As I hurried through Rosemount and pulled up my hood against driving sleet, I feared I had made a mistake in dining out on such a miserable night.
It would have been far easier to stay inside, even if that meant a lack lustre pasta dish and negotiating bedtime with my four-year-old.
Koi Thai
But as light spilled out onto the street from Koi Thai, I put my best slippery foot forward and hastened into the restaurant.
The warmth immediately thawed my grumpy mood, and I was quickly greeted by staff.
My friend Emily was already seated, but in my defence, she lives just around the corner, and has been a frequent customer at Koi Thai since it opened in 2019.
Exposed bricks, beautiful artwork and a general cosy atmosphere didn’t go unnoticed, and there wasn’t the loud backing track which so many restaurants seem to favour these days.
There were plenty of occupied tables despite the miserable weather, and we were given a menu as a cheery staff member took our drinks order.
The restaurant prides itself on delivering authentic Thai dishes, and Emily who is somewhat of a foodie, believes this lovely eatery serves the best Thai food in the whole of Aberdeen.
High praise indeed, and I was certainly impressed by the varied menu.
I don’t eat Thai nearly as often as I’d like, so I felt like a lot was riding on this rare opportunity.
The food
There’s a set menu, a la carte choices, vegetarian, vegan and gluten and even a kids menu.
From crispy dumplings to duck spring rolls, which Emily assured me were the best she’d ever tasted having ordered them previously, it was a pretty tough to make a choice.
Authenticity is the name of the game, given that restaurant owner Koi Lappin, was inspired by her Grandma’s street food cafe in Thailand, before coming to Aberdeen in 2002.
I was intrigued by a dish called Larb, a Thai northen-eastern style meal which included minced chicken seasoned with chillies, lime juice, fish sauce, and coarse toasted sticky rice.
In the end, we decided that sharing is caring, and ordered the Koi Thai mixed starter.
Priced at what I felt was a reasonable £11.50 per person, you get a lot for your money.
The dish boasted chicken satay served with creamy coconut & peanut sauce, deep-fried spring rolls, prawn on Toast, prawn tempura served with sweet chilli sauce and a side Thai carrot salad.
I have not one bad thing to say about the selection, and the prawn tempura was a particular highlight.
Fluffy on the inside and yet deliciously crunchy on the outer shell, the accompanying sweet chilli sauce really got the old taste buds tingling.
The spring rolls were stuffed with flavoursome veg with no element of soggyness, and I was particularly enamoured with the carrot salad which came with a sprinkling of peanuts.
This was a filling starter without a hint of grease, and whilst it wasn’t the healthiness we could at least pretend it was a calorie-friendly choice
I also loved dipping the complimentary prawn crackers into the sauces, surely a rite of passage in any Thai restaurant?
No sooner had our plates been cleared away and our mains arrived, top marks for speedy service.
From Thai green curries to stir fry, which Koi herself personally recommended, there really is something for every palette.
Helpful chilli symbols on the menu also indicated just how fiery each dish was, a detail which I really appreciated given the fact that I find mild enchiladas on the spicy side!
Emily had no qualms in what she wanted to order, I admire that kind of certainty in life.
Pad Thai with chicken and king prawn, job done.
I had dithered before settling on what some might view as a tame dish; pad priew wan.
This consisted of lightly battered meat stir-fried in sweet and sour sauce with onion, pepper, cucumber, carrot tomatoes, spring green and pineapple.
Ever the seafood lover, I opted for prawns alongside a side helping of jasmine rice.
The prawns, massive! And so juicy, coated in a delicious sticky sauce with the vegetables given a flash in a pan as opposed to cremation.
Steamed rice was a new one for me, I normally opt for sticky, but I’m a reformed character.
Wonderfully light, fluffy and easy to mix through.
At first glance, the portions don’t seem huge, but I promise you it’s filling, perhaps because of all the components at play.
Emily’s pad thai looked an impressive dish, bursting with fried rice noodles with egg, shredded carrot, spring onion and beansprouts, alongside prawn and chicken.
Koi Thai doesn’t skimp when it comes to meat, and there was pieces of chicken and those aforementioned prawns scattered throughout.
It’s also worth asking for extra chicken if you’re so inclined, because at a £1.75 extra charge you can’t go wrong.
Neither one of us could finish our dish, and the staff immediately offered to decant it into containers.
I was left suitably impressed by the dessert menu, which boasted roti and ice cream alongside more traditional dishes such as sticky toffee pudding.
The verdict
At £67.20 this isn’t what I’d call a cheap dinner, but you’re paying for quality ingredients, variety and recipes which have no doubt been handed down through the generations.
It’s rare to find that kind of genuine authenticity, both in people and in food.
But Koi Thai offers both, without any airs and graces.
The staff were polite and efficient, and we loved the traditional Thai goodbye from Koi when we left, alongside the fact that a staff member opened the door for us to depart.
Koi is very much present, and makes customers feel special without going over the top.
So if you want the ultimate Thai experience, head to Rosemount.
You won’t be disappointed.
Information
Address: Koi Thai, 104-16 Rosemount Place, Aberdeen
T: 01224 478900
Price: £67.20 for one sharing starter, two mains, one side dish of rice, extra chicken and two soft drinks.
