We arrived to a busy event at the brilliant Sukhothai last
Tuesday as the team hosted an evening of fabulous food. We became the first
to try and sample their new menu which has not seen a change in 15 years. We
were greeted with smiles and a warm welcome before ordering a round of Singha’s
and taking our seats at the bar. It would be fair to say we were excited for tonight’s
new menu. We had visited earlier in the year and remarked then on how good
Sukhothai produces a feeling of Thailand through good food and excellent
service. Tonight was no different; commenting again on how Sukhothai cares for those
who visit in both of these ways.
(Sukhothai have four restaurants - we visited their restaurant located on the South Parade in Leeds)
Sukhothai was busy with early evening diners. We picked up
our drinks and made our way from the bar and into the restaurant. As we did so we
couldn’t help but take in the pictures of Sukhothai’s history. Owner Ban
Kaewkraikhot has worked hard to build a delicious tasting food empire which
brings the best in Thai food to the folk of Yorkshire. Sukhothai have
restaurants in Leeds, Chapel Allerton and Harrogate whilst also claiming the
hugely successful Zaap street food as their very own.
(the delicious Gung Ta Krai)
Sukhothai have crafted a new menu which is a balanced mix of
old and new, traditional and stylish. We started with deliciously soft and
sweet stir fried scallops. Cooked with red and green chilli, garlic and crushed
black pepper; the Hoy Shell Grateim Prik Thai made for an excellent starter. We
continued to make great choices with deep fried king prawns cooked in lemon
grass (
Gung Ta Krai) alongside a well
styled crispy chicken in Thai-isaan dressing of lime, chilli, toasted ground
rice, mint and shallot (see the
Laab Gai
Krob).
(excellent service throughout)
Those familiar to Sukhothai will recognise old favourites
like the creamy and deep fried crispy chicken served with chilli and kaffir
lime leaves (
Gai Tod Prik Gang). The
Thai green (
Gang Kiew Wan) curry or
the more red and hotter cousin Gang Ped will keep traditionalists coming back. Sukhothai
are presenting fine dining and this was no more evident than when we ordered
the delicious and towering lamb shank Massaman Kaa Gae. Locally sourced slow
cooked lamb fell apart at the earliest touch and the taste of creamy massaman
hinted with star anise and cinnamon was an absolute delight. Newcomers and
early favourites to the new menu were not in short supply as we next tried the Roaring Ribeye.
Steak lovers will smile with satisfaction at the sight of a juicy 12oz rib-eye
garnished in a Penang sauce so familiar to Thailand on a bed of crunchy red and
green peppers and fine beans.
We finished up with coffee before thanking our hosts for an
excellent evening. They had launched a fantastic new menu and we were the lucky
ones to experience this first. Sukhothai had welcomed us well and served us
food difficult to match. It is not hard to understand the success of Sukhothai.
It is inviting and friendly, and the food needs no further mention other than
that it stands alone as simply the best experience in Thai cuisine across our
region.
Sukhothai’s new menu
is available from the 26th March. Checkout their website at www.sukhothai.co.uk for more information on Sukhothai across
our region and reserving a table at one of their restaurants. We made our visit along with the guys at Pink Gorilla Promotions (Leeds).
(Sukhothai's new menu will be available from the 26th March)
