Thaikhun: The Taste Of Thailand In The Heart Of Spinningfields?

Abi White | 5th June 2017

An authentic tuk-tuk is situated at the entrance of the restaurant, before the interior is crammed full of Thai décor. From the maps of Thailand plastered onto the walls, birdcages’ hanging from the ceilings and an overall feel of Thai street food- there still seems to be something missing in the restaurant, Thaikhun, situated in the heart of Spinningfields, Manchester.

Thaikhun’s Authentic Front

Upon arrival, we were greeted and shown to our table that looked out onto Spinningfields. Maybe this was what was missing. It almost feels as though Thaikhun would be better situated in a less-formal area of Manchester. As it tries to boast it’s authentic décor, it’s almost shadowed by the super-formal and modern feel of Spinningfields.

 

To start we ordered the Sukumvit platter to share, which is £8 per head. Considering the mains are priced at around £10, it seemed a little pricey for a starter. The starter arrived and consisted of a little taster of classic Thai street food. This included Thai fish cakes, spring rolls, crispy honey pork and steamed vegetable dumplings.

Sukumvit Starter

The honey pork was undoubtedly the highlight of the dish- filled with a variety of flavours, yet the spring rolls felt a little under whelming. As my guest had worked in a family-run Thai restaurant before that I had also visited, we were disappointed in the lack of filling in the spring rolls and how small they were.

 

The restaurant also seemed to lack the feel of a family-run restaurant and was very obvious that it was part of small chain across the country. However, the service from the staff was commendable and they were very attentive.

The Authentic Thai Decor

For our main courses, we ordered a Thai Green Curry and a Pad Thai. Both were very generous portions, but we couldn’t help ourselves from comparing the food to an authentic family-run Thai. The chicken in both meals was slightly dry and tasted pre-cooked, and the Thai Green Curry was not as spicy as described.

 

Non-the-less, the mains are worth the visit to Thaikhun. We were generously stuffed, but managed to share a desert. The deserts are reasonably priced and ours was tasty- topped with a chilli chocolate ice cream to tease the taste buds.

Deserts Included Waffles With Chilli Chocolate Ice Cream

Overall, despite the few improvements the restaurant could make, the visit was certainly that of a pleasant and friendly one.