Sawadika Thai Restaurant — Restaurant in London

Sawadika Thai: A Ghostly Culinary Thai Nightmare Experience (REVIEW v1.1)

Sawadika Thai, conveniently located a stone's throw away from Chancery Lane Underground station, what proclaims in promising a taste of Thailand. However, this culinary journey was false and akin to a ghost ship adrift at sea. To which I shall elaborate later on this review.

Getting there is easy enough. Should you wish to dine here. Simply hop on the Central Line to Chancery Lane and take a leisurely 6/7 minutes stroll. But once inside, the real ghost story begins.

The Jumbo Soft Shell Crab, a dish that should be a crispy, flavorful delight, was a soggy, flavorless disappointment. The batter was akin to a wet blanket draped over a rather sad-looking crab. As for the promised spice, it was as elusive as the Loch Ness Monster.

The Thai Style Toast was a bland, uninspiring affair. The minced chicken and prawn mixture was as exciting as watching paint dry. I suspect it was plucked straight from a frozen packet and unceremoniously slapped onto the toast.

The Salted Egg Yolk was the sole survivor of this culinary shipwreck. Its rich, creamy goodness was a beacon of hope in an otherwise stormy sea of mediocrity.

The Fish Cakes, when they eventually arrived, were a rubbery, flavorless mess. After inquiring about the fish used, I was informed it was sea bass. However, the speed at which they appeared after my brief bathroom break suggested a pre-prepared, frozen origin.

Chicken Satay - Very typically westernised and lack the depth to what a good satay should be. The peanut satay sauce was also lacking in depth and spiciness as others I’ve experienced.

The Drunken Duck, a dish that should have been a boozy, flavorful adventure, was as exciting as watching grass grow. It lacked the depth and complexity of a truly authentic Thai dish. The accompanying Coconut Rice was a bland, flavorless accompaniment that failed to complement the main course.

To top it all off, the service was as elusive as waiting to find treasure. After waiting an eternity for the bill, I was forced to leave without paying, a first in my culinary career. The restaurant seems to be bothered by my review. Please see screenshot and my updated response below. I eventually settled the bill over the phone, explaining the situation and the need to deal with a domestic emergency. Nevertheless, not satisfactory and professional from a hospitality perspective.

In conclusion, Sawadika Thai has set the bar for disappointment incredibly low. I had hoped for a culinary adventure, but instead, I was served a plate of mediocrity. This dining experience failed to meet even this Spartan’s standard of satisfaction.

UPDATE TO RESTAURANT RESPONSE

YOU SEEM TO BE BOTHERED BY THE HARSH TRUTH, HENCE YOUR COMMENTS AND INACCURATE RESPONSE TO MY REVIEW. WHY I WOULD RUN AWAY, I HAD ALLOWED 15 MINUTES TO GIVE YOURSELVES TO GIVE A FINAL BILL. AFTER ASKING TWICE. AND NEEDING TO DEAL WITH A DOMESTIC EMERGENCY. I THEN WALKED OUT, NOT RAN.

ALSO, IT CLEARLY SHOWS THE SERVICE YOU REPRESENT. I’VE NOW TAKEN OFF 1 ⭐️ FROM SERVICE, THUS NO STARS.

I WILL ADVISE ANY FAMILY, COUPLE, SOLO DINERS TO AVOID THIS PLACE AND IT’S WORTH YOUR TIME, MONEY AND EFFORTS FOR...

This is my third time eating at Sawadika Thai Restaurant. They now have a new Vietnamese chef, so in addition to the original Thai dishes, they have added some Vietnamese styles.

Here are some recommended dishes with consistently good quality:

🥭 Three-color mango coconut sticky rice: The sticky rice comes in three colors: blue - jasmine, green - pandan leaf, and white - original flavor. It's served with slightly salty coconut milk and deliciously ripe mango. It's so irresistible that I order this sticky rice every time I visit.

🍍 Pineapple fried rice: Half of a pineapple filled to the brim with fried rice, mixed with various ingredients such as prawns and pineapple. Topped with meat floss, the fried rice is wonderfully fluffy and eating it brings a sense of happiness.

🦐 Thai-style sizzling tamarind prawns: The prawns are huge, cut in half and cooked to curl due to their fresh and juicy texture. The tamarind sauce, made from tamarind, is tangy and sweet, perfect for whetting your appetite. Served on a sizzling hot plate, it creates a delightful sizzle when poured over the prawns and it's garnished with plenty of cashew nuts.

🐷 Belly pork steamed buns: Soft and delicious lotus leaf buns paired with fatty yet non-greasy belly pork. This combination is simply irresistible - fragrant, tender, and steaming hot.

🥗 Vietnamese green papaya mango salad: Shredded mango and green papaya mixed with crushed peanuts make this salad incredibly refreshing. The dressing is made with fish sauce, adding a sweet and savory flavor to the dish.

🔥 Thai-style roasted pork neck: Also served on a hot plate, this dish exudes a delightful aroma from the Maillard reaction. The pork neck is juicy and tender, and it will be an instant hit on your plate.

🍆 Eggplant tofu: Surprisingly, this vegetarian dish is even more delicious than some meat dishes. If you like eggplants, you must give it a try. The eggplant's skin is removed, resulting in a particularly enjoyable texture.

🧋 Thai milk tea is also exceptional - rich, fragrant, and perfect for cooling down spiciness.

🍧 Their desserts are all excellent. If you have a large group, I recommend trying a variety of them.

💷Average cost...

There are so many delicious foods in Holborn! Today I came to eat at Sawadika Thai, which is hidden in a small alley and is a three-minute walk from the subway station. The taste is super good, and the portion is very large! Let me share it with you!

🦐 Tom Yum Goong Shrimp Soup is the best choice as a starter~ It is sour and spicy and very appetizing. There are three shrimps in total, which are super fragrant!

🦐 Green papaya salad, Thai food cannot be without green papaya! Their green papaya is sweet, with some carrot strips and lettuce, which is a great combination!

🦐 Charcoal grilled pork neck, this is really amazing, a large plate of pork neck, grilled and sizzling! It will also be served with a little salad to relieve the greasiness. I have to say that it is a perfect match with green papaya salad~

🦐 Thai fried chicken, a bit like the chicken version of the pork rice, but the taste of basil is not too strong~ The overall taste is spicy, especially delicious with rice!

🦐 Pineapple and Prawn Rice, the guy brought us a big pineapple and we were quite puzzled, but it turned out to be full of fragrant, yellow rice, with freshly cut pineapple pieces at the bottom, mixed together it was really fragrant! There are also a few prawns, the taste will be richer! Recommended!

🦐 Mango Sticky Rice, the Thai signature three-color sticky rice is really a dessert! How can I still eat the rice that just showed off a big pineapple? As a result, I just took a bite of sticky rice, with sweet coconut milk and fresh mango, and I showed off another plate! !

🦐 Thai milk tea, very graceful taste The cold Thai milk is sweet but not too sweet, and there is some tea flavor! You have to drink it cold Super fragrant!

Overall, their restaurant is really delicious! I am super full~ The saltiness is very moderate, the kind that I want to continue eating the next day, it is really good! It is very close to LSE, UCL,...