Koh Samui

Popped in here when staying next door at the Arora hotel. Fabulous food. Fast service and great price. Would definitely recommend!

Manchester’s original Thai restaurant. Excellent value lunchtime special menu, evening is pricier though. Food is simple (as it should be) but great! Staff extremely polite and attentive — when aren’t the Thai’s though?!

Koh Samui was a little dumpy and deserted for me (I was the only person in there for lunch). The tom yum was essentially spicy chili water with fried tofu in it– not impressed. And in the end, I paid £12 for soup, a bowl of rice and a drink which was a shocker. However, the waiter was one of the friendliest I’ve ever had so I have to give the place credit for the staff. Maybe I’ll give it a second chance (based on the other reviews) and try some of the main dishes.

It’s Thai Time! I was trawling the edge of Chinatown looking for something hot and coconutty and Koh looked like it was going to fit the bill. And it did. It won’t necessarily be the best Thai food you’ll taste in the city but it’ll fill a gap, mend a hole, satiate your appetite and make you feel happy and full. But what about the price?
Well, with the popularity of Thai food it’s gone up a little in recent years. A little bird told me that it used to be a super cheap option and unfortunately it doesn’t feel like the food matches the heftier price tag these days, so it might not be one I’d visit often unless I had a fever for the Thai flavour. Still, the wonderful service and ambient surroundings are certainly a positive, and sometimes it’s worth spending a little more for the comfort. Especially if it’s raining… then Koh Samui feels especially cosy.
There are plenty of options and while it might not be one of the crisper, fresher and more highbrow Thai options it’s a little more down to earth and all the better for it.

One of the better Thai restaurants in town, Koh Samui offers all the classic Thai dishes. It has become a little more expensive in recent years but the quality of the food still doesn’t disappoint.
There’s a large selection of starters including Spare Ribs, Prawn Parcels and and Duck Salad. I love the Stir-​fried Chilli and Holy Basil main, it has a real kick to it.
Service was excellent, I didn’t even notice the presence of the waiter which is always a good sign. The décor is tasteful and simple, a nice place to come for a date or birthday celebration.

I ordered pad thai with shrimp and it was very tasty and hot without being greasy. The service was friendly, but they were confused when I asked for hot sauce or chilis. It took a few minutes to sort out. Nice digs inside the restaurant.

The first time round, Koh Samui is quite hard to find. Although it’s just down the street from Yang Sing, it’s in a tiny basement-​type room and not easy to spot. The dining room itself is very small; there aren’t a lot of tables. This creates a very cozy, intimate atmosphere, a thing you don’t quite get from Yang Sing or other big restaurants.
Upon entering, the staff are very friendly and polite and are willing to accommodate your every whim as the picky customer. This was great for us; we wanted a set menu for 4 people, except there were 3 of us, which they graciously allowed.
The menu cost us about £25 per head and started us off with some Thai-​style prawn crackers — not the same as those white greasy things you get from the local chinese and a thousand times more delicious. Our appetites were whetted further with a selection of lovely starters, the names of which escape me, and then a HUGE amount of main courses, including things like sea bass, which were absolutely delicious.
All in all, Koh Samui was a great little restaurant and the food was delicious and well-​presented. While I wouldn’t say the restaurant was exactly bustling, you got the sense that the diners there were regulars, and that they knew they were onto a good thing.