"Surprises aren’t everyone’s bag. That said, you’ll be hard pushed to find any right-minded person who takes issue with the amuse-bouche at AngloThai. It’s a gulp’s worth of succulent coral crabbiness that will leave you foraging like a bin-fox for more. The broth comes in a handmade ceramic that, like everything at this polished British-Thai restaurant in Marylebone, feels both rustic and potentially ruinous to your current account. Originally a pop-up that impressed London food nerds, this restaurant is somewhere best used to impress someone with exacting taste. The politely humming mahogany room and pear martinis suit W1H, and its standout dish is a flower-shaped coconut ash cracker served with crab and caviar. The crab emulsion running through this grand canapé is heavenly. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch With words like ‘pearled naked oats’ and ‘sunflower seed satay’, there’s an air of muddy allotment about the menu, but AngloThai is firmly for the Hunter welly crowd. When some of the dishes underwhelm, like the lion’s mane mushroom, it feels like a farmer who’s been forced into a tux. Other combinations, like a sour orange curry, are astoundingly good. There’s no doubt that AngloThai is an adult affair. At times, maybe too adult. Not every dish adds up, even if they tend to on the bill, and serving both a tasting menu and a la carte feels OTT. As a package, it feels a little hard to fall in love with. But on cooking and invention alone, AngloThai is a restaurant that every gourmand should have on their radar. Food Rundown photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Winter Radish Cake, Vegetable Treacle & Tarragon A perfect snack. These two-bite, handheld rectangles have more hold than your average turnip cake, and the flavours marry sweet and savoury perfectly. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Brixham Crab, Exmoor Caviar & Coconut Ash Cracker Arguably the best DIY canapé we’ve ever had. The coconut ash cracker is artfully shaped, but you’re guaranteed to make a little mess once you dollop crab, caviar, and sorrel leaves on top. It’s a glorious combination. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Blythburgh Chop, Pork Fat & Smoked Chilli Relish This pork chop is excellently cooked. The fat is juicy with no danger of flabbiness, and the red curry-inspired relish it comes with is about as moreish as it gets. photo credit: Daisy Meager Hake, Sour Orange Curry & Watercress This is the pick of the curries. While the hogget massaman is enjoyable but entry level on the spicing, the sour orange curry has got it going on. There’s a spice to it that rises slowly, so take a spoon, enjoy the flavour, and let the tingles rise. A fillet of hake we ate in this curry was one of the most tender and gently cooked pieces of fish we’ve ever had. Winter Salad, Black Bee Honey & Salted Duck Egg AngloThai’s take on som tam is a very good one. Sweet, sour, spicy, and salty are all hit with every mouthful and a plate of this will enhance any meal you have here. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Wholegrain Farro, Long Peppercorn & Laab Spice You’ll quickly notice that it's a rice-free menu. While the pearled naked oats didn’t get us going, this nutty wholegrain farro did. It’s dusted with a subtly smoky spicing that makes it very, very easy to keep spooning." - Jake Missing
