ThaiKhun at Intu Metro Centre Review

The Intu Metro Centre is a huge local shopping mall in Gateshead that has lots of shops, restaurants and entertainment including an IMAX ODEON cinema. You can read more about the shopping centre in a blog post here. They are always introducing new shops and restaurants to the centre and I decided to visit last month after hearing a lot of new places to eat had opened up. One new restaurant in particular caught my eye, called Thaikhun and after reading the menu and having a little peak inside at the decor I just had to try it out. I went for the first time with my mum whilst on a girls shopping trip and I loved it so much that I returned a second time a couple of weeks later with my Mr. We both agreed that it was a new favourite and couldn’t wait to come back again for another meal. I was offered the opportunity to try out the new Kids menu which obviously I jumped at the chance to return to the restaurant. We hadn’t been with our son before so I was definitely interested to see what the restaurant was like for kids.

To be honest, with my son only being just under 3 years old I was worried how he would get on with the food. With him being the age he is at, he can be quite temperamental and if he doesn’t want to try something, then it can be pretty difficult to persuade him. I was advised that the kids menu was aimed more at age 5-12 year olds so I did worry that he would be a bit young and that he might not like it. Unfortunately on this day he was just not in a good mood at all! He is usually an angel but he is human and has days where he is ratty and not up for doing much. I just had to cross my fingers and hope there would be no major drama. I did bring toys just in case but I was delighted to find that there was a colouring in sheet and crayons awaiting him when we got there. He was more than happy to sit still once he saw that laid out on the table.

We were greeted by all of the smiley staff as we walked in and sat down at our table immediately. It was really quiet for 1PM on a Saturday but it was a nice atmosphere. We had our drink order taken straight away and given the menus to look at. A member of staff who served us throughout the meal very kindly talked us through the new kids menu and also explained that there were some new things on the main menu also. She was very friendly and showed a lot of interest in our little man, giving him lots of attention (even though she did have to ask if he was a boy or girl, which made us laugh). We did get slightly confused when ordering on the kids menu and we were reading it in columns but once the waitress explained it to us we understood what to do. The kids menu offered 3 courses which included mixed veg of cucumber and carrots to start, a choice of 3 mains and then an ice lolly for dessert. There was also the choice of juice, milk or water to drink and it was all included in the £5.95 price. There was either Phad Thai, Fried Chicken with Jasmine rice or a Mix & Match Thai Tray. The Thai Tray had a choice of options, including rice/noodles with grilled chicken/Pork/Mixed Vegetables and either Satay sauce (no nuts)/sweet BBQ sauce/slightly spicy green curry.

The adult menu was even more amazing than last time I had visited as it had all of the usual good stuff on there and more. It took us quite some time to decide what to order and what to order for our little man. Although he has had noodles and rice before it’s not something he has that often and not something he’d had in a while so I just wasn’t sure what to order. We decided to order the Mix & Match Thai Tray for him so we could choose what he would hopefully enjoy. We ended up going for rice with grilled chicken and a sweet BBQ sauce which came separately in a little bowl. I ordered the chicken spring rolls for starter and then crumbed chicken breast served with coconut rice and a sweet chilli dip. The Mr ordered pork dumplings for starter and then beef noodles for his main. Whilst we waited for our food our drinks were brought out and Reid’s mixed veg was brought out which amazingly he tucked in to and loved. He finished one cup and the waitress saw so she brought him some more. Whilst we waited for the food to come I noticed my little one pour something all over the table and I soon realised that it was a pot of little dried creepy crawlies. I then re-read the kids menu and noticed it said that they came free with the meal. I wasn’t entirely sure what to do with them, I assumed you were to eat them but my toddler decided they were his little pets..

The starters arrived very quickly and our little ones food arrived straight away. It came in an orange plastic tray with plastic cutlery. Reid absolutely loved this and it looked so exciting to him, he especially loved having his own knife. He normally only really uses a fork or a spoon but we let him give it a go with both and he obviously felt very grown up cutting every piece up in to millions of tiny pieces. He ate all of his chicken and even munched on some of the salad. He did eat some rice but I think after 2 cups of veg before the meal, another one with the meal and lots of chicken he didn’t have much room or interest in eating anymore. He had eaten very well and I was so glad he ate plenty and was making lots of yummy noises. It was great to see a really healthy kids meal that a child still found quite exciting. It was the perfect meal to use fingers and I loved how everything came separate, making life so much easier if he didn’t like something (no picking millions of bits out). He was really enjoying his orange juice too which we ordered with the meal and I felt so much better giving him a lunch like this than going to Macdonals.

Our meal was amazing! It did take quite a while to come out, however right after our starters it got really busy in there and everyone seemed to come in at once. I thoroughly enjoyed my food and just as Reid started getting fidgety they brought his ice lolly out which meant we were relaxed eating our food and not stressed. It was a mini milk lolly which are his favourite and he finished it all just as we finished our mains, so it was timed perfectly. I was so glad to have got through a meal with no tantrums considering the mood he was in and I think the restaurant and staff played a part in keeping him entertained and happy. The only regret I has is that I was driving and couldn’t order any of their gorgeous cocktails! My favourite cocktail is from there, called ‘Good Time Girl’ and I so wanted to order one but it was either going without or getting the bus all the way back to Durham which I did NOT fancy! As tempting as it was to order one however.

I would rate the food, the staff and the place 10/10 and will definitely be returning as a family! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who is looking for somewhere different to eat as a family as there is something for everyone and a really good menu. The children’ menu was definitely value for money which I cannot fault and I would be interested to try my toddler with the other dishes. My favourite thing was hard to choose as I did love both my starter and main a lot but the chicken spring rolls were particularly amazing! Although I live in Durham I happily drive half an hour to go for food here a it is definitely the new favourite! If you aren’t near to the Intu Metro Centre, don’t worry as there are Thaikhun restaurants all over the country and you can check if there is one near you online. Although I can’t vouch for the other locations I can confidently say that this one is brilliant and I have certainly been telling all of my friends and family!

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