Saengarun Thai, Leeds (Takeaway review)

A very big thank you to the Twitter people that put me on to this place. I got takeaway from here on Sunday night and it was excellent. Really good Thai food can be quite a challenge to find in this country, so it's great to discover a local gem. Many of the larger, more upmarket Thai places seem to have chucked money at the restaurant fixtures and fittings, but don't give the same care and attention to the food. I've had very dull meals lacking the vibrancy you expect from Thai food both here and here. Perhaps Saengarun are having a subtle dig when they say on their website: 'Not the finest decorated restaurant in Leeds, but we do serve the best and most authentic tasting Thai food..'.

I ordered a Som Tam (shredded papaya salad) from a short selection of salads, then a Gaeng Ped (red curry) with boiled rice to follow. 

The Som Tam was an absolute face melter. Ridiculously hot, there was no toning down for the unsuspecting farang here. It was sensory overload with the multiple flavours of chilli heat, sour lime, salty fish sauce, pungent garlic and sweet palm sugar all mingling with the multiple textures of brittle peanuts, cold, crunchy papaya and soft, pounded tomatoes. Startlingly good, although I did give up half way through as it was just that little beyond my heat tolerance level. Nothing wasted though, as I finished it for supper the day after.

The curry was also a success, and thankfully a little milder. Generously proportioned with a good mix of vegetables and well cooked chicken, the sauce was rich, coconutty and anise scented from thai sweet basil.

Prices are a little higher than you might expect for a takeaway (most things on the menu seem to be a pound cheaper than the dine in price, my bill came to £15), but it's definitely worth it. I'll be back for more.


8/10

159 Briggate
Leeds
LS1 6LY

http://www.thairestaurantinleeds.co.uk/