The "Other" Thais

[nutty]

What do people think about the other Thai restaurants in ED? Thai Corner is closed this week so trying to decide which of

Thai Pavilion

and

Sema Thai

to frequent instead?

[val]

Sema Thai

[mark_bowen]

I'd have to say the Pavilion. The food is much more delicately cooked there and seems to be fresher than the Sema.

[bob]

Sema thai. Pavilion to expensive

[Mikey]

I like the Thai Pavilion - the food's great ; it's a bit more upmarket / formal than the Thai Cafe if you're celebrating a special occasion. It's correspondingly expensive.

You can't fault the food at theThai Corner Cafe either. It's excellent value for money , particularly as it's non-licenced. The only things I don;t like about it, is I find it a bit cramped, you can hear everyone elses's conversation and I don't like this thing about having to book 7.30 or 9.30.

PS Does Crystal Palace have more Thai restaurants per head of population than anywhere in SE London !?

[euphorbia]

Thai Pavilion is not cheap but the food is excellent, they deliver as well. I had heard lots of good things about the Thai Corner Cafe but was very disappointed when I went there - I hadn't previously been aware that tasteless dutch tomatoes were a key ingredient in Thai cuisine.

[mockney piers]

I have to agree. It [Thai corner cafe] is friendly and has a certain atmosphere, but I find the food really really bland.

It's a favourite of my father when he comes visiting so I've been going a couple of times a year since the start of this millennium and have failed to see any improvement in that time.

I guess the people who keep going back have some sort of congenital taste bud problem. I haven't tried the Pavillion but will on the strength of this.

I like Buddha Jazz on Grove Lane (strictly speaking SE5) though that definitely leans towards Vietnamese it does have a couple of thai dishes.

[nutty]

wow - the Pavilion deliver!!!?

I'll be popping in to get the menu tonight - had always walked round to pick up from Thai corner before, I can save myself that 100m walk now (not that I'm lazy or anything!)

[Quaywe]

Pavillion - not bad but a bit boring.

Sema Thai - YUK - how can anyone call this decent food. A RAT wouldn't eat it...!?

Thai Corner - YUUUUUUM!! Try the omelette, the red/green chicken or vege thai curry, or the chicken with veges and cashews. Best value, great food, great atmosphere. PS - the time slots are 19:00-21:00.

[Ant]

I haven't tried Sema, but of the other two I prefer the Pavillion because the food is generally better. The Thai Corner Cafe has a nice atmosphere, but the whole 7.30/9.30 thing I find really awkward. One's too early and the other's too late. Yes, Pavillion's a bit more expensive, but we don't have thai all that often and I think, given the quality of the food, that it's worth it.

(I've never eaten in there, mind. Only ever had stuff delivered.)

[Nero]

It's not E Dulwich, but what about Lombok in Herne Hill. I like it a lot. Good service too.

[Guest]

Nero Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It's not E Dulwich, but what about Lombok in Herne

> Hill. I like it a lot. Good service too.

Yeah Lombok is very good, with a nice atmosphere in my opinion. A touch on the pricey side, but I don't mind paying a bit extra for better than average food and good service.

[Guest]

Sema Thai do a buffet on Sundays....good value and tasty food, although the deep fried veg left a lot to be desired...Thai corner cafe is my favourite of all though.

[pearcesa]

Does anyone know what has happened with the Thai Pavillion? I went there in the summer and had a great meal and we decided to get a take-out last night, but when we phoned the number had a recorded message saying 'no incoming calls' and when we looked it up on the internet the website seemed to have disappeared!

If it's gone it will be a shame, although it was never that busy, I found the food and the service so much better than the Thai Corner Cafe, which is always too rammed and the food not that great!

[Oily Telly Tyke]

Is the Pavillion the one near ED station on Melbourne Grove? It has a sign in the window sating "We are now closed thanks to all our customers over the years" etc.

[pearcesa]

Yes, it is. What a shame, thanks for letting me know tho!

[nutty]

ah well - guess it was always likely to struggle in that location. Can always go to the main restaurant on Rupert Street.

[pearcesa]

That one has now gone too, but they now have this restaurant ....

http://www.pavilioneast.com/index.html

[Frisco]

"ah well - guess it was always likely to struggle in that location."

Well it managed to survive, seemingly without too much of a struggle, in that location for 20+ years, so I don't think 'always' is the right term to use. There is a huge footfall to and from the station past the restaurant everyday, which is what most food places yearn for. I never thought their marketing was up to much and I think there's more to it than just the location, and it could be that they turned their attention to projects elsewhere. I also don't believe the business changed hands a few years ago, and consequently isn't owned and run by the same people who started the ED restaurant.

They managed through the times when ED wasn't so trendy, and a recession, so I wonder why they've given up at a time when things should have become easier in terms of trade.

[James]

To be honest none of the Thais in East Dulwich are much good in my opinion. I prefer the Thai food at the Rye Hotel (they have a Thai chef). It's about time we got a Japanese & a Vietnamese place too. We have enough curry houses now!

[kford]

Get out to Lombok in Herne Hill. Lovely.

[mockney piers]

Is that thai? I always assumed it would be indonesian, but have been meaning to try it for ages.

[Nero]

It's staffed by Thais, I think, but the food is not exclusively Thai. It's a great place, and you get free prawn crackers, and the beer is suitably cold. Nero

[kford]

I suppose it is, but they do do green curries and the like. It's like a Thai but with thicker sauces. Yum.