Harden's survey result
Summary
“Exciting”, “astonishingly good” and “incredible value” Thai-inspired BBQ fuels nothing but adulatory reviews for Ben Chapman’s “incomparable” Soho destination (“we licked the plates clean and bemoaned the fact Manchester has nothing like this!”). This is “casual, bar-counter eating at its best”, but the “buzzy, loud atmosphere is not conducive to a leisurely meal”. Sitting upstairs “at the grill, watching the chefs cooking over the open flames is the highlight”; “downstairs is a bit grim and windowless” by comparison. “It’s too good to be an occasional place, but the queues make it impossible for frequent visits” (and “with no booking, you have to chance it; and it can be a long queue, glaring at people to hurry up!)”. Top Menu Tips – “the glass noodles, sausage, chicken glazing, larb squid and Cornish greens are exceptional”.
Summary
“The best Thai food in London?”… “The most authentic Thai food outside Bangkok?” – after five years, Ben Chapman’s charcoal-fired Soho haunt and its legion of fans show no sign of slackening standards or waning enthusiasm. Better still, it offers “ridiculous value for some of the best food ever”, along with a “buzzy atmosphere”. The inevitable drawback in such a small and central hit venue is “horrendous queues”. Top Tip: “the pot-cooked noodles are as good as everyone says”.
Summary
“Stonkingly good SE Asian small-plates” – “spiced to perfection and tasty beyond words” – are delivered from the “more-than-interesting menu” of Ben Chapman’s “brilliant value” Thai BBQ (sibling to Shoreditch’s Smoking Goat): “it’s the kind of punchy and earthy food that you’d normally only encounter in Thailand in non-touristy places”. “Thoughtful” staff help manage the “tiny” space – a “fun”, “very, very busy” and “crowded” Soho environment, “blending in a bit of hipster attitude”. It’s “hard to get a seat”, though, and “there can be some very long waiting times”. Top Tip – eating perched at the ground floor counter is a good option: it’s “fascinating watching the chefs doing their stuff”.
Summary
“Stonkingly good SE Asian small-plates” – “spiced to perfection and tasty beyond words” – are delivered from the “more-than-interesting menu” of Ben Chapman’s “brilliant value” Thai BBQ (sibling to Shoreditch’s Smoking Goat): “it’s the kind of punchy and earthy food that you’d normally only encounter in Thailand in non-touristy places”. “Thoughtful” staff help manage the “tiny” space – a “fun”, “very, very busy” and “crowded” Soho environment, “blending in a bit of hipster attitude”. It’s “hard to get a seat”, though, and “there can be some very long waiting times”. Top Tip – eating perched at the ground floor counter is a good option: it’s “fascinating watching the chefs doing their stuff”.
For 32 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
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Restaurant details
Kiln Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Another small plates restaurant, this one is following the Thai cuisine. That means most of the dishes are pork based and very hot and spicy…which can be a challenge for non-Asian tastebuds. The menu does only provide a few options, probably to few if you are in a group and want to share. Hardly anything to find for Vegetarians either. We were seated in the cellar, a very unpleasant and uncomfortable room. Overall, not a good experience for us."
"Brilliant food. Great service. Felt a bit cramped and squeezed in"
"Very buzzy and lively and great to sit at the counter to watch the chefs cooking over the open flames. Downstairs is grim and windowless though! Food is still ahead of the game, super ingredients, brilliantly cooked. "
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £27.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £4.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £5.00 |
| Service | 12.50% |
58 Brewer Street, London, W1F 9TL
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑11 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑11 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑11 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑11 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑9 pm |
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