime and a sprinkling of peanuts. Chicken spring roll. This was both of our favourite thing on the platter – light, flakey with a yummy filling and a sweet and sour dipping sauce. Only down side is we could have had double the serving. Wontons. These were crispy and everything you’d want from a good wonton and not overly greasy. Deep fried honey pork. I was most excited about this part of the platter and it was lovely, but I wished there was a bit more of that deep stick honey-ness. A few of the pieces nearer the bottom were absolute perfection and covered in sauce. Sprinkled with sesame seeds finished it off perfectly.

Then onto mains… I wanted to try something a bit different from my usual choice of Pad thai noodles and with such a great selection of dishes on the menu, I had a tough choice. I decided to opt for the Pla Pao which was marinated seabass with lemongrass and lime, wrapped and grilled in a banana leaf. I certainly didn’t expect to see this beauty when it arrived…

I enjoyed unwrapping my parcel, to discover a full Seabass with flakey flesh and lemony aromas wafting out at me. The fish is served with a sweet chilli and garlic dip, which complimented the light white fish perfectly. 

I thought this dish was excellent value for money and a great surprise, as I didn’t expect to be served the whole fish.

Amy opted for the classic Massaman Gai Curry. And it was everything you’d want in a bowl…creamy curry, packed full of flavours, succulent pieces of chicken, soft potatoes, cashew nuts, crispy fried shallots and a coconuty finish. Served with Jasmine Rice, this really was delicious.

As it was lunch and we’d indulged in a cocktail each, we decided not to opt for dessert on this occasion, but will try and fit one in on my next visit. And there certainly will be a next visit. There are a lot of dishes on Thakhun’s menu that I can’t wait to try and I’m particularly looking forward to the addition of their ‘Thai-go’ offering – which will be their changing menu of grab-and-go dishes, in authentic street-food style.

I do feel that Thaikhun brings a little piece of Thailand to Manchester City Centre and being in such a lovely setting with indoor and outdoor seating, I’m sure I’ll be a regular visitor over the months to come.

Have you been to Thaikhun yet? What did you think? 

 

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