The story
Kiln, at 58 Brewer Street in Soho, London, serves South East Asian cooking that earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2026 for good quality, good value food. The kitchen pairs Thai flavours with British seasonal produce.
Ben Chapman's cooking draws on northern Thailand and the border regions of Myanmar, Laos and China's Yunnan province. Skewers of aged cull yaw mutton come off the charcoal grill, while slow-cooked claypots carry deeper, darker flavours. Pounded hake with karashina and monkfish liver curry with harlequin squash show how far the menu ranges.
The basement dining room takes bookings for groups of four or more. Otherwise, guests can join the queue for a seat at the stainless steel counter on the ground floor. The Good Food Guide lists Kiln as Very Good for 2026. Sharing beers, ferments and cocktails made with kitchen ingredients sit alongside a short wine list chosen to suit spicy food.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
good quality, good value cooking
If you want to gain access to Ben Chapman’s smoking-hot Soho homage to Thai regional cuisine (and much more besides), you have two choices: assemble a group of four friends (or more) and book a table in the basement dining room, where you can have a loud, noisy BBQ party, indoors; alternatively, go on spec, play the waiting game and queue outside for a slot at the stainless steel ground-floor counter (simply add your name and number to the list and grab a drink nearby until you are called). The pay-off is masterful cooking inspired and influenced by those regions where northern Thailand borders Myanmar, Laos and China's Yunnan province, but supplemented by regular supplies of British seasonal produce (notably day-boat fish and rare-breed meat). Intense, blisteringly hot dishes from the charcoal grill line up alongside slow-cooked claypots imbued with deep, dark, pungent flavours. On the one hand, that might mean skewers of aged ‘cull yaw’ mutton spiced with cumin or pounded hake with karashina (giant Japanese mustard leaves); on the other, perhaps monkfish liver curry with harlequin squash or the now-famous, sticky-rich baked glass noodles with specially reared Tamworth pork and brown crabmeat. Also, don’t forget to order some stir-fried Cornish greens and a bowl of brown jasmine rice on the side. ‘Sharing beers’, ferments and cocktails made with kitchen ingredients flow freely, but don't ignore Kiln's eclectic wine list – a short, intelligently chosen line-up that matches the spicy demands of the food.
Location
Instagram