The Harrow Road is a strange old place. Ghetto barbershops, an animal rescue home, London's second largest cemetery, and some of London's finest hidden treasures in exotic cuisine. One of them is Tong Kanom, the name of which is presumably a place or means something to those from the land of Thai, but it is doubtless authentic.
One of our dining party has been to Thailand twice and I've been to Vietnam, and we both agreed that the flavours of Tong Kanom delivered something far closer to the genuine article, leagues above the shoddy imitations of Chinatown. The spicy Southern curries and cashew stir fries were almost indiscernible from the most traditional meals we've enjoyed in South East Asia.
The real tests are the spice levels of the jungle curry, the creaminess of the coconut rice, and the balance of tangy zest in the sweet and sour sauce (none of this High Fructose pish!). All these three came through perfectly.
The family-owned establishment has been running some twenty plus years and apparently operates purely on the recommendations of its loyal regulars: "All word of mouth, this place". Our friendly server politely asked us to invite more of our friends, and I already have. Everything about the experience was pleasant, from the decor to the service to the bill. Vegetarian dishes cost about £6, and nothing is more than £8. The Bring Your Own policy helps save even more, with the Offie just two doors down.
Their menu is also very well laid out and other Asian restaurants should take note - instead of having exclusive dishes for meat eaters, every main on the bill of fare (which is broken down into categories) has the same base ingredients, and the customer decides whether they want to keep it veggie or add some spicy animal meat to their curry, stir fry, or noodle soup.
It is so refreshing to find such a cosy, real, and cheap Thai restaurant in my local area. Tong Kanom also does delivery. I've got a menu at the ready right now...
I have eaten in many Thai restaurants in London and none can come remotely close to this place.ive eaten here with many friends and family over the years and haven't found a single person that can say anything negative about the food,very good value for money,would defiantly recommend it here
I can't believe Time Out only gave 3 stars. I have been coming here for years, and I bring all my friends, and they bring all their friends. This is without a doubt the best Thai in London! I've been to Thailand 3 times, and this is delicious authentic home cooked cuisine. And it's affordable.
I went to this Restaurant last Thursday and I am so happy I did. The food was “Extraordinaire”. I love Thai and unfortunately for various reasons I haven’t been to a Thai restaurant for some time but Boy, this compensated for lost time! First they served Thai Chilli Rice Crackers (which were much more flavoursome than the usual Chinese ones) then we had a mixed platter for 2 as a starter plus 2 Pad Thai and a fried Tilapia. I always find something to say flavour wise regarding the food, but in this case the meal was spot on, service very friendly, everything was top notch. And to make things better there is a BYO policy and the delicious food was washed down with a nice bottle of Prosecco brought from home. One tiny criticism maybe was the waiting time and surrounding area outside, but who cares I come for food quality! If I want to please my visual senses, I would go to an Art Gallery! Notwithstanding that, the dish itself is a visual experience!
