Peter Emrys-Roberts
A while back I found myself spending a few months in Bangkok working on the design of a house. On-site there was a stray kitten that decided to adopt me. It was love. I named her Na ka (Thai for ‘innit?’) and we shacked up together. Now Thailand (a bit like Turkey) has a great reputation for affordable dentistry, so I used this opportunity to get a couple of crowns replaced, and I also got Na ka chipped, snipped, and vaccinated. Thai taxi drivers aren’t so good at English so I learned how to say the addresses of both the dentist and the vet. But one morning I arrived by mistake at the dentist clutching the cat box – it was nearly a cat with blue-white smile and me wearing the ‘cone of shame’.
But I digress… Safe to say I love Thai cuisine, so it was with great enthusiasm that we headed to try out Thai Square in Fulham. Covid had led to its closure for three years, but it recently reopened following extensive refurbishment. One of ten restaurants in the chain, it’s a large space with some fun and authentic details, including a bar at the far end. The loos downstairs are glittery red, shiny, and saucy.
Spicy prawn crackers with sweet chilli sauce kept the wolf from the door while we awaited some small plates. First to arrive were ‘Wing Wing’ – deep-fried chicken with pandan leaves and sriracha. Salty, tender, and fiery when dipped in the sauce, we could have devoured a plate of them. The Thai Fish Cakes served with nutty sweet chilli sauce were just as they should be, though I have come to find them universally disappointing.
For our starters, we absolutely had to try their Tom Kha Gai, a traditional chicken and coconut soup, which was elegant with finely sliced tender lemongrass, but ultimately too sweet for our taste. Our waitress explained that since the other soup on the menu was spicy, they made this one more approachable for the sensitive palate.
Then came Phuket Grilled Squid – Hasselbacked slices of marinated squid. It’s a tricky one to cook well and this time it came out undercooked and was a smidge rubbery.
Another barometer of authenticity was the Pad Thai with pork neck. Sensational, it combined sweet, sour, salt, spice, and umami to be the best I’ve had.
But the Crispy Sea Bass with Mango Salsa was the stand-out dish of the night. Lovely light batter and cooked to perfection, served with jasmine rice and a fish-sauce-based sauce.
As a side, we were recommended the Papaya Salad, with chillies, tomatoes, long beans, lime juice, garlic, and cashews. And we were very glad we did.
We chose their house Thai red wine Monsoon Valley as it goes perfectly well with spicy food.
And although we were clinically full by this point we were glad we allowed ourselves to be coerced into dessert. The Mochi Ice Cream Balls are flavoured with passion fruit and mango, chocolate, and coconut, each wrapped in sweet rice dough and presented on sticks, turning them into delicious lolly pops. By the time we turned our attention to the Thai Affogato with Thai Tea, the ice cream had understandably melted, but we liked it nonetheless.
As one of a chain, it would be easy to assume this restaurant might be complacent but it was far from that. Thai Square Fulham is a very good restaurant and were it not on the opposite side of town it would become a habitual place for us. Many thanks to the manager, Mike, and Mim the waitress for looking after us flawlessly and we wish the reborn restaurant the success it deserves.
Thai Square is just opposite Fulham Broadway underground station at 563 Fulham Road, SW6 1ES
