Selin Azimkar reviews the popular Thai restaurant’s new Leytonstone offshoot
If you enjoy both a relaxing and intensely flavourful dining experience, Mum Likes Thai Food‘s newest Leytonstone restaurant is the place to go.
On a blisteringly cold Saturday afternoon in January, I made the trip down to the restaurant, which opened only a couple of months ago. An impressive display of exquisite wines and many other drink options from cocktails, beers, and fresh coffee met me at the entrance, while a calm, mellow setting and interior décor guided me to my seat.
Once seated, the restaurant menu offered me traditional and popular dishes of Thai cuisine, with some of the array of tasty starter options including vegetable spring rolls dipped in sweet sauce, papaya salad and dumplings.
Seated under the dimmed, warm lights, the authentic flavour of the main courses transported me to the heart of Thailand. My favourite main dish was a hot and sizzling plate of aromatic Chicken Volcano with grilled poussin chicken served with a sweet and sour sesame sauce.
My taste buds delighted in the rich flavours of herbs, spices and sauces marinating the chicken, and I felt I connected with the traditional
flavours of Thai cuisine. The signature Pad Thai River Prawn (on Shell) dish is a seafood extravaganza. Fresh and tender, the prawns are intertwined with noodles immersed in rich sauces and fresh herbs, creating a mix of authentic flavours. Each food option offers a harmonious balance between sweet, sour, salty and spicy flavours.
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The portions for every Thai delicacy on the menu are plentiful and I was content with every bite. The restaurant owners, husband-and-wife duo Supap and Tanakrit Pimpa, explained to me that most of their ingredients, like herbs, spices, and noodles, are transported from Thailand.
They also said the new restaurant, which is close to their home, is less fast-paced than their Bethnal Green location. Supap delightfully added that “restaurant visitors feel like family visiting,” highlighting the cosy, familial vibe dining experience that I palpably felt as a guest.
It also has to be said that Mum Likes Thai Food’s serene and innovative interior did not put me in any rush to leave. The walls are painted in deep and calming shades of blue, mimicking the pattern of waves at sea. Meanwhile, warm shades of flowers also painted on the wall represent the vast and picturesque nature of the south-east Asian nation.
Remarkably, Mum Likes Thai Food’s connection to Thailand’s nature goes beyond their delicious cuisine and vibrant interior design. Part of the restaurant’s earnings go towards growing trees on the Sanam Chai Farm in Thailand. The farm, 40 acres in size, grows mahogany and teak trees. The restaurant’s contribution aims to reduce its carbon footprint, ensuring it gives back to the environment through each
tree grown.
As the trees grow, the restaurant hopes to grow with them.
Mum Likes Thai Food is at 682 High Road Leytonstone, Bushwood, E11 3AA
Visit their website, or call 020 3340 0340
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