Buddha Belly Thai — Restaurant in England

Alright hear me now, Buddha belly a relatively recent intimate family owned micro restaurant situated just a hop, skip and a jump away from my accommodation. Now as someone who has literally never eaten Thai food before I was excited to see what this cruise could do to my ever evolving palate. I decided to start this culinary experience with something I believed may have the most flavour as a starter and I got the marinated grilled spare ribs costing £6.50 and for my main I got Pad Kha-Prow minced pork £8.95 +egg £1. They have incredibly friendly service, it definitely radiated that good family owned restaurant feel and joy to it and they made sure that everything was good throughout the entire experience.

Grilled spare ribs

The ribs were actually a decent start to this culinary experience, they were incredibly tender which is always a pleasant experience to have tender meat. It was succulent and sauces with this really simple sauce which was a bit sweet but enjoyable so much so that there only being like 4 was sad as they were the kind of ribs you would want to eat to your hearts content. The flavour profile wasn’t complex, so it wasn’t like my palate was screaming from enjoyment but I definitely don’t regret getting them as they were done really well. 6.8/10

Pad Kha-Prow minced pork with an fried egg

This particularly dish had a sauce with very rich and deep flavour to it and there was quite a bit of it. Everything tasted very fresh all the way down to the chillis added which had this spectacular, satisfying snap to it. I was intrigued by it all the rice was cooked well, it was soft and fluffy and a joy to eat with the sauce, minced pork and egg for extra protein. It was definitely a unique experience since I had never tried anything like that before. I think, I would definitely ask for more spice next time as it wasn’t anywhere near as spicy as I thought it would be but again a genuinely delicious and enjoyable experience. The sauce at the end became a bit salty so maybe if it was a bit spicer it could cut through it but I liked it. I wouldn’t get the added egg again though as in my opinion it didn’t add anything to it and unless you’re banging gym the extra protein isn’t needed. 6.6/10

I think this place has done these simplistic dishes to quite a high standard and for a small, family owned restaurant for what I got I was quite happy with it. I can’t begin to know the first thing about Thai food so maybe simplicity is the specialty and I think with the dishes I got they did it well.

Overall rating: 6.9/10 You can check out my insta for more food...

I truly love this space. If the journey was shorter it would definitely become a regular spot. Buddha belly is a small boxy compact space. With the feel of a small business who have effectively made the space work for them, no thrills or ornate Thai deco- simple and no pretence. There is a small bar on entrance, which with some bar seating and then a few steps to the next level where the main seating is for about 16 covers. There is also a small garden you can eat or drink in, tucked away through the slim staircase enroute to the bathroom of the building. What Fat buddha lacks in size it makes for in food quality. Happily for me it has some of my favourite ISAN style dishes from the North east region of Thailand, which are not always easy to find . The grilled chicken, fermented pork sausage , pork laab, Soom Tum with fermented fish sauce were definite winners , if you enjoy pungent, strong and spicy flavours. The Pad krap pow pork had a great flavour with, a aniseed and salty balance from the basil and fish sauce; all rounded of with a background of mild sweetness and chilly heat and the best part the crispy fried egg , one is never enough! Also enjoyed the seafood Yum Woon sen (glass noodles ) and Seafood Tom Yum. Both had a good amount of seafood and nice balance of hot, sour and salty sweet. Portion sizes are not huge, but don't need to be when the flavours are right. Didn't try the curries as these are available everywhere else. I would say the prices are competitive compared to other Thai restaurants/eateries. Service was friendly , warm and straightforward and you cant argue with that. Cant really judge atmosphere as on the occasions i have been there it is mid afternoon and quiet. Although imagine it can get busy quickly especially as they do towers of Singha beer. The opinion of Good Thai food can be difficult to agree upon, but the food flavours and textures at the Buddha belly are reminiscent of eating in Thailand just without...

A review for the Leigh on Sea restaurant.

I really don't like leaving negative reviews but feel we had to as we all left feeling very disappointed, it's probably the worst meal out we've had in a long time.

When you order a pint you expect a pint especially at the prices you charge, not a half a pint a half of froth.

We were looking forward to eating at your restaurant but felt the service was chaotic, the menu is very misleading indeed.

If a dish has a fried egg on it I'd expect the dish to arrive with it on.

Only after enquiring about the missing fried egg it turned up 5 minutes later rock hard and we were charged an extra £1.50 for!

If you order a prawn pad Thai, you expect prawns to be in it, not a pad Thai and an extra £3 for prawns??

You seriously need to look at your menu as it's not clear what you're actually ordering.

When paying the bill the guy started saying the photos of the dishes were for example only, what!

My wife ordered a main which turned up as a sliced hot dog and a couple of mini meatballs for £10.50.

All main courses were lukewarm, not very appetising at all.

My main was lukewarm pork belly, mainly fat, and rice.

Overall the food quality was very very poor.

It felt like the food might of been cooked by your chef in Southend and then reheated and serverd Leigh.

Your social media food posts look amazing but the food on our table was a million miles away from that. What went wrong???

Sorry guys, I don't know if you have a different team working Sunday's but based on today's experience we definitely won't be...