Live music and great food!
It was Deans turn to choice this month. And once he had decided, he chose the Koh Thai Restaurant in Southsea at the end of Kings Road. It was also his Birthday, so we were all hoping it was going to be a memorable one.
When we arrived we were taken upstairs to an area that was fairly spacious and not too crowded. We would be thankful later for being at the back of the restaurant as there was live music; by a singer with a backing track and some of us thought it was a little too loud at times. However she was very talented and did some great covers of well-known songs.
The restaurant is beautifully decorated and has a vibrant atmosphere, whilst it has elements of the Far East that you would expect from a Thai Restaurant, however it has also managed to keep the traditional period architecture of the building. It was a little dark however, but the candles more then made up for it and created a pleasant atmosphere.
So to the food and drinks… Firstly the staff were friendly and welcoming and it was lovely that Dean received a free drink and a candle in his sorbet, it was a lovely touch!
As for the starters Dean, Peter and Dave opted for the Thai Fish Cakes, which were very nice, and had just the right amount of spice and flavours, and the sweet chilli sauce supplied complimented it well. As for Gemma, she had to change her initial choice of starter, as they were unfortunately unable to provide her first choice of the duck wraps. The replacement was ribs, which Gemma thought were gorgeous, not too fatty, and plenty of meat for the price. Mike had Mussels wrapped in bacon as his starter, which was very nice, whilst Clair had the Thai chicken wings to start, which were also lovely.
For the main course, Peter and Mike opted for the Duck Thai curry, which was not to Mikes taste as he thought it was a little bland. Peter however was not keen on having grapes and pineapple in the curry, however the waitress said it wasn't an issue to make it without them in. He felt it was a lovely curry though and very typical of the Thai curries he has had in the past.
Clair had the Duck Tamarind, which was beautifully cooked. She was recommended to add a side of noodles as vermicelli noodles are very thin and crispy, but she felt that perhaps she didn’t need them as she was full up on the main course itself!!
Dave had the red chicken curry main that was very nice, and provided a huge portion for the price, whilst Gemma had the Chicken Phad Thai which was also lovely and very filling from a surprising portion. When it arrived Gemma thought it looked a bit meagre but was so filling she struggled to finish it! In fact Dean pretty much finished it off! But that might have been because of the free cocktail he got, as it was his birthday!
As for desserts, they did not have any ice cream, so Clair opted not to have a dessert, whilst Dave and Peter had the Banoffee Pie. Dave thought the pie was beautiful but absolutely tiny, whilst Peter thought it was a perfect finish to the evening and the chocolate sauce that accompanied it was really good. Gemma had the raspberry sorbet, which was also perfect end with a light fruity finish. This was also echoed by Mike who had the banana fritters with mango sorbet.
So the Koh was a great choice by Dean, and was reasonably priced, with interesting dishes and very friendly and attentive staff. Who made sure Dean had a great birthday meal including him getting a free cocktail and candle in his dessert!
Although there were a couple of issues, with not having someone’s first choice and food not coming out at the same time, however the staff really made up for it, with great service and lovely dishes.
Marks out of 10……………………………………………………. 8 (Dean Maskell)
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