Sukhothai, Chapel Allerton

Occasion:                      Catch Up

Party Size:                    2

Overall Rating:              *** Very Good

Date Visited:                 January 2013
Price Per Person:           £15 Main plus Side

Sukhothai is a small chain of authentic Thai restaurants with 3 locations within Leeds, (Headingly, Chapel Allerton and City Centre) and another venue over in Harrogate. Our visit took us to the Chapel Allerton restaurant located on Regent Street.

Location wise this restaurant is in the centre of Chapel Allerton, so street parking is available nearby and there are plenty of bars a stones throw away for pre and post meal drinks.

This restaurant is a good sized venue for the location it’s not small and pokey - big enough that you should be able to get a table mid week without booking (if for 2). We visited on a Thursday night and although there were tables free, by 8.30pm the place was fully seated creating a bustling atmosphere.

This branch is a little dated now compared to their other restaurants; however it still retains charm and character. On arrival I was promptly greeted by a waitress who invited me to take a seat near the bar until my friend arrived.

The bar area is very small so you wouldn’t be able to have pre-meal drinks here, so expect to arrive and be seated direct at your table. Once my fellow foodie arrived we sat towards the top of the restaurant.

This place is nicely decorated, with dark furnishings, Thai Buddha’s, and carvings displayed along the walls, Each table had candlelight and the whole vibe of Sukhothai was warm and inviting – Sukhothai strikes a good balance between being relaxed and informal yet serving the quality of food that makes it feel special.

The waitresses dressed in traditional Thai robes were very attentive whilst giving you the privacy you need to catch up. We ordered some crackers to start which cost £2.50 and came with a sweet chilli dipping sauce. The crackers were a good portion, enough to share for a table of 4 as a pre meal snack. The crackers were crisp and had a kick and the sauce complimented them well.

We opted to order 2 main courses and sides to share so we wanted contrasting dishes. We therefore went for the Gai Yang priced at £11.95 – grilled chicken breast marinated in an oyster sauce, garlic, black pepper and lime leaves. This was served on a sizzling platter and came with a separate pot of special sauce which was like a soya sauce marinade with a gentle kick. The chicken was tender and surprisingly a good portion of 2 large thin breasts so was ideal for sharing. Underneath the chicken was a bed of stir-fry vegetables – really pleased with this dish, it had a good flavour and was light so went really well with the side dish of noodles priced at £3.25.

Our second main dish was the traditional Thai red curry -Gang Ped Chicken £9.50, this is made with coconut milk and bamboo shoots. The portion was good and the sauce was nicely flavoured I was surprised with the heat on this dish as I like things hot and I usually find red curries can be a bit tame, but this was really well balanced and went great with the coconut steamed rice priced at £3.25

Both of the side dishes were good portions and we didn’t mange to finish everything and that was without having starters!

Overall the portions are good, the food was fragrant, fresh and cooked well. The flavours were intense but balanced well with garlic, lemongrass and chilli. The vegetables were crisp and plentiful and the chicken tender. No complaints on this meal at all.

We also had added entertainment thrown in when a rather embarrassed lady had all the staff of the restaurant serenade her happy birthday complete with musical instruments and a cake with a rather fancy sparkler!

Sukhothai is well priced for the standard of food, but by no means cheap. You get what you pay for however, they do set menus, early bird menus and buffet options – all the details are available on their website so if you are on a budget then going off peak could save you some pennies.

A glass of red wine cost a reasonable £3.45 and was a decent quality for the house wine; they also had a good range of other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Sukhothai has featured in the Good Food Guide 6 times, they use fresh quality ingredients, the dishes are well presented and the flavour authentic which means Sukhothai is a winner for me. Every time I have visited this restaurant it has been consistent and a safe choice if you ever want to go for Thai cuisine. It’s charming, relaxed, authentic and the service is good. So for me the menu is priced well and I would recommend a visit as they have a vast choice of Thai dishes to suit all tastes.

http://www.sukhothai.co.uk/