For my Italian papa-in-law’s birthday we went to the King & I, a lovely Thai restaurant in Guildford. The food was authentic and most dishes were delicious. Price was more than you would normally pay for Thai and the portions weren’t huge but for a special occasion it was well worth it.
We had chicken satay skewers and springs rolls for starters. The chicken satays weren’t that tasty, the sauce needed more flavour and the chicken could have been more tender. Spring rolls were nice but not worth $16 (each serve of four costed $8) and the chicken satays were definitely not worth $24 (each serve of four costed $12).
I don’t eat duck unless it’s peking duck…but tonight I was all over the Flying Duck ($30), the skin was crispy, the duck was cooked perfectly and the plum / hoisin sauce flavour combo was super tasty. I was surprised at how many pieces I ate…if all duck dishes tasted this good I’d be eating it all the time and not just occasionally when I’m feeling a little adventurous.
The seafood curry ($32) was served in alfoil moulded into the shape of a duck which was cool and intriguing as we all tried to guess what was inside…didn’t at all expect a seafood curry would be served disguised as a duck 😉
When we unwrapped the alfoil, the contents didn’t look very appealing… but looks sure can deceive, as it tasted amazing. There was a nice sweet flavour and the seafood tasted fresh and tender.
The massaman beef ($25) had a delicious sweet flavour and a nice thick sauce, but my potato could have been a tad softer. Beef was tender enough but like the potato, it would have been perfect if it was a bit more tender. Though I must say, I do cook a pretty good massaman beef so I am a tough critic!
The pad thai chicken ($22) was ok, the chicken breast was tender, flavours were right, but the noodles could have done with a bit more cooking.
The Thai style chilli mussels ($30) had a yummy sweet soy sauce which was delicious but weird as there was no “chilli”. I haven’t had mussels Asian style like this before and quite enjoyed it, though the portion served was a bit light on for $30 especially when you can pay $10 less for a full bowl of chilli mussels elsewhere.
The king cobra pork ($30) was very flavoursome, it was a combination of chilli and salt and my fussy Italian mother-in-law really enjoyed this dish.
The fried rice was ok, rice perhaps a little too soft for my liking. Check out the steam in the pic!
We all enjoyed our evening and we were very happy with the authentic Thai food served at the King & I. It’s a great local “fine dining” Thai restaurant in Guildford - worth a try if you’re in the area.
