The old 8 Kings Road building has certainly changed hands a few times in recent years, with each restaurant venture proving unsuccessful, so when I saw a new Thai restaurant emerging, it's hard not to assume a similar fate.
But this may not be the case this time. It would appear that Koh Southsea is not the only one. Both Bournemouth Boscombe and I believe Bath all have a Koh, so this evidently is a small independently owned chain emerging in a time of little growth.
The interior is quite dark and sultry, and would appeal to the younger crowd for sure. The interior a far cry from it's predecessors, with it's dark woods and predictable feel.
Friends gave me mixed reviews, so I went with an average expectation.
Service was swift, and the waitress pleasant. We ordered 7 tapas dishes including Squid, Satay Chicken, Spring Rolls, and a couple of tapas size Thai curry's. Satay Chicken and Spring Rolls are not my usual choice, but if a restaurant does this well, you can get a good idea of what to expect from the rest of the menu.
I was not impressed by the first three - they seemed very average to me (so not much to say that you wouldn't already guess), but I did however think the Thai curry dishes were tasty and I would order these again. We had the classic Green curry and the other was a Duck curry made with a red curry paste base with pineapple and grapes in with the sauce. I thought it sounded wacky, but a few cocktails in, I was curious and glad to say I really enjoyed it uniqueness.
I have no images to share as it was so dark in there they never came out on my iPhone!
I was not blown away by the food, but I'm sure Koh Southsea will be a success as it will cater for the masses. However, on a positive note they do a takeaway/delivery service and I would be happy to try that out and just order from the Thai curry dishes on offer, as there were several inventive sounding dishes that caught my eye.
Top tip: The couple sat next to me had ordered 9 tapas dishes and they all arrived at the same time! Perhaps they requested this, but if this was the case - bad idea. Cold food is never excusable or pleasant!
But this may not be the case this time. It would appear that Koh Southsea is not the only one. Both Bournemouth Boscombe and I believe Bath all have a Koh, so this evidently is a small independently owned chain emerging in a time of little growth.
The interior is quite dark and sultry, and would appeal to the younger crowd for sure. The interior a far cry from it's predecessors, with it's dark woods and predictable feel.
Friends gave me mixed reviews, so I went with an average expectation.
Service was swift, and the waitress pleasant. We ordered 7 tapas dishes including Squid, Satay Chicken, Spring Rolls, and a couple of tapas size Thai curry's. Satay Chicken and Spring Rolls are not my usual choice, but if a restaurant does this well, you can get a good idea of what to expect from the rest of the menu.
I was not impressed by the first three - they seemed very average to me (so not much to say that you wouldn't already guess), but I did however think the Thai curry dishes were tasty and I would order these again. We had the classic Green curry and the other was a Duck curry made with a red curry paste base with pineapple and grapes in with the sauce. I thought it sounded wacky, but a few cocktails in, I was curious and glad to say I really enjoyed it uniqueness.
I have no images to share as it was so dark in there they never came out on my iPhone!
I was not blown away by the food, but I'm sure Koh Southsea will be a success as it will cater for the masses. However, on a positive note they do a takeaway/delivery service and I would be happy to try that out and just order from the Thai curry dishes on offer, as there were several inventive sounding dishes that caught my eye.
Top tip: The couple sat next to me had ordered 9 tapas dishes and they all arrived at the same time! Perhaps they requested this, but if this was the case - bad idea. Cold food is never excusable or pleasant!
