Food Review Thai Erawan
A hideaway diner in Oakwood offers extensive Thai cuisine with no language barrier, as Ben Johnson discovers
Food Review: Thai Erawan
Other Recent Food Review Articles
You’ve got to love menus with pictures in them. Particularly at Thai restaurants, which bamboozle even the most ardent fan of Asian cooking. It’s all those exotic names (‘gang panang’, ‘pad prik’, ‘weeping tiger’) and ingredients that you’re pretty sure shouldn’t be put together (coconut and curry paste, flowers and herbs, chillies, fruits and spices), and if you’re more at home with a fish in paper, then a picture depicting exactly what a ‘weeping tiger’ might look like is actually quite useful. I’ve been to a few Thai restaurants which require a bit too much knowledge beforehand. We didn’t all spend our gap year volunteering for charities in Bangkok, you know, having to barter for coconuts with the locals. Some of us stayed in Swindon.
Which is why the amiable new owners of Thai Erawan in Oakwood (on the northeast cusp of Leeds sandwiched between Gipton and Roundhay) are photographing their food, offering tourist friendly suppers for the yet to be converted. But it’s unfair to say that Thai Erawan is just for people who don’t already know that ‘tom yum’ is a type of soup: the dishes here are zingy, fresh, full of vibrancy and flavour. This might be considered an oddity to some, especially considering the firm’s previous reputation.
Which, it has to be said, wasn’t quite so complimentary. Cue an overhaul of the kitchen staff, new ownership and a renewed sense of purpose. But competition is fierce: there is a very dominant and powerful Thai food scene here in Leeds, with a multitude to choose from: Sukhothai, Thai Sabai, Thai Edge, Chaophraya, the list goes on, and all offer the same sort of thing. It would take a more learned tongue than mine to differentiate between the subtle nuances of these all very reputable firms. But I still know a good Thai green curry when I see one, and Thai Erawan has got it nailed.
Creamy but with a subtle kick of chilli, the Thai green curry (£8.50), or ‘gang kiew whan’, can be served with chicken, pork, beef, lamb, prawn and duck, and the same goes for all their other main dishes. The ‘weeping tiger’ (£10.95) is a sizzling steak dish, by the way, and a really good one. I’ve seen this before and places approach it slightly differently, sometimes the meat is sliced, sometimes it is served with side salads, but the sauce is always treacle-like and intensely flavoursome. This is a slice that bubbles on a ceramic plate with onions and gravy to die for. The side order of jasmine rice (£2) is a respectable portion, but larger stomachs may need to order one each.
All of this after a light starter of fishcakes (‘tod man pla’, £ 4.25) and ‘satay gai’ (£4.95) - chicken skewers with a peanut sauce - and you’ll still have space for dessert. We go for slightly non-traditional chocolate fudge cake (indulgent, £3.50) and fried ice cream (£3.50), the concept of which never fails to amaze me. I should also highlight the restaurant’s vast vegetarian menu, the largest I’ve seen from a small eatery, and its charming setting, with cosy rows of meal-for-two tables and enough room to accommodate small parties with discreet panelling on the back wall, used to disguise the doors to unsightly things like toilets, and with nice art on the walls.
The overall feeling is one of a more laid back vibe - welcoming, without the regal naff of more laboured Thai restaurants, some of which seem to be trying a bit too hard. Here, it is the food that does the talking. And if you are at all confused by what to order, just take a look at the pictures. There’s no shame in that, people, although I guess you should probably request a knife and fork while you’re at it.
Posted on Wednesday 17th March 2010
Thai Erawan Restaurant
629 Roundhay Road, Oakwood, Leeds, LS8 4AR
Email this article
Sending you to Twitter, hold on... Comments on Food Review: Thai Erawan
Comment by Julie Liu
Posted on Sat 16th Oct 10 7:59 pm
The best Thai restaurant I have ever been to. I don’t normally write reviews but I feel like I have to so that I can share my experience. The best food I have tasted, my partner said it was the best sirloin steak he has ever had. The people there are very friendly. Very quick service and just a very pleasant experience.
Comment by Ian Mcquillan
Posted on Sun 21st Nov 10 12:41 pm
Paid for a voucher through groupon.
The deal was suppossed to come with a glass of wine x 2.
Upon arrival we were told we had to pay for the wine with no explanation even though we had the voucher to prove. STAY AWAY!!!!!!
Comment by Carl Marx
Posted on Sun 15th Jan 12 8:39 am
I do not recommend this restaurant under any circumstances unless you unlike rude and unprofessional service. Having patronised Erawan’s many times over the last few years, my friends and I decided to book a table for Saturday night. Having reserved a table we duly attended the restaurant to find that a table has not been reserved although they were expecting us. We were then asked to stand in a corner for ten minutes while they found a table. The table was next to the window which on a frosty night, we found very cold. We were given menus and left to our own devices. We were not offered drinks or the even the traditional thai crackers. After 15 minutes of being ignored, we left, never to return again. This restaurant has been a favourite of ours for years. We would always be greeted warmly, with the custom bowing on our arrival. A table was always ready with prawn crackers, and the drinks were always delivered promptly. Throughout the meal, the waitresses always knew if we needed anything. It seems that Thai Erawan has changed ownership and when usually spending over £100 for a party of 4, we expect far better service. A great pity that another restaurant that used to take customer service so seriously has now lost their uniqueness.
