Thai restaurants are one of the types of places in London that seems to be growing the fastest right now. Both Plaza Khao Gaeng and Speedboat Bar have gotten great reviews, but they are new to the city. The people who run Som Saa are going to open a Southern Thai grill place in Borough Market. Oh, and the award-winning restaurant group JKS is planning another Thai restaurant. This one will be under the famous chimneys of Battersea Power Station.
But Kiln is still a strong choice among Thai restaurants in London, both for us and many other people. We think there isn’t a place in Soho quite like it.
Kiln calls itself a Thai grill, and it’s quite a show, with bar seats that look out over flames, coals, and clay pots. You feel like you’re not in central London at all, but somewhere hotter and more natural.
The restaurant is proud to work with a small group of suppliers. Every day, fish is brought in straight from fishing boats in Cornwall, and heritage vegetables are given the same amount of attention on the menu as protein. During game season, from April to October, that menu comes to life with jungle stews made with wood pigeon or wild mallard and minced lamb salads made with raw deer.
For those who want something even better and more regularly throughout the year, there is cull yaw, a type of mutton that comes from retired female sheep that were raised with the utmost care. In recent years, meat has been on the menus of several well-known London restaurants. It has an amazing depth of taste. A spicy dipping sauce is often served with it at Kiln, either as a collar chop or on grilled spears with a sprinkle of cumin. It’s just so damn tasty.
