Ben Chapman's Thai grill on Brewer Street where clay pots, charcoal, and an incendiary approach to chilli produce food that is closer to northern Thai street cooking than anything else in London. The kitchen works over open flames in a room so narrow that the heat from the grill reaches every seat. The hand-minced Tamworth pork larb is the dish that announced the restaurant's intentions: pork from a specific rare breed, hand-chopped (not ground), and seasoned with a ferocity that is both Thai and very personal. The clay pot baked glass noodles are addictive. Chapman (who also founded Smoking Goat) brought a cooking style to London that no one had attempted at this level of ingredient sourcing and heat management.
Location
Soho, London
Insider Intel
The hand-minced Tamworth pork larb — the dish that defines the kitchen. The clay pot baked glass noodles. The whole roasted fish if available. Anything from the daily specials board. The heat levels are authentic — if you can't handle serious chilli, say so. A cold Singha beer is the correct drink pairing.
Walk-in at lunch (they now take some dinner reservations). Weekday lunches are easier than weekends. The Brewer Street location is deep Soho — surrounded by restaurants, which means the competition for your appetite is fierce but Kiln wins.
Counter and table seating. Brewer Street, Soho. Piccadilly Circus tube. Some dinner reservations now accepted (check website), lunch is walk-in. Dishes £8-15. The heat is real — ask if unsure. BYOB not accepted but the drinks list is short and appropriate. Cash and cards.