BAHT. An Authentic Thai Dining Experience In Carlow
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| Superb Thai food and very comfortable chairs! |
A wealth of Thai experience lies behind the menu in Carlow town’s BAHT. The new Thai-owned restaurant sees seasoned chefs and fresh talent bring you authentic Thai flavours. Enjoy dishes infused with traditional medicinal herbs, crafted with passion and care. We certainly gave it a big thumbs up on a recent Tuesday evening when the room was close to capacity.
It is a lovely room on Castle Hill in the heart of the town. Lots of Thai memorabilia includes quite a few of these amazingly intricate vases, but the eye-catching piece, which stretches about 3 metres across one wall, is a mesmerisingly detailed depiction of a moving dragon boat packed with crew.
After a warm welcome, we began with an unlisted and delightful surprise: an amuse bouche of Thai Crackers with dip. They were darker in colour than your usual prawn crackers, and I gather that a little extra red chilli in the mix gives them that.
Our shared starter was the Baht Platter (€9.00), which included filo pastry wrapped prawns, Baht-style honey spare ribs, and the most delicious wonton bags made from chicken and prawns, a delicious sample of their small plates. We were up and running!
On to the mains, then. We had our work cut out trying to make a choice, but we both are big fans of Massaman Curry (24.40). The meat here was Lamb, so that swung it, and it didn't disappoint. The last Massaman I enjoyed as much was two years back in Bunnyconnellan’s, where the chef used lamb shank as the meat. It was also very delicious.
Portions here are rather generous, so there was no room for dessert on the night. But two very satisfied customers left Baht, the restaurant's name derived from the Thai currency.
Irish-born Thai Baht owner Nanphun Srakhunthod is currently chef at Uno Mas in Dublin. Nan's previous experiences include a wealth of knowledge from restaurants such as Pichet in Dublin and being a Stagiaire at two-Michelin-starred Gaggan in Bangkok. She is also a contributor to the recently published SOUP, one of the @blastabooks series.
Founder of Baht, Owee studied hospitality management and has been working in the industry since she was 16. She also has experience working with multiple 5-star hotels in Dublin. She started cooking when she was 7 and is passionate about experimenting with Thai recipes and creating her own version of those dishes.
Noad, an owner of BAHT, moved to Ireland over 30 years ago. Before moving to Ireland, Noad worked as a chef in Bangkok before applying to work in Siam Thai in Monkstown, Dublin, where he was the Executive Chef back in 1997. Noad is well known amongst the Thai people in Ireland for always lending a helping hand to the Thai community.
This trio alone makes Baht one of the most authentic Thai experiences you can have in Ireland. It is Very Highly Recommended and well worth a call, a detour even, if you are in Carlow.
Also on this trip
Arboretum Garden Centre & Cafe
Three lovely riverside towns: Leighlinbridge, Bagenalstown and Borris
BAHT Thai
The Lord Bagenal Inn
Duckett’s Grove
Cafe Mullichain post plus Blackstairs Mountains
O'Hara's Irish Pale Ale.
