Surin recommended: top 45 restaurants in Kent

Surin is recommend by KM newspaper, Kent's largest newspaper, as one of the top 45 restaurants in Kent. Surin is one of only 3 Asian restaurants recommended in Kent (and the other two are Japanese), the only Thai restaurant in Kent, and one of only two restaurants in Thanet. The Surin review is: SURIN, RAMSGATE CT11 8HA Thai restaurants may be two a penny, but the Surin offers astonishing bang to the baht. It’s cheap and cheerful but with a freshness and verve you’d expect from a high-end London establishment. Chef and owner Damrong Garbutt has West End training, but it’s her home cooking learnt from her mother and grandmother in north east Thailand, near the Cambodian border, that really hits the spot. Cambodian and Laotian dishes throw in an element of the unexpected and there are locally brewed house beers, blonde or dark, to complement the flavours. Among reviewers who have dug deep for sufficient superlatives to do justice to Surin is food writer Jay Rayner. http://www.surinrestaurant.co.uk/ The full KM listing is: 45 best places to eat in Kent: Our favourite restaurants, pubs and cafes Surin is also recommended by The Good Food Guide, The Times, The Independent, Thai Embassy Select: UK and European restaurants, and Time Out, BBCTV and The Observer: http://www.surinrestaurant.co.uk/ Try the sea bass!

Litlte Ships in Ramsgate

Wonderful to see the Little Ships in Ramsgate harbour and sailing to Dunkirk.

Bank Holiday weekend: Sunday 25th May

Surin is open on Sunday 25th May from 6pm. Always busy and supposedly the start of the Summer heatwave so book early!

Bob Hoskins RIP

Sad to hear of Bob's death who visited Surin several times when filming in Kent. Terrific actor and lovely man. Interesting too how he mixed blockbusters like Roger Rabbit with smaller films.

Spicy Prawn soup with Lemongrass Tom Yam Goong

One of the best known Thai dishes abroad, this flavourful but spicy soup is hot, sour and fragrant, an ideal accompaniment to other Thai dishes and rice. The Kaffir lime leaves, galangal and lemon grass are what gives this soup its tangy flavour, but are not meant to be eaten, so tell your guests to avoid them while eating the broth, prawns and mushrooms.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients
4 cups (1litre) Thai Chicken Stock
3 kaffir lime leaves
2 in (5cm) fresh galangal root, sliced 3-4 coriander roots, washed (optional) 3 stems lemongrass, thick bottom part only, dry outer sheath discarded, smashed with back of a cleaver
6-9 medium prawns or shrimp, shells intact
1 cup (5 ox/150g) fresh o canned straw mushrooms or small button mushrooms, sliced in half 5-10 bird’s-eye chillies, smashed 3 tablespoons lime juice, or to taste 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce, or to taste 3 spring fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)



Bring the stock to a boil and add kaffir lime leaves, galangal, coriander roots and lemongrass. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the prawns or shrimp, mushrooms and chillies, and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the lime juice and fish sauce (which is very salty) to taste. The soup should be spicy-sour and a little salty. Serve garnished with fresh coriander leaves (cilantro).


Note: Do not overcook the prawns or they will become tough. Use home-made chicken stock in this dish for the best flavour. Any variety of seafood may be substituted for or added to the prawns – including sliced fish, crab or squid.

Som Tam Salad

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 or 2 papaya
• 2 tsp of toasted peanuts
• 2 cloves of peeled garlic
• 1-2 fresh Thai birds eye chilli (or more to if you want more spicy)
• 2 tsp of sugar
• 8 cherry tomatoes
• juice of ½ lime
• 1½ tablespoons of fish sauce
• 1-2 tablespoons of Thai snake beans (or green beans) cut into 1 inch sticks

Directions:

1. Roughly crush a small handful of unsalted peanuts with mortar and pestle. Set aside. Wipe the mortar and pestle clean.
2. Peel the papaya ), shred it with a shredder to thin strips and soak them in cold water while you prepare the rest of the salad. This makes the papaya crunchier and gets rid of any excess starch from the swede.
3. Cut the end of the green beans and then cut into strips
4. Take the chillies and peeled garlic and add them in the mortar. Gentle start crushing the ingredients in the mortar to release the flavours, which will be the base of the dish.
5. Add the crushed peanuts and mix well with a spoon
6. Add the shredded papaya and continue crushing the ingredients with the pestle to combine the ingredients. Also using a spoon to make sure all the ingredients are covered evenly.
7. Finally add sugar, tomatoes, beans, lime juice and fish sauce and mix again.
8. Now it is ready to serve on a plate with crushed peanuts as garnish

Our Prize Draw!!

We have an exciting prize to give away: The Big Bang Theory Season One DVD because as we found out
the gang at Big Bang Theory always eat Thai food once a week! See this YouTube video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYOkaAfOrWY

To enter:
Like us on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/SurinRestaurant?ref=hl and share this post

Prize draw will close on Monday 24th June at midnight (UK time) and the winner will be picked and notified message on Tuesday 25th June on how to claim their prize

Don't forget we still have spaces for Friday and Saturday evening, call: 01843 592001 to book a table.