Food review: The King and Thai, Broseley

Suree Coates grew up on the side of a river bank, somewhere in northern Thailand, where she’d watch her grandmother cook. While her father fished to feed his family, she would watch village elders grind fragrant herbs and spices to make authentic pastes.

Cooking was a task that she took to from the age of five. She’d make charcoal with her grandmother, so that the family had fuel for the fire on which their dinners were cooked, while all the time picking up hints and tips. Food was more than simple sustenance, it was a form of communication. Suree and her elders would feed the village monks, showing deference and respect by providing food for the community. Through the simple act of cooking, Suree and others would be bound together.

Flavour was everything. The youthful cook would harvest herbs and spices before pounding them in a pestle and mortar to make the bases for her sauces. Flavour was everything. Every ingredient was freshly picked. Throughout her childhood, she learnt from the best.

Suree, who for some years has cooked at the elegant King and Thai in Broseley, moved to England at the age of 21. She had no ambitions to become a chef – instead, she worked in the rag trade as a seamstress. But family and friends noted her abilities in the kitchen and paid her to cook. Soon, she was creating four-course dinners for 20 people at a time, supplementing her income by working as a part-time home cook.

The stand out quality was authenticity. Rather than cook bland, Anglicised versions of Thai favourites, Suree cooked the way she’d learnt back on the riverbank. Her guests were blown away. They’d never tasted anything like it.

Supported by her husband, Simon, she opened her first restaurant in Ironbridge. It was a hit. And then, nine years ago, she moved to larger premises at Broseley, to open the King and Thai. During a remarkably successful decade, when she outshone all before her, winning a slew of awards and being named the UK’s best Asian chef and best Thai chef. She’s stayed true to her principles, cooking from the heart as she’s poured her passion into flavour-bomb food that attracts an audience from far and wide.

For the King and Thai is more than just a neighbourhood Thai restaurant, it’s a venue that entices people from further afield.

It’s not just Suree’s ability in the kitchen, however, that strikes a chord with discerning diners. She also sources produce ethically and responsibly. So, rather than short-change customers with cheap cuts of meats from dubious origin, she is supplied by one of the region’s best butchers, Birmingham fish market and other high calibre traders, growers and makers.

And from there, she simply does what she’s been doing since she was a small girl – puts her heart and soul into creating food that people will love. It’s a recipe that critics and customers adore. In addition to being named UK Thai Chef of the Year, beating big-hitters from London and elsewhere, her restaurant has been recognised by the prestigious Waitrose Good Food Guide 2016.

Feast

My friend and I visited for a midweek supper and enjoyed a veritable feast. The King and Thai is a convivial space in which to eat, with plenty of carvings and pictures decorating the walls. It’s a capacious restaurant, with small nooks and crannies and a large, open-plan room providing ample space.

We started with the King and Thai homemade house platter, which featured a Shropshire pork ball, chicken satay, crispy vegetable spring roll, hand-made prawn toast with sesame seeds and prawn crackers. Accompanied by home-made dipping sauces: peanut, sweet chilli and white wine vinegar sauce, it was sublime.

The satay was a work of beauty. The chicken had been delicately scorched and cooked so that it was oozingly tender. The prawn toasts were crisp and flavoursome while the delicate spring rolls were expertly cooked so that the vegetables retained just as much crunch as the wafer-like, deep-fried pastry. The dips were dizzyingly delicious, with the peanut sauce smooth and creamy, the sweet chilli combining heat and sweet and the white wine being the pick of the bunch. Presented with great artistry, so that the platter was as pretty as a picture, we savoured every mouthful.

My friend opted for a red Thai curry as her main. It was intoxicating. The delicate blend of ingredients were greater than the sum of their parts – working together like some sort of magic. The chicken and vegetables were gently cooked through while the sticky rice soaked up the rich, creamy, spicy sauce and made the dish an utter delight.

I opted for a chicken dish with cashew nuts and vegetables. A thick, umami-rich sauce seasoned small, deep-fried chicken balls, the cashews added bite while the dark, lip-smacking sauce was deeply satisfying.

We stuck around for desserts. My friend opted for a raspberry meringue tower, comprising discs of intense raspberry jelly, piped meringue, cream and fresh raspberries. The table fell silent as she polished off every last morsel. I chose a creamily indulgent mango parfait, dressed with red currants and small mango dice, that was a perfect end to a sublime evening of high quality food.

Service was exceptional throughout. A team of three waitresses were polite and attentive, engaging and thoughtful. The chef also visited our table, making sure we were happy with our dinners. It was a faultless performance.

For a little while, Suree Coates seemed to be making headlines every week of the year as she won competitions locally and nationally while also earning recommendations in all of the best guide books. She’s maintained the high standards that propelled her to such prominence and serves fairly-priced, authentically-flavoured food in hospitable surrounds, supported by a good front of house team.

Suree has been cooking at Broseley for almost a decade. She’s one of our true Shropshire stars. We should celebrate her.