Spoken out loud, Khao Bird may sound like either a winged bovine or a sparrow with udders – but it’s actually a great little Thai restaurant.
It comes to us from south-coast-based restaurateur Mike Palmer & head chef Luke Larsson, who between them have flitted between Brighton & Bangkok digging up recipes & techniques, then road-testing them in popups & residencies. And now, that is being poured into what they hope is a permanent place.
This Bird is perched above the Globe Tavern in Borough Market, in a space whose previous residents were TÓU and Chishuru, both of whom left unrealistically big shoes to fill (the former won a Michelin Star, the latter basically redefined viral food trends). Oh, and just to add to the near-mystical allure of the place, it’s in the spot that Bridget Jones used to live.
To get there, you’ll head inside the pub, and find a sign that says “Thai BBQ” with a big arrow drawing you into the doorways and up the wending, wooden staircase. Inside, it looks a bit like Bright Jones’s flat stripped completely bare, and filled with scattered tables wooden tables, all supplicant to the giant neon KHAO sign that drenches the room in a crimson wash with the intensity of a back-alley Bangkok haunt.
The menu is all sharing dishes that all hover around the £10 mark, and which include some absolute belters – the “Ikea style” meatballs are (crazily enough) actually better than Ikea’s meatballs, largely thank to the fact that they’re absolutely packed with herbs, and fried in a caul fat & cola glaze. The BBQ lemongrass chicken is tender and juicy, with a pair of punchy dipping sauces, and the mutton fries are triple cooked and loaded with a braised mutton curry. Oh, and when they warn you that something’s hot-hot, believe them.
There are plenty of beers, some wines, and a couple of boozy slushies too (a pina colada or a lemongrass marg), and there’s always the pub downstairs too. Hopefully, unlike the last two residents, this bird doesn’t end up flying away.
NOTE: Khao Bird is open now, Weds-Sun. You can find out more and book a table at the Khao Bird website.
Khao Bird | Above the Globe Tavern, Borough Market
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