Review: Kiln, Soho

Kiln is a narrow little joint, mostly bar. Places like this come and go in Soho all the time – queues out the door on year one, vanished three years later. I’ve no idea what the recipe for longevity is, but I like Kiln so I hope they find it.

Inspired loosely by northern Thailand and bits of Burma and Laos across the border (perhaps the term “Upper Mekong cuisine” could be coined?) there’s lots of shameless power in the flavours and a strong hit of chilli in almost everything. Be ye warned.

So, they’re mucking about. We have ox heart larb, but rather than a meat salad this is served hot in a gravy and without much more than a pinch of herbs. Then there’s a rabbit curry, with some of the flavour profile of a khao soi but with balancing sweet and citrus mostly left out in favour of bitter and sour. Two skewers of aged lamb are beautifully cooked and heavily dusted with roasted cumin. Could eat a few more of those. Best of the lot is an “Isaan style Tamworth sausage” which I believe means they’ve fermented the bugger. It’s an absolutely genius taste and texture, funky and chunky and porky and meltingly good.

We’re spice fiends, and I’m sure most people would find our home-cooking a bit OTT, so when I say we’d be in Kiln every day if it was around the corner then that’s not a recommendation for you all. But £25 each will probably be enough for a good meal without drinks, which is decent value for inventive and relentless Upper Mekong cooking with style.