Khao Taan — Restaurant in Berlin

We loved the experience, and will definitely revisit when we're in Berlin again.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THE FOLLOWING REVIEW: Names of the dishes and ingredients may be incorrect/incomplete, since I noted down some of the dishes using just a few words. Please refer to the actual menu to match the actual dishes to the ones on this list.

During our dining experience, we savored the following dishes:

Pepper and Fingerroot Ginger Soup with Prawn: This soup featured exceptionally fresh prawns, delivering a well-balanced flavor profile. The subtle hint of fingerroot ginger accentuated the oceanic essence of the dish, creating a harmonious and refreshing experience.

Fried Shrimp Paste with Minced Pork: This dish was a delightful explosion of umami, perfectly blending the richness of shrimp paste with the savory depth of minced pork. The balance of flavors was both exciting and satisfying.

Crispy Fried Rice Mango Salad: The rice was impeccably crisp, providing a delightful crunch with every bite. The overall taste was sweet-sour with a hint of spice.

Lamb Curry: The lamb was exquisitely tender, cooked to perfection in a medium-spicy curry that offered a tantalizing journey through Indian flavors. The spices were balanced, enhancing the natural richness of the lamb without overwhelming it.

Stir-Fried Squid in Ink: This dish was a revelation, boasting an exceptional flavor profile. The squid was incredibly fresh, and the ink added a depth of flavor that elevated the dish to extraordinary levels.

Baked Butternut Squash Dessert: This dessert was a creative play on textures and flavors. The umami crispy onions provided a savory contrast to the subtly sweet butternut squash, resulting in a unique and satisfying conclusion to the meal.

Siam Gin and Tonic: A classic gin and tonic, elevated by the use of a high-quality gin that delivered a crisp and refreshing experience.

Bangkok Sour: This cocktail was a standout, offering a complex yet perfectly balanced mix of flavors that left a lasting impression. Highly...

Khao Taan is a very spicy, original, thai experience in Berlin.

The concept is a shared menu for the table, at a fixed price per person (€45/p.p.).

Our choices for food:

🐔 Chicken soup - a great surprise, full of flavour, with a taste of basil and coconut.

🍆 Relish / Salsa - a paste made of sweet pork, aubergine, shrimp paste. Served with vegetables. Very tasty and smooth, it actually tasted more like shrimp.

🥗🌶️ 🔥 Shrimp salad - very crispy prawns, served cold, with veggies, was the begging of a very spicy experience. I actually consider myself someone that enjoys spicy food, but maybe here it was a bit too much, my lips were burning. But then, it was really tasty as well, so I wanted to keep eating it, although I was on fire.

🐟 Cod Curry - also really spicy, but more smooth than the previous. The cod was perfectly cooked, and the coconut milk was a great balance.

🍛 Beef Curry - as we were three, we got the chance to choose both curries. The beef one was perfect, really tender, with fresh herbs and lime.

🐚 Clams - and we went back to burning. Their homemade burnt chilli paste is fire! But the clams were great though.

🥥 Coconut pudding - with a salted coconut cream, which made it a great ending for this meal.

The dishes come with all the rice you need, and they also serve Berlin made beer, which was much needed (Pale Ale was really good!)

Overall, it's a great experience! Personally, a bit less spicy would have been just perfect. The service is also very friendly and the place is simple and casual. Recommended to make a reservation, and bring cash, as they don't...

This review is regarding the professionalism of the restaurant management, as I didn't get to try the food I cannot comment on it.

I had booked Khao Taan ahead of time for my visit. The day before I received a reminder for my booking so everything seemed to be in order. On the day of the reservation I head towards the restaurant, which is a 40 minute ride from the hotel I was staying at, only to find it closed. I was confused and started calling them multiple times but there was no response. Later that evening while I was going through my email I found in my junk a cancellation of the reservation due to some gas pipes re-installation that had been delayed. The email time read 11.30 AM, which was exactly 8.5 hours before our reservation. Even if it did land in my inbox, being on holiday I am busy sightseeing and not checking my phone all day, just trying to make it from point A to B as I am sure everyone does.

I am an avid supporter of small businesses and especially restaurants. I despise restaurant chains and their soulless food. I don't leave bad reviews even when the food is bad as I think everyone can have an off day, we are all human.

However, what happened was incredibly unprofessional and disrespectful and could have been prevented with a simple phone call. If you are visiting Berlin for a brief time only and trying to pre-book some...