Photographs by Stephen Curtis
Take a lovely tranquil village setting, traditionally prepared and cooked Thai food and a host who is larger than life and as warm and wholesome as the food she serves up. Mix all those ingredients together and you have all you need for a great night out at Thai Terre in East Dean, the latest Thai eaterie to be opened by husband and wife team Steve and Toy.
The couple already have the hugely successful Yummy Noodle Bar and Thai Village in Willingdon under their belts but Thai Terre is a notch up even on the popular Thai Village. It opened in the summer of last year on the site of Grimaldi’s Restaurant in The Green. Not that you would remember its predecessor as Steve and Toy have completely renovated and modernised the building and tastefully decorated it in striking warm and calming browns and creams and turned it into a two storey restaurant which seats 45 people.
Toy herself was there the night we paid a visit and she really does make the whole dining affair a fun filled experience with her wit and sense of humour and take on life. The prices are what you would expect to pay in a Thai restaurant - starters begin at £3, main courses average about £9 with rice starting at £3.
And the food is equally good. We started with a glass each of perfectly acceptable house red and white wine and shared a Gung Tod, lightly battered King Prawns with sweet chilli sauce, Miang Gung, shrimps cooked in lemongrass, shallot, ginger, kaffir, lime leaves and Thai chilli served with green leaves and scallops in cracked black pepper. It was irresistible and the spice levels were perfect.
After a Mango sorbet to cleanse the palate, we had a selection of meat dishes to try. I am not a beef eater but even I was impressed with the Beef Massaman, cooked for more than four hours with coconut milk and sweet potatoes which was so tender and absolutely delicious. My favourite dish at the Yummy Noodle Bar is Chicken Pad Thai and the Traditional Pad Thai Noodles at Thai Terre cooked with bean sprouts, egg, roasted ground peanuts, tamarind sauce and covered with a traditional egg mesh are just as good.
Our Duck with Tamarind Sauce served with crispy dried shallots, king prawns with cracked black pepper and egg fried rice were equally tantalising enough for our tastebuds and cooked to perfection and the different herbs and spices complement each other so well. Much to my husband’s delight, you can ask for dishes to be mild, medium or hot and you can always discard any shreds of red chilli if it’s too much.
IAs always we just about had enough room for dessert and there is a good selection from fruit or chocolate delicacies, sorbets and ice creams.
Like its sister restaurant Thai Village and the Yummy Noodle Bar Thai Terre is bound to become a firm favourite with diners and popular during the week so get in first and whether it’s a romantic dinner for two or a family celebration, you’ll be guaranteed a great night out.
Thai Terre Restaurant
The Green
East Dean
East Sussex
BN20 0BY
Tel. 01323 423956
Opening Hours
Tuesday - Sunday
(closed Mondays)
Lunchtime
12pm until 2.45pm
Evening
6pm until 11.30pm