Delicious Thai food in Southampton?? YES!

Would you believe it?  Last night I took my mum and dad for dinner at a nice little Thai eatery called Sara's, in Southampton.  IT WAS GREAT!

I have been to many Thai restaurants in the UK and not found many which lived up to the taste sensation of the food in Bangkok. Possibly because of an over-reliance on processed Thai flavourings, over use of western vegetables (a pad thai with carrot is so so wrong) and a lack of good quality Thai herbs and spices such as kaffir lime leaves, holy basil, roasted chilli, lemon grass and bai tey leaves.  That's my theory anyway. 

But the food was genuinely delicious.  My dear mum can't really cope with spicy food, particularly now that she is sick.  But we ordered up some kai sate, kai hor bai tey and tord man kung, for starters.  The sate was a particular favourite with melt in the mouth chicken and a wonderfully rich peanut sauce. 

For main course, I ordered steamed sea bass with lime and lemon grass.  I specifically requested no chilli, with mum in mind.  And it didn't compromise the dish at all.  The fish was meaty and succulent at the same time.  And the broth was a wonderful mix of sour, from the lime, fragrant from the lemon grass and salty from the fish sauce.  Aroi mak mak. 

With dad hankering after something a bit more spicy I ordered muu krapao and with my tastes in mind, panaeng kai.  a particular favourite.  The muu was very nice, although it was not made with minced pork and the chilli factor was toned down several notches to meet English tastes, so the overall taste was compromised just a tad.  But the panaeng was magnifique!  That exotic combination of creaminess from the coconut milk and nuts with a wonderfully smooth spiciness at the back of the pallette. 

We were too full to eat dessert so we settled for a coffee and mints.  The total price was around £60, which is quite reasonable (by UK prices) for the amount of food that we had and the quality of the service. And I would rather pay for expensive delicious Thai food than for expensive English food.......

The owner, Khun Sara, is Thai and has lived in the UK for many years.  The cooks are Thai as are most of the front of house staff.  (Although I did make the mistake of talking to one of the staff in Thai upon which she looked very confused - I think she might have been Chinese). Our waitress for the evening was Khun Euay, who told us that she is three years into her PhD course at Southampton University. 

The restaurant is located in a converted house at one end of Portswood Road close to the Police Station and nearby to the University.  The decoration is a nice blend of English furniture and Thai fabrics and pictures, with a beautiful Buddha image watching proudly over the diners.  Even on a Monday night there were lots of customers which must be a good sign.

I feel lucky to have found a little piece of Thailand in my home town of Southampton and fully intend to visit again each time I come back to visit my parents.

And if you happen to be passing through Southampton and are wondering what else there is to do apart from enjoying the shopping and admiring the best football team on the south coast of England, then look up Sara's.  Enjoy!