Review: Thaikhun Cooking School in Manchester Spinningfields*

[Ad-gifted] In today’s post, we will take you on a journey to Thaikhun, a Thai Restaurant located in Spinningfields Manchester. We were invited to head to their cooking school to learn to cook a two course Thai Meal called ‘Royal Occasion’  which comprised of a Prawn and Pork Dumpling starter and Thai Massaman Curry Main Course and thereafter enjoy our meal with a cocktail of our choice.

Thaikhun has nine other branches in various locations in the UK such as Aberdeen, Bath, Cambridge, Glasgow Silverburn, Metrocentre, Oxford, Southhampton and Trafford Centre.

So keep on reading to find out more about our cooking experience and what we thought about it.

What did we think of the class?

I personally love Thai food and often cook Thai Red or Green Curry at home, I have never cooked Thai dumpling as well as their Massaman Curry hence was curious to experience the ‘Royal Occasion’ cooking experience.

There are usually two classes held on a Sunday, the first in the morning and the second in the afternoon. My class was held on a Sunday morning.  Getting to the restaurant was easy, Spinningfields was quiet when we arrived there, we were offered a welcome drink on arrival and given a form to fill and asked if we had any allergies.

The tables were well laid out with our own pots and the ingredients ready and portioned out. There were nine ‘students’ in total.  Those who came with a partner, were paired up together  as we had to cook in team of two.

Soon as we arrived, we were given a short introduction about the by Pon about the dish we were cooking and the ingredients we were going to be using.  He soon introduced us to Chef Lek who did a demonstration on how to prepare the first dish, which was steamed dumpling with prawn and pork filling. Chef Lek was very friendly and helped answer all our questions. She mentioned that the recipes she was showing us would be a base so that we can improvise accordingly with the ingredients we have and our preference.

One of the students did not eat red meat, so Leyla and the staff they were quick to prepare some chicken filling for her as we each had to recreate the dish after watching the demonstration.  Chef Lek, Pon and Leyla came around to help guide everyone, so it was a very hands-on cooking experience. We later had the choice to either boil or steam the dumplings, we (myself and my partner, Meilyn) decided to do both.

The instructions were clear and all ingredients prepared for us.  I found the dumplings was quick and easy to make and they are similar to Siu Mai, Chinese dumpling which I often make at home. The dipping sauce we made for the dumplings was delicious and complimented the starter really well. This is a dish I know I would definitely make again.

Our next dish was the Massaman Curry which was was made with chicken and cashew nuts instead of the traditional beef and peanuts. The dish again was really easy to prepare and something I know most of us can recreate again.  Chef Lek did a demonstration of the curry, similar to the first dish for us to see how it should be prepared and we also had a chance to taste the dish.

Chef Lek gave  us lots of different tips to help elevate the dish. I did not find this particular dish  as spicy as I have tasted it before, but this of course can be altered to taste as the chef did mention to use the recipe as a base and change it as we would like it.

The staff were really attentive and made sure all our used/dirty plates were taken away soon as we had used it to make space for the next course. They also came around when we were cooking to make sure we knew what to do next.

The cooking experience at Thaikhun was really lovely, and this ‘cooking experience; makes a lovely birthday or Christmas gift for someone special as well.

If you are learning to cook Thai meal for the first time and don’t know where to start, this cooking experience would encourage you to get into the kitchen. I personally have been to Thailand a few times so am familiar with their flavours.  I found the recipes catered more to western palette, but these recipes are a great introduction to Thai cooking and something any novice can recreate at home easily.

Thaikhun also teach other popular Thai dishes such as Spring Rolls, Thai Red Curry, Street Food such as Pad Thai and Tom Yum Thai. Most of their recipes in the cooking experience are not vegan friendly but don’t worry…you can opt to join their ‘Vegan Royal Occasion’ which is perfect for Vegan cooking.

Soon as our dishes were completed, we headed to our table to sample our meal with a choice of cocktail or mocktail. I picked Sam Lor Smash which was made with Slingsby blackberry gin , Briottet raspberry liqueur, sugar syrup, fresh strawberries and raspberries topped off with lemonade as well as Mango & Passionfruit Mai Thai made from rum, Malibu passionfruit, mango juice, orange syrup line juice and grenadine.

As we were enjoying the dishes, we could soon see walk-in guests coming to order their meal and the restaurant was buzzing with noise and it felt like we were in Thailand.  The whole experience was lovely and a great way to learn about  cooking Thai food.

How much did the class cost and how do I book a cooking session?

The cooking class took roughly two and a half hour which included the time to cook two dishes and we also had time to sit down and enjoy our cocktail and meal. The whole session (including the ingredients) cost £69 per person. You can book your session here.

Where is Thaikhun in Spinningfields? 

3 Hardman St
Manchester
M3 3HF
0161 414 0264

What are their opening hours?

The restaurant is open Monday to Sunday from 11:30am to 9.30pm. The cooking school is usually held on a Sunday at 10am or 2.30pm.

Things to Note:

• Thaikhun serves halal meat
• The cooking school will provide you with all equipment as well as an apron and food container to take back the extra food
• They will also provide you with the recipe card so you don’t need to worry about writing the recipe down
• All cooking school experiences are for those who are 18 years or older.
• All dietary requirements can be catered for but do let them know in advance.
• Most of their cooking experience is not suitable for Vegans, except for Vegan Royal Occasion.
• Induction hobs are used in their cooking school, if you have a pacemaker fitted, please get in touch with us.

About Thaikhun

Thaikhun, pronounced Tycoon, means “YOUR” Thai Restaurant. Bursting at the seams with hand-picked Thai bric-a-brac, authentic Thai street food and Thai inspired cocktails, every Thaikhun takes you on a journey across the world to Khao San Road.

Khun Kim, the real inspiration and beating heart of their restaurants, grew up in rural Khiri Mat, a village in the Sukhothai province of Thailand where her love for cooking stemmed from cooking with her mum. At the age of just 15 with big dreams and an entrepreneurial spirit, Kim left her village for the busy streets of Bangkok.

Kim’s main passion has always been food and so, in 1993, she set up her first Pad Thai cart. Through pure dedication and hard work, she expanded the business to run several street food stalls and won an award for the delicious flavours of her Pad Thai recipe. This very recipe is still proudly used across our restaurants today.  Kim and Martin met whilst Kim was working on that very stall in 1997 – and shortly after she moved to Leeds, Martin’s hometown, and the location of their very first restaurant.

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*Disclaimer: We were invited to attend the cooking class in return for a feature. All opinions are our own.