Koh Thai Tapas comes to Salisbury

Having been to Koh Thai Bournemouth many times, I was very excited to hear that the boutique restaurant chain was coming to Salisbury.

The upstairs area. No
dance floor in sight

I'm not a big fan of restaurant chains taking over our high street and we definitely have our fair share of them in Salisbury. However, Koh Thai Tapas is a small chain. And, each of the restaurants is very different and has an individual feel. Or as their website says: "Each Koh restaurant oozes its own personality, its own local charm."

In advance of the opening, there was chatter on Twitter for weeks about when it would open. So, I was delighted when it finally did and we popped along for Mother's Day.

The picture my husband admired

The restaurant occupies the buildings on Endless Street that used to be a nightclub, where I spent too much of my youth. But they have entirely renovated the inside and it bears none of the feelings of a dinghy nightclub. In fact, the interior is a great mix of modern design with an oriental feel. It's not overly cluttered and there's a lovely, orange glow to the place. My husband was especially taken with the huge artwork behind us on the wall.

Double parked. Well, it was
Mother's Day.

The greeter/host was really friendly (and pretty easy on the eye) and offered us a choice of tables because we had our son with us. In fact, all the serving staff were super friendly and helpful. I would say more so than the Bournemouth one where the staff can be overly "prompt", but perhaps that's because they are always so busy.

Our Tapas style starters

The food was the quality you'd expect from Koh. If you've never been, it's Thai food, but with smaller portions that you mix and match. The meal sizes certainly weren't boutique though. And, typically we ordered too much. 

We both had Dim Sum to start and there were five large, delicious dumplings on my plate. I also had the squid and my husband had the spicy prawns. Thoughtfully, they brought my son's noodles with the starters which is great because he has minimal patience. I then had the Thai beef salad and my husband had spicy friend rice.

My son playing with the
"carrot art". 

All washed down with two Margaritas from their extensive cocktail menu and I also got a free glass of Prosecco as it was Mother's Day.

The bathrooms were very luxuriant and smelt of lemon grass. Sadly, no baby changing facilities, but the disabled toilet was out of order (as was one of the ladies toilets so I think they still had some work to do). So perhaps there will be facilities in the future.

Overall, a fantastic dining experience. Delicious, quality food, friendly and attentive staff with a contemporary and relaxed atmosphere.

Where to go for lunch with a baby in Salisbury

When I first had my son, I used to panic a bit about where to meet my friends and family for lunch. I needed somewhere that was child friendly, big enough to fit a buggy (or several buggies) and with baby changing facilities. It is astounding how many pubs and restaurants in Salisbury don't have baby changing rooms or have steps up to the toilets. 

So, in the last 8 months, these are the places that I have found to be most child friendly. I haven't been everywhere, so if you have any recommendations then please let me know and I'll update this little post. I was going to take photos of the changing rooms, but I concluded that would be just strange!

Happy lunching mothers (and fathers)!

Cosy Club

49 New Street, Salisbury 
http://www.cosyclub.co.uk/salisbury

When eating at the Cosy Club, you can choose to eat in the bar area, the restaurant or outside in the courtyard garden. The best for buggies and babes is probably the bar area where they have sofa sections that are perfect for little ones. However, you can book tables in the restaurant online and request extra space for strollers and in my experience they have been very accommodating. The changing rooms are stand alone which means both mums and dads can change the little ones. They are on the ground floor round in the restaurant. 

Salisbury Cathedral Refectory

Salisbury Cathedral, the Close, Salisbury,
http://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/visit/refectory

This is a staple Tuesday destination for me and my Mum friends. The toilets are large and smell nice and never seem to be occupied. Again, they are stand alone so not just women have to do the changing. There's lots of space for buggies and they have large booth areas that are perfect for families and groups of parents. They have really nice high chairs, not those dreadful wooden ones which large kids can escape from and small kids wobble around in. They also have a kid's toy area, so all-round a great choice. 

Another great thing about the Cathedral, is the Cloisters area is calm, quiet, dry and sheltered. I used to spend hours walking with my buggy round and round there on windy and wet days. The tap tap of the paving stones worked every time to lull my baby off to sleep. I guess it'll probably be less quiet during the height of the tourist season!

Chapter House

Johns Street, Salisbury 
http://thechapterhouseuk.com

I have written about this place in my blog before as it is very friendly and allows for dogs in the bar area. They are also very child friendly and have even offered to hold my little one during a meal! He was going a bit mental at the time! 

Lots of space in the bar area for buggies and stand alone baby changing rooms through the restaurant, round by the hotel reception. 

Starbucks

Silver Street, Salisbury, Starbucks Salisbury

I thought I would mention Starbucks because I think it is the most child friendly of the coffee chains in Salisbury. I wouldn't even go into Costa on the Market Square as its a nightmare trying to navigate round all the tables and chairs. Really nice staff, stand alone baby changing downstairs and lots of room for buggies. 

ASK

Castle Street, Salisbury, http://www.askitalian.co.uk/restaurant/salisbury

Out of all the Italian chains in Salisbury, this is probably the best with babies. The tables are well spread out, so lots of room for buggies (unlike Prezzo which is a nightmare!) and baby changing downstairs. 

Waitrose

Churchill Way West, Salisbury
http://www.waitrose.com/content/waitrose/en/bf_home/bf/226.html

I've only been here a couple of times because it is a bit of a walk out of the town centre. The main cafe (there are two now) is large and spacious, plus you get free coffee with your Waitrose card. Toilets can get pretty busy and can therefore be a bit dirty sometimes (but nowhere near as bad as the ones in Debenhams). But the toilets are stand alone so men and women can do the changing. 

I don't want you to think I have spent my entire maternity leave being a lady who lunches. But there has to be some benefits to all these sleepless nights and weight gain! 

I look forward to hearing from you with your suggestions of new places we can try.