What to say about Zion Thai? Despite consisting of two rather ramshackle rooms at the wrong end of a road off Oxford Street, it’s a spot every expat and volunteer ends up at – and they invariably come back. They do so partly because it’s as friendly and relaxed a dining experience as there is in the city, and partly because of the food, which in most cases is a slam-dunk.
The titular Zion is a constant and charming presence out front – though he has recently reined in his habit of taking every single diner’s photo – while his Thai wife oversees things in the kitchen, a small booth visible from the restaurant’s street-side terrace.
Spring rolls, satay and fishcakes are the pick of the starters, though you should also consider ordering a salad and splitting it with a companion – the carrot salad and phla kung in particular are fantastic, both pungent from fish sauce and sweet from palm sugar, with a huge kick of fresh chili, lemongrass and mint in the latter. Most of the aromatics are grown feet from where you’re sitting, in a tiny but thriving herb garden on the street corner.
On the mains menu Thai curries are particularly strong. Red, green and yellow come served in in big, soupy bowls, while the gorgeous panang and the choo-chee come up as smaller plated portions with thicker sauces. Zion’s most popular dish, however, is the pad thai, a deeply comforting pile of noodles enriched with tamarind and showered with lime juice and peanuts. Whole fish dishes are good too, though availability tends to vary.
Finally, a word to the wise: if you’re asked whether you want it ‘Ghana spicy’ or ‘Thai spicy’, the former is medium and the latter is hot. Very hot. Keep a chilled Gulder on standby.
Expert Review
What to say about Zion Thai? Despite consisting of two rather ramshackle rooms at the wrong end of a road...
What to say about Zion Thai? Despite consisting of two rather ramshackle rooms at the wrong end of a road off Oxford Street, it’s a spot every expat and volunteer ends up at – and they invariably come back. They do so partly because it’s as friendly and relaxed a dining experience as there is in the city, and partly because of the food, which in most cases is a slam-dunk.
The titular Zion is a constant and charming presence out front – though he has recently reined in his habit of taking every single diner’s photo – while his Thai wife oversees things in the kitchen, a small booth visible from the restaurant’s street-side terrace.
Spring rolls, satay and fishcakes are the pick of the starters, though you should also consider ordering a salad and splitting it with a companion – the carrot salad and phla kung in particular are fantastic, both pungent from fish sauce and sweet from palm sugar, with a huge kick of fresh chili, lemongrass and mint in the latter. Most of the aromatics are grown feet from where you’re sitting, in a tiny but thriving herb garden on the street corner.
On the mains menu Thai curries are particularly strong. Red, green and yellow come served in in big, soupy bowls, while the gorgeous panang and the choo-chee come up as smaller plated portions with thicker sauces. Zion’s most popular dish, however, is the pad thai, a deeply comforting pile of noodles enriched with tamarind and showered with lime juice and peanuts. Whole fish dishes are good too, though availability tends to vary.
Finally, a word to the wise: if you’re asked whether you want it ‘Ghana spicy’ or ‘Thai spicy’, the former is medium and the latter is hot. Very hot. Keep a chilled Gulder on standby.