Editor's note: this restaurnat has now closed.
The restaurant is in a parade of shops at the unfashionable end of the Chiswick High Road. There is a plain wooden floor that could be politely described as “natural” but looks battered and in need of a polish. The décor is otherwise simple but pleasant, with two lines of tables leading to a bar next to the kitchen. What follows are brief notes from my most recent visit.
Tom yum goong was enjoyable, spicy and having prawns and mushrooms that still had some texture (12/20). Pad thai with prawns had noodles that had good texture, and prawns that were correctly cooked. Crispy sea bass had a sauce with a rather odd flavour off-note (10/20) while a prawn dish had prawns that were properly cooked, though they tasted cheap (11/20).
What follows are notes from a meal in November 2009.
Tom yum goong (£5.50) was quite good, the soup spicy and having a reasonable subset of the spices needed, though not as complex as the best of its breed. However the prawns were not over-cooked and had none of the iodine whiff that can happen with very cheap prawns, while the button mushrooms were also cooked properly (comfortably 12/20). Fishcakes (£5) at least tasted of fish, though were a little greasy, served with a decent sweet chilli sauce (11/20).
Given the spiciness of the soup, it was odd that the steamed sea bass dish (£10.50) we had for a main course was utterly bland, topped just with a little ginger, while the spring onions advertised were missing in action (10/20). A red curry with prawns (£6.50) was an unsuccessful affair, the prawns still in their shells (how exactly are you supposed to extract hot prawns from their shells? Answer - slowly) while the red curry sauce was more of a brown sludge with little taste of anything, let alone the coconut milk and basil that it should taste of (10/20). Pad Thai noodles (£6.50) were fine, with pleasant texture and some decent prawns and firm bamboo shoots (11/20). Rice (£2) was also OK.
Service was very polite. Overall this was a mixed meal, with a couple of very capable dishes mixed in with some disappointments. However it is still better than most other Thai restaurants in the area (admittedly this is not setting the bar very high).
Richard Earl of Bradford
Now reopened in Fauconberg Road, Chiswick, and our regular standby for when we fancy a well cooked simple Thai meal and can't be bothered to cook at home. Well worth a visit, simple, almost non-existent decor but value for money and consistent food, especially like the fact that they put tarragon in Penang curry.