Activities & Days Out / 26 January, 2018 / My Baba

Date Night In Charing Cross: Thai Square Review

This week we spent some time in central London and had a fantastic dinner date in a famous Thai restaurant near Trafalgar Square.

The Restaurant: Thai Square

A curious Thai restaurant tucked away from Trafalgar Square, Thai Square is abuzz with tourists and locals alike — which I always find reassuring. As pre-dinner restaurant as they come, everyone clears out before the 7.30 shows, making it a cool and quiet date night place late into the evening. The restaurant itself feels spacious and airy with high ceilings and a staircase winding up to the mezzanine. Facing inwards you’ll appreciate the traditional artefacts and exotic flowers that adorn the dining room, though the windows offer little privacy in looking out onto the main road. With lighting the right side of dim, it’s easy to immerse yourself in the atmosphere and enjoy a selection of warming Thai dishes. Lulled into the relaxing feel of the venue, we didn’t realise until the end, but we were being serenaded with live music too.

Thai Square offers the homely Thai and pan-Asian favourites we’ve come to expect. Choose from the classic starters: aromatic duck, butterfly kind prawns and chicken satay. If you’re feeling more adventurous, the salad starters veer away from the usuals. The soft-shell crab and mango salad is a sweet, refreshing dish to whet your appetite, made even more flavoursome by the sprinklings of roasted coconut and fried shallots. The more traditional papaya and cashew salad offers a distinct mixture of nutty, sweet flavour balanced by fish sauce and lime juice.

Main courses of chargrilled lobster, jumbo prawns in chu-chi curry, and spicy sea bass are a few of the all-out options, and all live up to the promise of being superb seafood plates. Playing it safe, we tried Thai Square for size on some much-loved classics: a red curry and the stir-fried beef and cashew. Lovingly made from fresh bamboo shoots and basil leaves and red chillies, the red curry with chicken always goes down a storm with some simple steamed rice, and Thai Square didn’t fail to deliver on this part. The lean stir-fried beef flavoured with cashews, carrots was a delightful second dish. Both plates were very mild, suitably adapted for a British palette — perhaps almost a little too much.

READ MORE: Date Night In Shoreditch: Dirty Bones Review

If you’ve breezed through Veganuary and are keeping up your meat-free diet, Thai Square offer a fantastic array of vegan and vegetarian options. Try the Som Tum Jay, a fantastic meat and dairy free salad with raw papaya and cashews. If, like me, you love anything with tofu, the veggie jungle curry or the sweet and sour vegetables and tofu are unmissable options.

Thai Square isn’t just a date-night hangout, the Asian restaurant are also very welcoming for families. Open from 12-3pm (times vary throughout the week), book in for a family meal with the little ones during the daytime. 

READ MORE: Date Night In Battersea: Donna Margherita Review

The look:

Kick off the outfit with this Victoria Beckham printed dress, and team with GOOP bow satin heels and this Anya Hindmarch velvet glitter eyes pouch. Finish off the look with these Fallon hoop earrings, classic red OPI nails and Bobbi Brown long-wear liner.

For more date night options, click here.