Restaurant Review – Kinkao, Brick Lane – 88%

Leisurejobs are proud to announce a new series of restaurant reviews based around checking out some of the finest little known gems around the UK. The aim of these reviews is to pass on excellent recommendations to our readers as well as giving visibility to restaurants who truly deserve it. Now that we have explained the what, lets go on to the who.

My name is Sophie Buckley and I’m an ex head chef with over 5 years experience in the industry, working for a couple of top class restaurants along the south coast. Fortunately for my blood pressure and slight potbelly I have turned my hand to restaurant reviewing and food writing!

I’m delighted to say that I’ll be travelling around the British Isles sampling some of the best unknown restaurants the country has to offer. This week I went to visit Kinkao, a Thai restaurant based in Brick Lane, London.

The Review – Kinkao

Before my visit I decided to do a quick online search on Kinkao and it said the following “Friendly staff, traditional Thai hospitality, no service charges, a relaxed atmosphere, reasonable prices and what we genuinely believe to be the best Thai food in London are what we offer to our diners.”

So, I’m sure the question you’re going to ask after reading the quote above was can Kinkao live up to the hype of “the best Thai food in London”? Well I’ll be honest, if they’re not the best they got pretty damn close… Although well known for it’s large variety of curry houses, Brick lane also hides the odd gem that can hopefully help recraft the area’s image of purely being about Indian food.

As soon as I walked in to Kinkao I felt comfortable and right at home, whilst the staff were welcoming and polite. The restaurant was busy but not packed (as I like it) and I felt a good vibe from the people currently eating which is always a good sign! I was seated and given a menu by a friendly waitress and ordered a beer and a jug of water. I’m normally pretty quick at deciding what to order but on this occasion my decisions were made pretty difficult by the large variety of options!

After about 10 minutes and a decent discussion with the waitress I decided to grab a couple of dishes and ordered the delicious Thung Tong also known as Thai golden bags, these delicate little wrappers are filled with a combination of chicken, shrimp and herbs. served with a mix of peanut, sweet and sour dipping sauces and Poo Nim Thod which is soft shell crab deep fried, topped with selected fine thai herbs and a spicy fresh chilli sauce. I particularly enjoyed the Thung Tong which had a great and surprising combination of flavours.

For main course I ordered the Lamb Kaeng Pha curry, which is a spicy curry prepared with aubergines, courgettes, red and green peppers, fine beans, bamboo shoots, carrots, basil, Thai krachai, fresh peppers and a red chilli sauce. I’m not afraid to admit that I may have had to take a sip of cold beer whilst eating this but if you are similarly addicted to spicy food this is the dish to go for!

All in all the meal came in at just over £25 and to be honest I’d have been happy paying a lot more for it. If you’re a fan of legitimate, traditional Thai food then I would heartily recommend a trip down Brick Lane to visit Kinkao.

Useful information:

Where can I find Kinkao? 176 Brick Lane, London E1 6RU

 Email > admin@kinkao.co.uk

Phone > 020 7247 1030

Budget? > £25 and under

Opening times > Monday to Saturday = 12:00 – 14:30 then 17:30 – 23:00 & Sunday = 12:00 – 23:00

The Leisurejobs Conclusion We are starting a new tweetable, 140 character review which gets straight to the point for the online reader who doesn’t have time for longer reviews!

“Fan of delicious Thai food? @LeisurejobsGB  recommend a trip down Brick Lane to visit Kinkao 88% > http://ctt.ec/aoE0r+” [Tweet This]

Obviously our primary goal here at Leisurejobs is placing quality employers with quality candidates. We are aware of the importance of educating and informing people about career tips, advice and opportunities.With this in mind we will be getting in touch with Kinkao to see whether we can interview a member of staff about what its like working at Kinkao and what it’s like working within the hospitality industry.

If you are looking currently looking for job opportunities within hospitality or restaurant jobs around the UK please feel free to check out the links provided.

Got a tip for us? Do you know a restaurant that we should check out or perhaps you own a restaurant that you think will impress our educated palates? Please feel free to get in touch with me via SRB@sportsweb.com