Ton Thai Street Food Cafe
When it comes to eating at quirky Thai venues in my vicinity, I’ve been fortuitous so far in my life.
Moo Moo Thai Tapas on City Road have been known throughout Cardiff for years as an excellent little place, their panang pbed and pbed makham dishes on the verge of local folklore and ones that had me there twice in the space of a week over the Christmas period.
Speaking of well known dishes in Cardiff, I’ll nod to Brother Thai on Whitchurch Road. Their Thai roti wraps are what kickstarted their business, and their Thai fried chicken is also an extremely popular dish in the city.
I’m reliably informed that Malai Thai on Caroline Street in the city centre is worth your time, but am yet to venture there myself. I’ll let you all debate what that particular street should be called.
Moving to Abergavenny, there is Boonta Too - who I recently mentioned in my Abergavenny Food Guide - they’re located above a florist at the lower end of town and have a bring your own booze policy.
And finally, K&K Kitchen. A regular looking cafe in Abergavenny run by Ibo and Kwan, who serve up Thai specials including pad Thai, massaman curry, and panang curry alongside typical British meals.
Yet somehow, Ton Thai Street Food Cafe have been sat in Tongwynlais for the past 4 years and managed to evade my radar. They tick several of the ‘quirky Thai venue’ boxes.
Owner, Ploy, is originally from Thailand and has lived in the UK for 18-years. She describes Thai food as “my heart and soul” and having dreamed of owning a street food cafe for years, when this location became available she saw it as a perfect opportunity.
I stumbled across Ton Thai when visiting a friend who had opened his coffee shop - First Light - over the road. It’s a mere 10-minute walk down from Castle Coch and the same amount of time will get you in a car to Rhiwbina or big Tesco on Western Avenue.
The building is unassuming from outside but the interior is welcoming, clean, and modern. Their operation is run behind a counter overlooking the entirety of the approximately 25 covers dining room. The bar, kitchen, and till are all located behind this same counter. You can see some great images of how this set up looks on their slickly designed website.
I was in awe when the three members of staff, including Ploy and chef Cheng, were able to handle a fully booked restaurant, numerous walk in take away orders, and consistent phone enquiries without looking fazed. During my time in the industry I would have been having a meltdown of Britney 2007 proportions attempting to cope. They had smiles on their faces the whole time and it’s a great sign to see how busy it was, albeit on a Friday night.
Evening menu (5pm-9:30pm) options include typical Thai starters, curries, stir fries, and duck dishes. There is a lunch menu (12pm-3pm) that contains “street box meals” for less than £10. All menus are available to eat in or take away.
The dim sum starter (£6.95) was presented nicely in a puddle of soy based sauce, steamed dumplings well constructed but the chicken mince filling leaning towards the bland side.
Tamarind duck (£14.50) has crisped skin and is sweet as I’d like it to be, cooked in a loose sauce that doesn’t cling to the protein as I hoped it would. The pak choi nestled beneath still has some bite.
Pad Thai (£12.95 with prawns) is a tumble of thin rice noodles, peanuts, beansprouts, chunks of spring onion, scrambled egg, and flecks of red chilli. As good as any I’ve had - the prawns tossed through are large and juicy, which means so too is the gritty intestinal tract that unfortunately hasn’t been removed.
Gra praowped (£14.50) is a thickly sliced duck breast sizzled with garlic, chilli, peppers, sugar snaps, green beans, and basil. This is my favourite dish of the evening - the heat level is just right and can be adjusted according to taste when ordered. My only gripe is that the soy is a touch too heavy. The “heart and soul” described by Ploy is evident on this plate.
A side of sweet and sticky coconut rice (£3.95) with the dish is more complimentary than a bloke in The Philharmonic with veneers, skinny jeans, and a fake tan.
Overall? A good meal, and a lovely little place that I will be returning to. I did wake up in the middle of the night with a mouth drier than Jesus’ sandal after being in the Sahara for 40 days and nights. But it was a price worth paying.
Ton Thai don’t have a pretty flower display in the window for an Instagram picture like a certain chain restaurant on The Hayes, with 48 venues nationwide and rising. But their food is freshly prepared with care and more cost effective. I know where I would rather be eating.