Plaza Khao Gaeng
Luke Farrell grows his southern Thai chillies, herbs and aromatics in a tropical greenhouse in Dorset, then cooks them into curries at this khao gaeng canteen on the Arcade Food Hall mezzanine, a Bib Gourmand kitchen since 2023.
Why go
Southern Thai is the most herb-intensive branch of the repertoire, built on fresh coconut milk and cream, and Farrell told Restaurant magazine it is the hardest to prepare, which is why almost nobody in London attempts it straight. Michelin's inspectors credit the greenhouse-to-wok chain for "wonderfully authentic, punchy southern Thai curries," and the Bib has held from 2023 through the 2026 selection. The format honors the curry-over-rice canteens of Thailand down to the plastic plates. Run with JKS Restaurants, the operation added a Borough Yards room in late 2025 and a third site on Bedford Street in Covent Garden.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the gaeng som talay, the sour seafood curry The Infatuation warns
will blow your head off bit by bit,
plus the turmeric fried chicken wings the same review callsaddictive in the best possible way,
and kua kling muu for the dry-fried end of the spectrum. - Avoid: ordering around the heat. The kitchen calibrates to southern Thai levels and the sour-hot curries are why the Bib exists.
What locals & experts say
- Michelin Guide (Bib Gourmand, awarded 2023, held through 2026):
wonderfully authentic, punchy southern Thai curries
from ingredients grown in Farrell's Dorset greenhouse.1 - The Infatuation (Jake Missing, June 2022, 8.7):
an homage to khao gaeng (curry over rice) canteens all over Thailand.
2 - The Caterer: expansion to a third site confirms the model travels; the original remains the TCR mezzanine.3
Good to know
- Timing: all-day, noon to 10.30pm Monday to Saturday, 8.30pm close Sunday, verified July 2026.
- Booking: SevenRooms, parties to 22; walk-ins flow through the food hall.
- Getting there: next to Tottenham Court Road station; enter Arcade Food Hall and head for the mezzanine.
- Budget: about £40 a head per The Infatuation's visit.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: Thai Binh gourmand
Verdict
should-visit — A Bib Gourmand kitchen cooking the hardest register of Thai food from plants the chef grows himself in Dorset. The sourcing loop is unique in Britain and the critical record backs the plate; the canteen format and £40-a-head keep it accessible. It stops short of must-visit because the format is deliberately casual and no single dish carries a career-defining consensus yet.