It’s not every day you turn up to a restaurant with a tuk-tuk outside, but recently I did! Thaikhun (pronounced ‘tycoon’) is a restaurant in Cambridge, right on the quayside with a beautiful view of the river outside the restaurant. You can check out Chantal from Milk and Nappies having a pretend drive, doesn’t she look happy?!
The first thing that struck me about the restaurant was the decor. From the outside, right to the inside, everything is authentic, no details have been spared. When I walked in I was really excited to eat here. I’ve never been to Thailand but I think you kind of get an idea of what you could expect from a restaurant there, and this was exactly the kind of thing I had envisaged. The only thing that was missing was the beach, but it wouldn’t have looked out of place had there been one.
The interior was really open and colourful, which I loved, and you weren’t cramped in, which I think you can find in quite a lot of restaurants. The kitchen and bar were all really open and I love restaurants that offer an interactive dining experience like this. However, you won’t get this experience in all the seats as the kitchen is located to the rear of the restaurant, and we were seated at the front.
When we were seated, the staff could not have been more attentive. It felt as though the staff had known us for years and that we were part of the family there. The menus were already on the table, and we were offered an extended list of cocktail which we were more than happy to trial, of course.
I actually went for a cocktail off the main drinks menu called ‘Good Time Girl’ and it was visually very pleasing, as well as rather tasty. The cocktails come in an array of containers, including a plastic bag and a takeaway pot!
The menu itself is a mix of more traditional Bangkok street food along with regional specials. There is plenty of choice, but not so much that you’re completely overwhelmed with it. I was very grateful to have a waiter who could recommend some dishes to me. I am quite an indecisive person and with this being my first Thaikhun visit, I naturally wanted one of everything. After not being able to decide on starters, I eventually went for ‘Por Pia Gai’ which are super tasty deep fried chicken spring rolls served with a lovely sweet dip. While our starters were being cooked, we got to taste some of their Thai prawn crackers with a rather sweet chilli dip which were amazing.
I had actually opted for a regional special for my main dish but after having a to and fro with the waiter, he recommended that I try a more traditional Bangkok dish if I really wanted to experience a more authentic taste, since the only other thing I’d tried that was ‘Thai’ was a green curry, and so I decided to go for a chicken and king prawn ‘Phad Thai Gai’. I am so glad he changed my mind and I love when waiters know the menu and can offer advice on what to have. It was utterly divine, cooked beautifully and I polished off the lot despite the portion being rather generous. I was also pretty pleased with myself having eaten the whole thing with chopsticks!
The Thaikhun dessert menu wasn’t really for me, but I had to have something a little sweet afterwards and so opted for the chocolate cake which was something a bit more familiar! It was so rich and lovely and a I got a huge slab that I couldn’t finish. It’s ok to “oink” at this point, right?
This is a true jewel of a restaurant! We went on a Wednesday night and it got really busy as the night went on. In the warmer and more balmier months, Thaikhun do have an outdoor seating area which will be amazing, especially as it’s seated near a fountain.
Without a doubt I’d visit Thaikhun again. The staff were amazing, the decor was beautiful and the food was incredible, I’m just sad that we don’t have one a bit closer because we don’t actually have any Thai restaurants where I live and this would certainly do well. It was all fairly priced, you didn’t have to wait long for your food, and it’s worth going just for the cool cocktails. Without a doubt if you’re heading to Cambridge, get booked into Thaikhun. You can even go punting straight afterwards as you’re on the river’s doorstep!
*I was invited to dine at Thaikhun, Cambridge in return for my honest opinions.