Thai Square - Trafalgar Square

 

Thai food is everywhere these days. The spicy, clean flavours are all over pub menus, either as green or red curries or influences on more European dishes. It is not surprising then to find that the quality of the food varies greatly, from manurish-green curries over-loaded with coriander, to satay that tastes like it's been dipped in peanut butter, rather than in a spiced, peanut relish. Thankfully, the Thai Square, near Trafalgar Square, is nothing like its imitators. The food there is exactly how Thai food should be: hot and sharp, rich and complex. When we visited we started with a platter of Thai dim sum. The chicken satay, the spring rolls and the prawn toasts were all notable, but the star of the platter was undoubtedly the prawn balls, in a chilli-soy sauce that heightened rather than drowned the flavour. Being traditionalists here, we had a tom yam soup between our starter and main course. Its hot-sour flavour cleansed the palate, and prepared us for the next course of spiced fish and beef Penang curry. The fish was excellent: crispy on the outside, soft and creamy fish-flesh on the inside, with the spice crust being delicate enough to enrich the flavour. The beef curry was nutty and creamy, spiked with the fresh aniseed tang of Thai holy basil, hot enough to excite the palate without making it inedible. The restaurant itself is light and airy, with Thai decorations and Buddhist references everywhere. Even though it's a busy place, you never feel overcrowded or suffocated. This is a wonderful place to try real Thai food and in a real Thai atmosphere. Very highly recommended.