Thaikhun is a small chain of Thai restaurants, with 9 locations across the country. I decided to…read morevisit their Manchester Spinningfields location to try out some authentic cuisine, after being impressed by their reviews. Sadly, they have only had one review since 2016 so perhaps things have changed since then, as my experience wasn't that impressive.
On the positive side, I loved the decor, it felt authentic, with an open kitchen towards the back, and Thai themed decor including a map that shown Thailand on the wall. It just felt pretty cool and authentic. The only major problem I had was how cold the restaurant was inside, it was freezing cold, unlike anywhere else in Manchester that day, I was wearing my fully zipped up coat and shivering, despite it being July - which is supposed to be Summer!
I was unimpressed with the service, I was not offered a drink upon sitting down, my waiter just sat me down and left me to it, he didn't explain the concept or even ask about my allergies. Another big negative for me was I didn't feel my allergy was taken seriously, I did advise my server I was gluten-free and I explained I had scanned the QR code on the menu for allergy information, she didn't mention anything regarding their allergy policy, nor do anything to give me confidence eating there, I originally wondered if she even heard me mention I had an allergy. I also found it hard to get a staff member's attention when I needed it, such as to request a takeaway box, or even request some more water or the bill.
I ordered the Chicken Pad Thai, it looked pretty impressive, but I found the taste to just be OK, I do think the noodles were very heavy and there was nothing to balance it out, there wasn't too much chicken and some of the chicken was chewy (I did enjoy some of the chicken though). I found the sauce to be a little too sweet too, especially towards the bottom of the dish, it became too overpowering and a little sickly, it needed something a little bit more acidic to give it a kick for sure.
The food menu was reasonably priced compared to nearby competitions such as Wagamama, combined with a number of promotional offers including a 20% student discount and a 30% discount for NHS healthcare workers.
I also didn't like how they added a service charge onto the bill of 10%, this was stated in the small print of the menu, the staff member didn't seem too happy about removing it, they refused to even acknowledge me, even to say "Cheerio" after that. I did also notice a charity fee of £1 added onto the bill, this also annoyed me as I should be able to judge which charities I donate to and when, let alone having it added onto my bill without any mention of who the charity is, or what they do (Unlike the service charge the charity charge was NOT stated on the menu!)
2* - It feels authentic but in many ways, I was let down, if you consider the optional charges they add onto everyone's bill, it is one of the cheaper places for Thai food in town, but I really wouldn't advise going somewhere else.
