Gambling on Thai pays off for Katherine MacAlister, when she finds a restaurant whose fare is adored by young and old alike...

Our family’s post-panto feast is the biggest date in the diary, because it signals the gathering of the clans who emerge from their caves, a hybrid mix of Danes and Scots, straightening their sporrans, polishing their Viking ships and descending on Oxford for one night only.

Where to take such a complex mix of children, teens, parents, in-laws, outlaws and septuagenarians is always my problem, which I address with the same resolve that Alan Turing showed when solving the Enigma code.

Eventually I decided on Thaikhun on George Street, now a firm favourite in Oxford’s theatreland thoroughfare.

Yes it was a risk, its Thai menu perhaps rather adventurous for some palates, but the decor is fun, it boasts a great children’s menu and the food is excellent.

It was lucky we booked ahead because the place was absolutely heaving, the ceremonial birthday party processions coming thick and fast.

But why not? This is the place to party – fun, happening, vibrant, atmospheric, able to cater for everyone from couples to office workers and theatregoers, it has food to match. So don’t be fooled that this is a gimmick, all fur coat and no knickers, because it delivers every time on the food front, Saturday night under full steam being no exception.

And in comparison to our meal over the road at Jamie’s a week before, it was a different ballgame. Jamie’s seems to have overwhelmed itself, outstretched to the point of no return – too many customers crammed into a space where the kitchens and waiters can’t keep up, making it a rather stressful experience all round.

But Thaikhun was different. Discreetly efficient, the drinks and food arrived promptly and everyone loved it.

They have competition now mind – The Banana Tree now serving Indochinese food over the road, and Turtle Bay offering spicy Caribbean food round the corner.

We went for the platters to start, a bit of everything and a brilliant start to the meal. The Bangkok (£6.65 per person) with grilled chicken satay, Thai prawn toast, Isaan-style sausage and red curried corn cakes, as well as the Sukumvit (£7.50 per person) with bestsellers salt-and-pepper squid, fish cakes, chicken spring rolls and honey pork plus a portion of por pia sod tofu (£5.95), hand-wrapped veggie rice paper rolla with lettuce, shredded carrots, tofu strips, mint, coriander and basil thrown in for good measure, and an extra portion of satay because it’s my favourite.

Highlights included the prawn toast, corn cakes with chilli sauce, fish cakes, and the Isaan sausage (tiny delicious balls of Thai sausage) although the squid was less successful.

The kids were chowing down on bowls of chicken and noodles, as happy as Will Ferrell in Santa’s grotto, and I was impressed with their menu, which included Bangkok popcorn chicken (£4.95) – crumb fried slices of chicken served with sweet chili sauce – phad Thai dek (£4.95) without chillies, and khao moo deng (£4.55) – BBQ pork slices served on a bed of steamed rice with sweet BBQ sauce – and the nong noo gai noodles (£4.25) – noodles stir fried with sliced chicken breast, shredded carrots and bean sprouts in a light soy sauce.

Thai curries were favoured for our mains – red with duck, green with vegetables and tofu, the grannies opting for another sharing plate, this time the pinto Thai (£10.50), a brilliant idea meaning they could try the chicken green curry, tofu pad thai, prawn and vegetable stir fry and jasmine rice.

Mr Greedy went street on us, opting for the regional special – khao ka moo stewed pork on rice (£9.99) – pork shanks braised in a five-spiced broth, pulled and served on steamed rice with spring greens, pickled mustard and a boiled egg, which I think was a bit too authentic for him and lacking enough sauce, but otherwise we were utterly satiated like a post-orgied Hugh Heffner in the Playboy mansion.

When our lovely waiter Pop came round with the dessert menus we batted him away in horror, with even the kids passing on pudding, while we wondered how we would ever be able to walk back to the car without our legs buckling under the strain of so much heavenly food.

Thaikhun
36 George St, Oxford, OX1 2BJ. 
thaikhun.co.uk