Songkran – SADLY NOW CLOSED

Songkran is tucked away on one of Edinburgh’s steepest streets, Gloucester Street, just round the corner from the Nira Caledonia, and near to any number of fine Stockbridge eateries. It is located in a very oldy worldy building, which is not a location you would immediately think would house a restaurant, far less a Thai one.

Interior

The place is an unusual mix of Thai stylings and bare stone walls. It gives the sense of being a generations old place, as if the Buddha were built in to the foundations. I found it charming; a real Edinburgh curio.

From their extensive menu, I opened with chicken Tom Yum, then followed with a whole deep fried trout, accompanied by steamed rice.

Soup

The welcome was incredibly friendly, with a relaxed vibe that you don’t always associate with Thai places.

Soup soon appeared, and radiated a certain fierceness. It looked like it was going to pack a mule-like kick. It certainly had a good punchy chilli heat, but it had plenty of aromatic warmth from lemongrass and lime. Good chunks of chicken and mushroom, along with soft pepper, brought good textural variety to what was a really pleasing soup.

Trout

The trout main was good, too. I’m a huge fan of trout, preferring it entirely to salmon. I was braced for the dish to wow me. It didn’t quite, but it was still really pleasing. Good, fresh vegetables accompanied the crispy fish, with a flavour-packed sauce. The flesh of the fish could have been a little more moist, but this was the only real qualm I had with the otherwise well-executed dish.

So overall, Songkran struck me as a rather good little Thai place. I was in desperate need of a good Thai meal to blank the horror of Chaophraya from my mind, and Songkran managed this task very nicely. I’d be delighted to come back and would happily recommend that you pay it a visit.

Scores
Blythe scores Songkran
3.5/5 for food
3.5/5 for presentation
4/5 for setting
3.5/5 for service
giving an overall 14.5/20

Today’s quester was: Blythe

I ate: chicken Tom Yum; deep fried whole trout; steamed rice

I drank: house white, water, filter coffee

I wore: lemon shirt

Total bill: £27.40