Khao Bird

We popped into this place very randomly and we were quite impressed with the food. The dishes we tried were all very unique in packed with full of flavours - my favourite was the steak tartare - this was super spicy but on the right point with the spices and seasonings and the texture. Our other favourite was the squash curry dish which was creamy, full of rich flavour and perfect for a chilly day. We ordered dessert and was waiting for more than 20 minutes after which we asked for an update and they realised the order wasn’t put through. We had to leave as was going to a theatre. The service needed a little more attention but otherwise the food was good.

Was able to get a same-day reservation on a Monday evening. Menu is small but some might not recognize the items. A simple Google will explain the items. I have the Mutton fries which was spice and sour. The perfect balance. For my main i had the Hill Country Khao Soi with beef. Its a coconut broth soup thats also the perfect balance of sweet, spicy and sour. I really enjoyed it.

I would just like to start off by saying that I am Thai. My boyfriend and I came here as we had read very good reviews about this place and wanted some northern Thai food as well as try the khao soi, which is a dish that I love very much and is very hard to find in London. Overall, the food was very disappointing. I’m not sure if the chefs were having a bad day or because it was a Monday or what. The food was incredibly over salted. And we left with incredibly dry mouthes. We got the tasting menu (£44.90 pp) and added the confit chicken wings (which was a special) and ordered two cocktails which came to almost £140 (including service charge). The tasting menu starters were fine. When we saw the mutton fries come out, we were excited for those but they were very salty but the other flavours in it were nice and the fries were cooked very nicely as well. The watermelon salad was not what I expected and that really threw me off. I personally am used to yums/salads being slightly sour because of lime juice but this had not one hint of sourness- it was overly sweet and the fish sauce was incredible overpowering even for me. The best thing we had in our meal was the confit chicken wings. Those were delicious- very crunchy and the flavour was very nice. Now onto the mains. My boyfriend chose the chiang mai chicken and I chose the beef khao soi. When they arrived we were both excited, and then I saw and tried the beef. It was the hardest, driest beef I have ever had, and I should have known from looking at it when it arrived. It was devoid of colour, just a dark brown almost black mound on the side of the bowl. (Please see photo below) It was not tender like the other reviews had described. That being said the flavour of the khao soi itself was okay, I think it didn’t have a lot depth to it but it was nice. The chiang mai chicken was grilled very nicely and was soft and tasted very nice with the tamarind dip but the other dip was incredibly salty even with the rice. The only redeeming thing about the tasting menu was the dessert! The baonuts were yummy and the ice cream was nice. I would like to add that we ate everything, not because we thought it was nice but because we wanted to get our money’s worth and we don’t like wasting food. I would like to give this another try because as I said above, the reviews were very good but if this is the meal I get again, then I will not be giving it a third chance.

Let me start by saying that Niall and Bella were outstanding from start to finish. Attentive, warm, knowledgeable, funny, and completely on the ball. They set the tone from the moment we walked in and genuinely made the experience what it was. This was our monthly lads’ dinner – a chance to catch up, have a laugh, and talk complete rubbish – and Khao Bird was the perfect setting for that kind of evening. We shared the Mutton Fries, Chiang Mai Chicken, grilled broccoli and Shan Meatballs to start. The mutton fries and meatballs were so good we ended up ordering both again! For mains we had the whole fried sea bass and the Beef Khao Soi. The beef was melt-in-your-mouth tender and the sea bass was beautifully cooked and full of flavour. One thing that really stood out was how Bella handled a nut allergy in our group. I explained on arrival that we’d be sharing everything, and she immediately knew exactly what I could and couldn’t eat. She even went the extra mile by pointing out that the toasted soybeans on the broccoli were only a garnish and didn’t contain nuts. It’s a small detail, but that level of attention inspires confidence and was genuinely appreciated. The frozen beer glasses were a nice touch, the food was expertly seasoned throughout, and everything felt well priced for the quality. The only reason this isn’t a five-star review is that a couple of dishes didn’t quite hit the heights of the very best Thai food I’ve had. That said, the overall experience was excellent, driven by fantastic service and really enjoyable food. I’d have absolutely no hesitation in coming back and would happily recommend Khao Bird for a relaxed meal with friends.