What: A Northern Thai restaurant atop a Borough Market pub The Globe Tavern. Khao Bird is a spin off from Brighton restaurant Lucky Khao, which is also focused on the food of northern Thailand. Run as a separate business to the popular pub below, Khao Bird serves a tight menu that is ‘inspired by the vibrancy of open-air night markets in and around Chiang Mai’. The 40-cover-or-so space was most recently home to Ana Gonçalves and Zijun Meng’s short-lived katsu sando concept TÓU.
Who: Brighton and Hove-based restaurateur Mike Palmer, who is well-known in the seaside city as the founder of burger and brunch spot Lucky Beach and fine dining restaurant Pike & Pine. Lucky Khao launched on the St James’s Street site that was formerly Pike & Pine In 2018. Khao Bird’s head chef is Luke Larsson, who has been overseeing the kitchen at Lucky Khao since it launched. Prior to the opening, Larsson staged at a number of top Thailand restaurants including Bo.lan in Bangkok and Samuay & Sons in Udon Thani, a city in the country’s north-easterly Isan region.
The food: Larsson’s menu is accessibly priced, striking a balance between dishes from the region that are quite well known - including the (sort-of-eponymous) barbecued chicken with tamarind dipping sauce, the famous Burmese curry pork hung ley and the rich noodle soup khao soi - and less obvious dishes. Some of the latter are original creations, including a hotdog with a Chiang Mai-style sausage, as well as Khao Bird’s corn ribs with larb sauce and coconut relish. Other dishes include stir-fried pork with mustard greens; Sussex vegetable som tam; and a meatball dish that is credited on the menu as being partly inspired by Ikea.
To drink: Khao Bird has a brief but well-thought out wine list that has been complied by wine consultant Zeren Wilson. Prices start at £8/£31 a glass/bottle. Cocktails include the Cheeky Roco (spiced rum, maraschino, lime, Pepsi); and Calamansi Martini (gin, dry vermouth, calamansi oil, citrus bitters)
The vibe: Little has changed since the space played host to TÓU save the installation of a large neon sign that is visible through the window to the street outside.
And another thing: Khao Bird is one of a flurry of forward-thinking Thai restaurants to have launched in the capital of late joining John and Desiree Chantarasak's AngloThai and David Thompson’s Long Chim. It is understood that Palmer is looking into securing a standalone site in London following Khao Bird’s early-doors success.
8 Bedale Street, London SE1 9AL
