Talay Thai — Restaurant in London

Ambience and decor was quite nice, a little bit cramped but as it was not busy that aspect didn't really matter. Service was good but considering that there were not many people dining in, it could have been a bit more attentive. The food was ok but... from the dishes I had this is Thai food toned down for the western palate. There was also some compromise with the ingredients. For example: it was good to see that there was Som Tam (papaya salad) made for vegetarians (no fish sauce, no shrimp) but there was lettuce in it and chunks of tomato rather than cherry tomatoes. As for the chili... couldn't find it! If you have experienced Som Tam in Thailand you will know that it can be very spicy-hot. Not so this version. Similarly the crushed peanut was not mixed in but rather found in a small pile at the side of the dish. Kow Neow (sticky rice) was served in a plastic bag in a traditional wicker basket. However it was too hot to touch - and the point of kow neow is that you hold it and shape it in your hand, eating it directly from the hand. This proved an impossibility unless you wait for the rest of the food to get cold. The Nam Manao (a Thai version of fresh lemonade) was too sweet and sickly. Rather than being just sweet enough to take the edge off the freshly squeezed lime juice. However, the portions were good despite just not having a really authentic taste. Even the sauces were just a basic bottled sweet chili rather than the home-made varieties that are standard fare in Thailand. This brings me full circle in this review: I went to Talay Thai to eat real Thai food, not the watered down, adulterated dishes that I was served. I wanted to eat food made for Thais, not food made for farang (Europeans). Would I eat there again? Possibly, but it would not be my first choice if I wanted to eat...

This place is so underrated, I don't understand why it only has 3.7 star. I don't usually write review for anywhere I have been to but I feel so sorry for them because they are very underrated. Firstly, the waiter and waitress are friendly, I really love the lady who brought our food, she always smiles brightly. They always came and checked on us to make sure we didn't wait too long for the next dishes, they even changed our plates before the main course which I really did not expect them to do, appreciate that. About the food, it's true that they are a bit smaller portions compared to the other restaurant around but they are definitely not that small. We ordered chicken satay skewers for starter and were amased that they gave us two different sauces. The other Thai restaurants that I have been to always served them with soy sauce but Talay Thai gave me sweet & sour sauce and peanut sauce and they both tasted amazing. The som tum and pad thai were also nice to me but my friend who prefers savoury food found them a bit bland but still delicious. We also order nuea ka ta (stir fried beef) with jasmine rice and we both agreed that it tasted amazing. We had Thai milk tea and cocktail for drink and they both came in good sizes and tatsed exactly like how we expected. Overall, the restaurant is definitely worth the price based on my own experience during a Wednesday night. Please don't let the low review star make you hesitate to try them. Try and feel them yourself cos to me they definitely worth it. We didn't expect high when coming in but then left in full and pleased. Highly recommend and will be back for...

One of the best places to have thai food in london, and I'm not even exaggerating! We've been coming to this restaurant for many years and the place never disappoints.

Starting from the careful attention to detail of the decor, to the friendly service, this place replicates a truly thai experience. They offer a variety of starters and salads to start off your meal. All dishes are full of flavour, and in particular, the grilled prawns and papaya salad stand out.

The green curry is exceptional, having a very rich and deep flavour of a variety of spices, with the right balance of sauce and veg and meat. Another favourite of mine is the pad thai. I would also recommend trying their vegetarian options as they use very good tofu which absorbs all the flavours of the dish.

I'm also pleased to say that this is one of the few places which serve traditional thai ice tea (has a wonderful richness from the cinnamon and star anise, along with the creamy sweetness of condensed milk).

Overall, this is not a place to be missed. Next time you decide to go for thai food, definitely...