Review of Jack Thai, Sunderland city centre's only dedicated Thai restaurant

But the hole in the city centre for a restaurant dedicated to food from this South East Asian country has been plugged to great effect by Jack Thai.

It’s been brought to the city by the same Jack at the former Thai Bay in Sunniside Gardens.

The eponymous restaurateur and chef has done a great job of transforming the Georgian unit in Albion Place (sandwiched between the National Reserve Club and Marcellos for reference), which has stood empty for some time since its days as an Indian restaurant.

I’ve walked past it thousands of times, but hadn’t noticed its handsome architectural features, such as sash windows, panelling and the distinctive Georgian arches until I visited Jack Thai.

The period features work well with the modern additions at this smart restaurant, such as a modern real flame fire, subtle neon lighting that sets the mood well and a sleek bar with bar seating, which is ideal if you’re a solo diner.

Meanwhile, Thai-inspired contemporary artworks, huge mature plants in bamboo pots and raffia seating harks back to the food’s country of origin.

It’s not a huge restaurant, but the most has been made of the space, which has warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Down to the menu, there’s plenty on there to tickle your Thai-loving taste buds, including a range of appetisers, rice and noodle bowls, soups, curries, plenty of sides and more.

They also offer an Asian Roast Dinner (alongside a classic British one), with options such as Bangkok roast duck which sounds worth a go if you fancy spicing up your Sunday lunch.

We couldn’t choose between the appetisers so chose a pick and mix of dishes to share: edamame beans (£4.50), prawn crackers (£4.50), Asian fillet mignon carpaccio (£10.50), salt and chilli calamari (£8.50) and chao pra ya prawns (£9.50).

It was a juggling act getting it all on our table for two, but we had ordered a lot to be fair.

And I’m glad we did – it gave us a perfect picky tea of authentic flavour and fragrance, with that distinctive kick and tang you get with Thai food.

The Asian fillet mignon carpaccio was a real triumph: for fans of rare beef it’s a great twist on the Mediterranean version with slivers of pink beef marinated in a chilli, garlic and lime dressing with crispy garlic and Japanese mayo. A kaleidoscope of flavour, we couldn’t get enough.

I really enjoyed the calamari too. None of your rubbery stuff here, this was great quality squid, elevated with spring onion, chilli and crispy garlic and a chilli oil teriyaki dip.

The spice kept coming (you’ll definitely need to be on the mints the following day) with the chao pra ya prawns – grilled plump prawns with a spicy tamarind sauce, crispy shallots and delightfully crisp fried vermicelli noodles. Another dish with a great depth of flavour.

After devouring all those appetisers, we had little room left for mains so just had a classic tom yum soup with prawns (£9.50) each for mains.

It was a simple aromatic dish, a richly-flavoured broth perfect after our more substantial starters. But if you want to fill your boots, the curries being served around us looked, and smelt, great.

We were asked to leave our table before we finished our drinks to sit on the sofas instead because of waiting diners. Not ideal, but the staff were really friendly about it and took 10% off our bill. Still only in their first few weeks of business, I think they’re just getting used to juggling walks ins with bookings.

It was chock-a-block on the Friday night we visited and, hopefully, Sunderland supports and it stays that way.

It joins a wave of new independents who’ve opened in the past year, including nearby curry house Babaji in the old Royale Thai unit and the excellent PHO 179, which has transformed a once-empty unit at the bottom of Blandford Street into a Vietnamese hot spot.

I couldn’t find a Jack Thai website yet, or a dedicated restaurant Instagram page, but there’s a Facebook group (JACK Thai) where you can make a booking or you can do it on the good old telephone on 0191 711 6559. There’s also a delivery option on Uber Eats.

Opening times are Tuesday – Friday from 12pm to 3pm and 5pm to 10pm, Saturdays from 12pm to 10pm and Sundays from 5pm to 10pm.

Sunderland Restaurant Week

Jack Thai is one the many restaurants taking part in the forthcoming Sunderland Restaurant Week, which is a great chance to try some new places or revisit some old favourites.

Now a popular twice-yearly fixture in the city’s calendar, the event is returning from September 16-24, 2023.

Last March’s Sunderland Restaurant Week proved a hit, ploughing almost £500,000 into the local economy and next month’s looks set to follow suit with more than 30 restaurants and cafes already signed up to take part, with more to come.

Organised by Sunderland BID and supported by Sunderland City Council, Restaurant Week gives venues the chance to attract new customers and reward loyal ones through £10, £15 and £20 offers.

All you have to do to take part is download the offer from the venue you wish to visit and make a booking within Restaurant Week.

Some of the city’s newest restaurants will be taking part including Rumour Has It in Green Terrace, which opened its doors earlier this year, and Jack Thai.

They join favourites such as Asiana, Mexico 70, who are participating for the first time, ENFES, My Delhi, Spent Grain and Grinder Coffee.

Vouchers can be downloaded at www.sunderlandbid.co.uk/restaurant-week/