Where
we ate:
Thai Orchid, South Street, Brentwood
We’ve been going to the Thai Orchid for years and it
never disappoints. Situated in the backstreet of South Street, off Brentwood
high street, it isn’t the easiest place to find by any means. In fact, its
location must be a problem, because I’ve never seen it busy. Despite booking a
table (as we always do, although clearly you don’t need to), we were one of
four tables in use throughout the Friday evening service. Obviously being this
quiet, service is never a problem, but you have to wonder how it’s still going –
the restaurant and surrounding area always seems a ghost town! The decor is
very dated though and I don’t think it’s ever been refurbed since our first
visit over a decade ago!
What
we drank:
Mum and dad began with a Singha and Cobra, respectively.
While my brother was on the coca cola and I shared the house white wine with my
parents
My parents asked for a bottle of Frascati, but they didn’t
have any. However, the waitress was quick to push the house wine (£11.50 a
bottle, which to me sounds expensive for what it is) – a French white, which
was more sweet than dry. I enjoyed it as I’m not a fan of overly dry, acidic
wines, but my dad (who’s a bit of a wine buff) wasn’t impressed.
What
we ate:
My brother and I always share the mixed platter for two,
because of the variety. From the succulent chicken satay and crispy aromatic
chicken wings to the crunchy spring roll and the giant plump wontons – it’s a
great way to begin the meal. The platter is served with four dipping sauces:
satay, chilli and two clear sauces (we still have no idea what they are, but
they’re very nice!) which are a lovely accompaniment.
We always have a second course before we continue with
the main meal. The Yum Woonsen salad is a definite palette cleanser and
although it’s not to my taste, we order it every time and it’s my dad’s
favourite thing from the menu. It’s basically a cold salad of vermicelli
noodles with chicken and shrimp, spring onion, carrots and plenty of chilli. It’s
really refreshing but too spicy for me.
The main dishes we chose were:
·
Phad Kai Kaw-Pod-On (chicken stir-fried with
baby corn)
·
Gang Paa with beef (a hot jungle curry with
vegetables)
·
Prawn Phad Thai
·
Thai fragrant rice
I love my Thai curries fragrant and coconutty, so I would
defitnitely recommend the Kang curries as they all contain coconut milk. If you
too love a creamy curry, I wouldn’t recommend the Gang Paa, as the heat is drier
and therefore a lot stronger! The rice soaked up the sauce nicely, but it
certainly packed a punch. The beef was lovely and not all tough – I even had
seconds of the Gang Paa.
Being a family of four, four dishes were just enough, particularly
after the starters. If you don’t order enough, you can always ask for more
throughout the course of the evening and it isn’t a problem.
My only gripe from the evening would be at the end when
we ordered desserts and coffees. My mum and dad ordered a French coffee each
and after about 10 or 15 minutes, the waiter came back to the table and said
they didn’t have any. When my dad asked what spirits they had, he replied with
brandy – which is what he originally asked for.
In all it was a lovely meal and I couldn’t fault the food
at all – it was amazing! It’s a shame the atmosphere is always so lacklustre
but I’ve never known it to be lively. Thai Orchid also run a lunchtime menu at
£5 per head and I’m keen to see what that’s like and how middle of the day
service compares to a weekend evening!
This sounds amazing but absolutely tortuous when I can't eat a thing! X
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