Thaikhun Cookery Class - Bath Review
Posted on: 2017-04-07
Our rating:
A fun bonding experience for friends who want to learn something new
Thaikhun is Bath’s newest Thai restaurant and one of the Southgate eateries developed to reinvent the area, along with Absurd Bird and Comptoir Libanais. Thaikhun’s street food has become popular in Bath within the six months it has been open and this was evident when we went along to their cookery class last night and saw the restaurant packed (for a Thursday evening!). Read on to find out what you can expect at their cookery classes.
They will be launching their cookery classes at the end of this month, so we got a first look into what you can expect if you’re interested in giving it a go. When we arrived we realised it would be quite a cosy evening as there were chef hats and aprons laid out for just 10 people, rather than the 30 I had imagined. They don’t have enough space for a large amount of people, but the plus side of this is that it feels like a personal experience and you get to know the people in the group.
First things first and we were given a complimentary drink, our choice of anything from the menu. It was nice to have the choice rather than just being given a glass of champagne. We were made to feel welcome right away and the staff were keen to have a chat to get to know us a bit better. They were clearly excited to be launching their cookery classes and it showed that they love their jobs (which is always great to see). The chef who would be teaching us, started by showing us how to say hello in Thai and throwing out a few other random facts about the country and its food - this set the tone for an informal and fun evening especially as she made sure to always make us laugh.
Aprons and hats donned, we went to our stations that were all ready with the ingredients to make spring rolls. The chef, whose nickname is pronounced Poom because her full name was far too long for us to comprehend, explained what each ingredient was and why it was important to the dish, as well as why it should be added to the wok at certain times (for example the cabbage and carrots first because they are harder so will take longer to cook), so it was informative as well as engaging. She didn’t take too long to explain things before we were allowed to let loose on chopping the vegetables. Being stood opposite your cooking partner (in this case my dad who I brought with me) made it feel like a fun bonding experience. Once the spring rolls were cooked, we sat down to eat them and realised we had made over 20, so we were given a box to take the ones home that we didn’t eat.
For the main course we cooked Thai green curry and Poom made sure a few people had a go at making curry paste from scratch, and also giving us samples of the ingredients to taste such as a slice of lemongrass and a bit of palm sugar. You feel like you get to know your ingredients and understand what they are there for, rather than just rushing into the cooking part of the process. Whilst the curry was bubbling away, Poom made the experience even more fun by giving us prizes if we answered some questions correctly. Some of us got to take bags of freshly made prawn crackers home that we had won, or some gift vouchers! Before we knew it the green curry was cooked, it was surprisingly easy to make from scratch, and we again sat down to enjoy what we had made. So delicious and full of a variety of flavours thanks to the fish oil, palm sugar, herbs and red chillies.
To make sure we would be able to carry out our newfound culinary skills at home, we were even given gift bags with recipe cards of the dishes we made, along with some ingredients!
The class lasted for two and a half hours. The whole evening was extremely well organised and the staff were some of the loveliest we've ever met, so we can honestly say that you won’t want to miss out on one of their cookery courses when they become available very soon. You can keep up to date with what's happening at Thaikhun on their website here.
Article by:
Born in Bath, Safia has lived on the outskirts of the city her whole life. After studying journalism in Bristol she now spends a lot of her time searching for new things to see in Bath and soaking up the beautiful culture. You're most likely to find her sipping a soya latte in a lovely little independent cafe! Call Safia on 07468 516375 or email editor@365Bath.com.
