The Black Orchid Thai Restaurant

The Black Orchid is an outstanding family-run Thai restaurant which currently has two branches, inside The John Baird, Muswell Hill N10, and The Waggon, Southgate N14. On the 7th of June a further Black Orchid restaurant will be opening in Islington inside The Nobody Inn, N1.

All of the restaurants are owned and run by Toi, who uses the finest traditional Thai ingredients to create masterpieces of traditional and contemporary cuisine, many of which are based on her own family recipes.

Toi and her fantastic friendly staff are happy to welcome you on any occasion, whether you fancy spicy noodles, exquisite rice or curry dishes or traditional English dishes.

Both of the existing Black Orchid restaurants are located inside friendly, comfortable pubs, both of which have extensive and varied wine and beer selections. The John Baird was recently completely refurbished and under Keith's management has enjoyed a complete regeneration of ambience and sophistication.

Why not come in for a drink and see what takes your fancy from the menus? Your only difficulty will be choosing which of the mouth-watering dishes to order!

We recently had a fantastic review!

In April 2008 we were reviewed in The Muswell Hill Journal. Here's what they had to say:

So good it will leave you tongue-Thai'd!

I'm not sure if I want to share with you just how good the food here is. It has to be one of Muswell Hill's best kept secrets and I want to be sure that I'll get a table next time I go back to the John Baird pub's Black Orchid Thai Restaurant.

It is difficult to find Thai cuisine that tastes like the real deal but I unexpectedly struck gold when I brought my brother and his wife to the John Baird.

Named after the Scottish inventor of the first working television system, it has a generous garden which would be wonderful in the summer, but the snow on the picnic tables put me off this time!

The menu contained all the favourites - green curry, spring rolls and chicken satay - as well as some intriguingly titled dishes such as jungle curry and volcano chicken. There was also a small selection of British food.

One of the things that stood out though was the prices. Was I really in Muswell Hill? Most of the courses were an affordable £6.95.

We decided the Black Orchid Platter would give us a good opportunity to sample a variety of starters.

The delicious selection of chicken satay, spring rolls, Thai fish cakes, prawn toast and prawn dumplings was beautifully presented with fresh orchids and despite the fact much of it was deep fried, the chef avoided turning them into greasy goop, which my arteries will thank me for.

My brother took the recommendation of the owner, Keith, to try the mussamun chicken. It was a beautifully creamy, sweet, mild dish with peanuts, potatoes and coconut milk.

My delicately sliced duck, in a distinctive sweet and sticky tamarind sauce, had just the right combination of meat with a slither of fat.

My sister-in-law's tender garlic beef with black pepper and coriander was equally exceptional.

I wish I had been able to sample the desserts too - not least because I was intrigued by the deep-fried ice cream. And the banana fritters looked good. And the pancakes with honey. Yes, this definitely warrants a return trip! - Sarah Harvey

Welcome to The Black Orchid Thai Restaurant

We recently had a fantastic review!

If you'd like to tell us about your dining experience at The Black Orchid please do send us an email.