Kitsch Inn

The 2012 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the current (2012) edition.

A Thai restaurant kitted-out in Polynesian iconography and 50s Americana might seem a tad incongruous, but authentic ‘tiki’ bars (of which there is one, aptly named The Tiki Bar, downstairs) tend to have accompanying restaurants serving south-east Asian cuisine. Since the first one opened in the States the 1930s, it’s been a tradition. And owner Ian McColm is serious about his tradition. He’s also serious about well-sourced ingredients, with sustainable fish, free-range chickens and organic local bread all featuring on the concise but intriguing menu that’s a far distance from Thai-by-numbers. The crying tiger beef salad sees juicy little slices fanned out and seasoned by an understated sauce of sesame and soy. Massaman curry is a beef and potato dish of impressive depth, a hit of lemongrass moving into red-curry territory, rounded off with a peanut edge. Skillful stuff. So, too, the three-flavoured sauce that accompanies the coley, a sweet tamarind base with a dunt of chilli lingering on your top lip. There’s a real vibrancy to the food. And in a stroke of pudding-related, tapas-esque genius, the desserts come in half sizes so you can get two.

• High point: The food feels both bold and authentic…
• Low point: …but the decor might be a bit bizarre for some