Matoom - Thai Bistro [Re-opening Soon]

Looks like Matoom is getting close to opening. I checked out their delivery menu and it looks really delicious so extra excited to see the restaurant. Looks like it’ll be a great addition to Forest Hill!!!

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Good share, thanks @ametzelaar

https://www.matoom.co.uk

Menu: https://www.matoom.co.uk/menu

Looks delicious!

Looks great and reading the menu after my morning ride is making me feel very hungry,

Sounds and looks great! Looking forward to the grand opening.

Does anyone know when the opening is? Website said end of October

Wow. This actually looks legit (not just another Chinese/Thai take away joint).

Great menu. Don’t know what I want more:

• pork dumplings serve w/ vinigar
• minced pork chrispy wonton snacks
• clear vegetable brout
• thick pork brouth
• Lamb ribs marinated with huney
• bear batter chicken breast

or possibly a dictionary

However, with three dishes that are already famous, I don’t think we can go wrong.

I wish them every success (and a good spell-checker and grammar checker for their menu).

Ah that takes me back to Thailand - the menus got worse as you headed out of Bangkok till they were hilarious and you pretty much had to guess what you wanted.

Opening 14th Nov:

https://www.matoom.co.uk/single-post/2017/11/02/Pop-in-to-say-hello-

Just received email and the opening day is the 14th Nov

Looked very open and busy last night.

Maybe a trial night for supporters? Cannot WAIT for this. We’ll be sticking our heads in next week!

We went last night and would highly recommend! Every dish tasted very fresh and authentic! Looks like a great addition to FH!

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Tried a takeaway tonight. The Panang and red curries were spot on. So thrilled to have this in Forest Hill.

Went this evening and it was very tasty. The spice levels could have done with being hotter but they said to ask for it spicier next time.
No alcohol on the menu but it’s BYO at the moment with a £5 charge per table.

Paid a visit last night.

The good
Incredible use of space and like the design of the place.
Green curry, red curry, sticky rice.

Things to work on

• Menu is too big, maybe why they’re struggling to deal with service.
• Service was a testing experience. Bringing out plates at odd times, we sent a starter back because we’d not finished what we had in front of us and then we had to ask for it to be brought out, it was left on the side so it was brought back stone cold. Couldn’t be hassled to send it back.
• Charging £5 for BYO alcohol, no licence yet but don’t charge people until you get one. Face palm.
• The images of food on their website don’t mirror what is being served and unfortunately it was all rather disappointing.

One and done.

I don’t get the bit about sending a starter back. Surely they’re allowed to come out first?

It’s absolutely fair enough to charge corkage. £5 Is nothing unless you’re dining alone, and your bottles need to be disposed via paid-for refuse collection while glasses you use need to be cleaned using hot water - which they again pay for.

I’ll try it this week. £5 corkage is reasonable.

Wife has passively aggressively suggested I stop being a D, she also said £5 for corkage for BYO is fine. What do I know?
So, I am here to retract my grievance because I know nothing.

I wish Matoom all the best.

I think £5 corkage is fine and would be happy to pay it as you are still likely to be making a significant saving on alcohol.

I think it depends on the quality of the wine

Im looking forward to trying it. A lot of places bring out dishes now as and when they are ready, the idea is to taste different plates and mix and match. The Begging Bowl in Peckham does exactly that. My tip is to order your ‘starter’ dishes first while you are having a drink and looking at menu for larger plates, putting a later order chances are the smaller dishes will come out first.

I went in last week and can’t recommend highly enough. The food and presentation were great, they’ve done a good job with the limited space. It was a Tuesday night and it was full. Great addition to Forest Hill. After living in Sydney for a few years, we loved having BYO, although I guess this may go when they get a license.

I was in on Friday night and agree with everyone. Food was great, the sauces, in particular, were full of flavour. One dish I asked for less spicy and it wasn’t spicy enough in the end (my fault of course!!). It’s a great addition to Forest Hill and I really like BYO. I look forward to going back.

Been there
Ate there
Left happy

Sampled the lunch menu there today (£6.50 for one course, £7.95 for two). Good food, service and decor. Impressed!

3 weeks since opening. Friday night. About 20 covers here. Appeared fully booked, nice atmosphere and decor. Every dish packed with flavour. No issues with service or order of dishes. Just lovely food. Byo of £5 was per table which I think is generous. Very good vfm. Lovely people. A very happy visit and recommend highly.

Ok - so I saw it was about 14 quid for a Penang curry, not including rice? That seems almost double the price of Thai Orchard. Is it worth the trip? Genuinely wondering, not a loaded question.

https://www.matoom.co.uk/menu

Panang Curry - tops is £8 for Prawn

Yes @Foresthillnick is right about price of Penang curry. Matoom is very much modern cafe style and good for sharing plates. We ate very well here for £20 per head plus tips.

Oh that’s good. It’s different to the menu they first put up. Will give it a whirl.

i saw that too - i think there were a lot of pricing errors on one version of the online menu - in reality I was charged a much more reasonable amount.

Pad Thai noodles should have crushed peanuts as a dressing sadly missing, Papaya salad bit on the sparse side, overall not bad, hopefully once established quality and quantity will improve.

I popped in last night after the Horniman Xmas market (which was pretty good - esp the beer!).
I honestly thought it was some of the best Thai food I have had outside of Thailand. The fish cakes were good, not the rubbery things you seem to get served everywhere and the chicken wings were spicy and meaty - loved them.
We shared a duck salad, phad thai and massaman curry - all were excellent, decent sized portions and packed with flavour. Service was really friendly, timings were spot on and everyone in there seemed to be having a great time. Price was spot on as well - just over 40 quid for the two of us and that includes the fiver for corkage.
If I had to gripe then I would agree about the lack of peanuts on the phad thai and for me the dishes could have been more spicy but I think my tolerance might be quite high.
I also really liked the interior - nice modern uncluttered vibe.

I really like this place and I’m going to do my bit to support it. We had a great dinner there last week before a stint at Little Nan’s. It’s excellent food and unfussy pricing. It’s nice to have a fresh modern-feeling restaurant within walking distance.

After all the great reviews, ordered a takeaway from there. We had to pick up but from order on a Saturday night about 7.20 we picked up 40 mins later. Food was great. Will definitely be going back! So glad we have this in Forest Hill.

I went here last week and thought the prices were reasonable and the food was DELICIOUS. I would agree that the spicing could be upped a bit - I had a dish that was supposedly ‘very hot’ and would have classed it as only a bit spicy. Lovely service and quick, will definitely be going back for more x

We went on Sunday for the first time. We had their very well priced lunch deal - two dishes for £7.95. Our food was great and the service lovely. I would echo what others said about the need for more spicing though. I had the beef ginger stir fry and whilst it was very nice it could have done with some more fresh ginger.

Excellent use of a small shop (not great for buggies) that has never been much of anything. Food is good. Its nice to have a place like this in the area. Something nicer and fresher than the abundance of cheap take away joints.

One thing that I miss in Thai restaurants is the condiments that you get in Thailand - Peanuts, Fried garlic, Pickled Peppers etc. They can all really add to a meal esp if you want more heat!

went there tonight,
lovely food freshly cooked nice decor and good pricing.
will return

OH and I popped in again last night.
We originally intended to go to the Southbank Wintertime and eat and drink but it was awful. Hardly anything there and the least festive event I have ever had the misfortune of attending.I had a cup of the most disgusting Mulled Wine possible which I couldn’t finish so we came back to FH. We should leave this stuff to the Europeans.

Anyway Matoom made up for it. The host recognised us from a few weeks ago which is always rather enchanting and proudly noted they had fixed the door (we were seated right next to it and it didn’t shut properly)!
When I asked for everything to be extra spicy she said she had noted the comments on here and had increased the heat level. Indeed they have. Spice was perfect for me - spot on.
Had Satay, Thai Sausage, Prawn Salad, Duck Curry and Mee Goreng and rice. All fantastic and still didn’t spend £40.

That’s interesting I went there for the second time on Thursday and thought the green curry had more heat than at my visit the first time, had red curry then and thought it’s down to different dish, glad they scaled up on the heat😃

I agree. We went back yesterday for the very good value lunch deal and my chicken with Ho Fun noodles lived up to its spicy tag - it was very tasty.

Went to Matoom the other night (based on the reviews seen here). Really delicious, we asked for it to be spicy and it was. Just the fresh flavours I needed after all the Xmas stodge!

I liked this place so much that I created a listing on tripadvisor

However they seemed to have grabbed my mobile number from my registration and no matter how many times I edit the page they don’t change the number!
Luckily only had a couple of calls but I work with someone called Masoom and I think they are asking for her!

We had takeaway last night from Matoom and it was brilliant. Chicken Satay, Ribs cooked in wine, the pork stir fry and lamb massaman curry all travelled really well.

I was slightly jealous of the people dining in when I went to collect, though. A lovely place to have on the high st.

Do they serve alcohol now or is it BYO for the forseeable future?

BYO - I’ll ask next time I am in if they have plans to change it!

Did you phone the order in or go and wait? If waiting for how long?

Phoned in the order just after 20:30. Picked up at 20:50.

Cool. Just seen there’s a website (though it’s probably been around for ages) which includes menu and online ordering for pick up. Useful for picking up a meal on the way home.

https://www.matoom.co.uk/

I don’t think the site works. Been up for ages but never functional when I try to use it. The place doesn’t even take cards (though it is tasty).

There’s a cash point across the road.

Excellent first meal here this evening. A fiery prawn salad, soothing Tom Kha, perfectly pitched duck curry and the most congealed (in a good way) stock rice I’ve had since Kho Panyang. Only the fishcakes that come in for mild criticism - for being, well, too mild.

Service was friendly and efficient, price was very reasonable. It was busy on a Monday and understandably. Great addition to the area and half the distance we used to trek to Thai corner cafe.

I asked about why they don’t take cards today. They said they were trying to find the most competitive deal and that the rates/charges they had been offered so far are expensive. If anyone can recommend who they should get in touch with post here and I’ll try and get the info to them.

Try worldpay

New Thai bistro 56 London road, lovely food and decor , does deliver , definetly recommend.

I love this place, great variety of food and not too pricey

Finally managed to get out and visit after reading reviews on here. Delicious tofu Thai green curry and lovely service! Two starters and two mains for under £30!

Does anyone know what has happened to Matoom in forest hill? Its my lockdown once a week treat, it has come off Deliveroo and have called direct a few times with no answer. Assume they’re just shut but would be reassuring to know they haven’t closed for good. My taste buds thank you…

I received this email

"Dear Matoom Loyal Customers,

As most of you are aware, although our restaurant has been closed due to government guidelines. We are still open for take-away and deliveries. Unfortunately, I am sad to inform you all that we will be closing our take-away and deliveries service as of tomorrow 6th April 2020 onwards until further notice. This is due to the shortage of staff and supplies, it will be inefficient for us to operate as a business. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your business and wishes you and your family well in this uncertain time. Stay Safe Everyone!

Matoom Team"

Thank you, I hope the team are ok! It’s seriously good Thai food and I can’t wait to have them back. So, on to my 2nd question, what’s the 2nd best Thai food in SE23?!

Not sure. I placed an online order at big cheeks recently but it was over an hour late. By this time, and after failing to get an answer to my phone calls, I had given up, decided they were probably closed and cooked and eaten a quick dinner w the family. I sent it back.

I’m a big fan of Big Cheeks, but Thai Corner (in East Dulwich) are also very good.

We are also big fans of Big Cheeks

Matoom is back for takeaway from 3rd July and dine in from 4th July

Welcome news - I have been missing a Massaman lamb curry. Their’s is fantastic…

I now want that tonight.

Awesome, I was really hoping they had managed to weather the storm!

That’s great news although I’m curious to see how many they’ll be able to have dining in even with the lower social distancing requirements. There was never room for many people pre Covid-19!

Their Son Tum is lovely, and bloody hot!