The story
Kin Khao is a Thai eatery at Donkersteeg 23, 9000 Gent, and Gault&Millau awarded it 13 points in 2026. The kitchen works with sharing menus, and the dishes arrive in the middle of the table.
Santisuk Pakwan, known as Toffee, is the Thai-born chef behind the modern Thai menu, and his husband Dominique runs the front of house. The restaurant makes its curry pastes, sauces and relishes in house every day. The team says it uses only the best ingredients, sourced directly from Thailand.
Dinner is a three-course choice menu at 55 euros per person, served Monday to Saturday from 18:00 to 22:00. Vegan options are available. Lunch, from 12:00 to 14:00, is a soup, a main and a dessert or coffee for 35 euros. Drinks are not included in either price. Dinner runs in two-hour seatings.
Le Fooding, which lists the restaurant for 2026, names plump chicken satay with peanut sauce, pork and prawn fritters with a sweet and sour dip, and a red curry with salmon and coconut milk. Dinner can end with homemade coconut ice cream. The reviewer's advice is to bring a doggy bag.
The décor is spare: forest green tiles, wooden tables, black and white photographs, metal rice pots and wicker lamps. The restaurant sits in the shopping district of Gent's historic center.
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Who’s the duo calling the shots? Santisuk Pakwan, a Thai-native chef with a flair for natural and authentic flavors, and his husband Dominique Rouge, who manages the floor. And what about the setting? Think minimalist decor (walls finished with Mortex, forest green tiles, wooden tables) where the black and white photos, metal rice pots and wicker lamps bridge the gap with Siam. Don’t expect a never-ending list of dishes, instead you’ll get two ultra-generous menus (one with a vegan option) of tapas-style plates in the evening. Duly devoured: plump homemade chicken satay with proper peanut sauce, served with a fresh cucumber salad; finger-licking pork and prawn fritters dipped in a sweet and sour sauce; a warm and spicy salad of prawns (again), minced pork, toasted coconut, fresh herbs and peanuts; a bubbling hot red curry with salmon, coconut milk and fish sauce, plus zingy Makrut lime, Thai basil and spicy chili; black angus stir-fried with garlic and soy; before homemade coconut ice cream. Feeling full? The doggy bag is a necessity! // Romy Van Helden
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