Time 4 Thai

45 North Castle Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3BG

Telephone 0131 225 8822
Food served Mon–Thu noon–2.30pm, 5–11.30pm; Fri/Sat noon–11.30pm; Sun 1–11.30pm
Average price £10.80 (set lunch); £20 (evening meal)
Website www.time4thai.co.uk

The 2013 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the current (2013) edition.

Entering from the grey Georgian slope of North Castle Street, the immediate impression fostered by the distractingly named Time 4 Thai is that of a well-turned-out place. The designers pursued a purple theme, with folded plum napkins, mauve chairs and a spotlit trellis of artfully wrought branches dotted with violet blooms within the entrance wall. The atmosphere is congenial, the waiters obliging, but the large range of mains yield patchy results, with dishes ranging from the everyday to the outstanding. An unmemorable, under-spiced red curry is counteracted by a gaeng mussaman gai that must rank among the best in the city – an ambrosial concoction of whole nuts, threads of crispy shallots and flavoursome pieces of golden pan-fried and baked chicken flaking into a rich gingery sauce. Starters include prettily presented but overpriced scallops in a half shell with astringent herbs, and moreish filo parcels of blended pork and prawn with sticky chilli dip. Diners should take advantage of the superlative wine list, which includes a smartly chosen selection of vintages from across the globe and several top-notch champagnes.

High point: Three words: gaeng mussaman gai
Low point: Uneven quality

Number of wines sold by the glass: 4
Private dining: Up to 40 covers
Provides: Gluten-free options, Children's portions, Children's high chairs
Music on stereo: classical music
Capacity: 120
Largest group: 40
Open since: 2005
House wine: £15.95 per bottle
BYOB: £6 corkage

Comments & ratings

4. rodti – 26 Oct 2011, 1:04pm Report

'Time 4 Thai', or 'Time 2 Die'?

First time visit to Time 4 Thai yesterday at lunchtime with a party of 10 or so colleagues, booked in advance. The restaurant was probably less than half full, but clean and with pleasant, vibrant decor. Things went very rapidly downhill from there, at least for me and one other diner.

I ordered the vegetable spring rolls as a starter and a thai green curry with tofu, and made it very clear to the waiter that I had a mushroom allergy. He asked again for the items I'd ordered, and confirmed that there were no mushrooms in either dish. I was served and was about to tuck in when the colleague next to me, who unbeknown to me also had a mushroom allergy, raised concerns with the waiter. Meanwhile several of our other colleagues opened their spring rolls only to find plenty of mushrooms in there. Eventually, after having to reiterate that we had food allergies, our starters were whisked away, and only after some time were alternative orders taken. I was brought a particularly scant 'vegetable salad'.

After all this I was starving and looking forward to my green curry with tofu, which arrived without and tofu. I couldn't even be bothered complaining by this point.

I'm not sure where the breakdown in communication lies in this restaurant, with either the staff not familiar with the dishes or not bothering to confirm ingredients with the chef, but I wouldn't touch a restaurant that doesn't take food allergies seriously with a bargepole.

3. CBBW – 13 Jan 2011, 6:28pm Time 4 Thai Report: I always find the food here excellent....only one complaint - portion size could be a bit bigger!

2. Sally Pinkerp – 30 Sep 2010, 1:28pm Time 4 Thai Report: I also totally disagree with the review above. Having eaten here last week, the food was really excellent - and also not expensive at all. The only complaint I would have is that the ambiance is a bit too smart and snazzy for my own liking and the service is so polite (bordering on subservient) that it almost made me feel uncomfortable. But this is a subjective personal preference, and in terms of quality of food, and value, it was fantastic.

1. Derek&Wendy – 19 Jun 2010, 10:39am Report

"The new edition of the List's Eating & Drinking Guide is available in the shops and online with fully updated reviews of over 800 restaurants, cafés and bars.
This review is taken from the current (2010) edition."

I have just read the review from the above and would like to vehemently disagree.
My wife son and I have just had the most delightful meal which was well cooked well presented and filling and complimented by the atmosphere in the restaurant created by the decor and the staff.
My son has just returned from a holiday in Thailand and his comment was that the food was as good as the food he had there.
On top of all this it was not expensive.
Derek Everest

Average rating 4/5 from 2 reviews of Time 4 Thai.

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