Tai is one of three in a chain of restaurants dotted around Soho. It’s best known for hearty vegan buffets - and being one of the few places in London you can gain the pounds instead of losing them from your pocket.

The Venue
This particular restaurant can be found in Greek Street just as you veer off the heaving Shaftesbury Avenue. You can’t miss it with its red hooded windows, cafe-like exterior and the buffet spread in a clear move to sway the indecisive, lost, or simply downright curious. The restaurant inside is extremely small and compact, and you initially have to negotiate the harassed staff fighting to maintain the food section before arriving at the back of the room where the seating awaits. Adopting a cafe aesthetic, the tables are minimal and casually arranged close to one another. – Self sufficiency from the off.

The Atmosphere
The premise of the restaurant is based around quality food and value for money and, on that front, they deliver. The rest is really what you make of it and the ambience depends whole heartedly on the clientele that happen to be eating in at the time; the subdued decor and skylight on the ceiling could almost be intimate in the hands of stray couples or friends out for a quick bite. Equally though, the cheesy Chinese pop and limited space could become claustrophobic in the presence of noisy larger groups and families. The service here is minimal, restricted to a quick smile and your drinks order, beyond which you don’t really need see your waiter.

The Food
The all you can eat buffet is divided into distinct sections including appetisers, cold salads, hot ‘meat’ based dishes and accompanying fried rice and chow mein servings. The variety on offer is really quite astounding and all of it is presented as delicious, authentic Thai cuisine. The salads are comprised of shredded cabbage and carrots which shows imagination beyond basic ingredients. Appetisers require some degree of self control if space is to be left; of particular note are the moist, supple dumplings which are stuffed with a crunchy, hot vegetable paste.

The main dishes, however, are the most impressive aspect of Tai and non vegans will be challenged to feel disenfranchised. The substitutes for meat include a ‘chicken’ where the tender texture of the meat substitute copes admirably alongside a rich and generously salted sauce. The duck substitute is also delicious; soft shreds of meat can be contrasted with crispy spring onions and drizzled in a sauce that is sharp yet delicate. As much of this as you can bear will cost you £5 pounds per head and dips to £3.50 if you don’t trust yourself and have to take away.

The Drink
Faithful to the vegan habitus, Tai shies away from alcohol so those who enjoy their duck (substitute) washed down with a rich red may want to bring their own. By way of compensation, their speciality seems to be an array of delicious hot teas to accompany the copious amounts of food. Selections include everything from green tea, through sweet jasmine to peppermint for no more than £1.50, and the ginger infusion is particularly special, with a powerful flavour and creamy aftertaste. Soft drinks and water are also available as standard and cost no more than the hot options.

The Last Word
Tai represents a simple, value for money dining concept and does exactly what it says on the tin, and, crucially, makes itself as inclusive of non vegans as of it’s primary clientele.

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