Restaurant review: Thai Edge

Wednesday 6th May 2009

This is a Crackerjack review of Thai Edge. Do you agree? Rate and review this venue.

Food and drink: 7 / 10.
Service: 8 / 10.
Atmosphere: 7 / 10.
Value for money: 7 / 10.

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to lunch, but one might be to avoid ordering  a bowl of chilli-spiked  Thai soup.

After two mouthfuls of my prawn tom yam, my tongue felt as if it had just been licking a three-bar fire. After three mouthfuls, I was even considering dipping my tongue into the trickling water feature running through the middle of the restaurant.

I’m not averse to spicy food, and I did see the two red chillies tacked on to the end of the tom yam description on the menu, but I never expected this smooth bowl of inoffensive-looking pinkish soup to deliver such a mule-like kick.

My wimpishness was made worse when my petite Thai waitress told me she thought the tom yam at Thai Edge was actually quite mild and that she likes hers to be much hotter.

I just hope she hasn’t progressed to the kitchen when I next visit the place. If she’s on chilli duty I may be jumping into the water fountains opposite this new Thai restaurant on Broad Quay.

Thai Edge opened last week underneath what used to be Bristol & West building and which will later this  month open as the shiny, blue hotel SAS Radisson.

It’s a good location with views of the harbourside and the centre, and the fact it is slap bang next to the bus stops should also work in its favour by enticing those hungry commuters who fancy a quick panang goong before climbing aboard the Park & Ride.

Part of a small chain that has restaurants in Cardiff, Leeds and Birmingham, this is a Thai restaurant with a difference.

Unlike the more traditional Thai restaurants which are decked out with gold statues, red silk drapes and ornate carvings, this is a more minimalist, uncluttered affair with clean lines and a light and airy feel.

The L-shaped room has floor-to-ceiling windows, white floors, cream leather seats and white linen on the tables. Only a few tasteful little statues in alcoves and the row of bamboo canes separating the bar and the restaurant are the obvious giveaways that this is a Thai restaurant. Well, apart from the female staff dressed in magenta silk costumes and discreet Thai music tinkling away in the background.

Oh, and then there’s the menu with 148 dishes – written in Thai with English translations – which might also give the game away.

With so many dishes on the menu, it was only right that I visit twice to get an idea of consistency and it delivered each time, although on both occasions there was only one other table occupied so it was hardly a test of the place. I’d like to see what it’s like on Saturday night.

But despite the fact it wasn’t at full throttle, I have to say the food and service were both pretty good.

I went for lunch and dinner on different days and ordered some of the restaurant chain’s most popular dishes.

At lunch (from the two-course set express menu for £7.95), the aforementioned tom yam soup may have left blisters on my tongue and sweat on my brow in terms of temperature and spiciness, but it also had three generous sized prawns and plenty of chilli, galangal, lemongrass and mushrooms.

This was followed by the unfortunately-named ‘beef pad kra team prick tai’ – beef sautéed with garlic, pepper and coriander – which consisted of strips of tender meat in a tangy sauce. It was only marred by some of the chopped garlic on top being burnt and bitter.

Still, two courses for £7.95 for two courses is pretty good value whichever way you look at it.

A few days later, I returned for dinner and ordered from the main menu. The nuae yang (£8) was a nicely cooked piece of medium-rare tenderloin beef which had been grilled, sliced and served with a lip-tingling dip of fish sauce, coriander and chilli. A good dish but overpriced for a starter.

A main course of pla muek pad kraprow (£10.80) was very good indeed, the thick slices of squid being tender and not the usual texture of hose-pipe offcuts. It was served with a slightly sweet sauce spiked with red chilli and plenty of fragrant Thai holy basil leaves.

Washed down with ice cold Singha beers, it all added up to an authentic Thai experience despite the fact that the view for most of the time was queues of people waiting for the bus to the Park and Ride.

And if you were queuing for the bus when I was in Thai Edge and caught a glimpse of the diners, I was that red-faced bloke licking the ice bucket.

MARK TAYLOR

Wheelchair access: Yes
Prices: Starters from £5; main courses from £7; various set menus also available

This is a Crackerjack review of Thai Edge. Do you agree? Rate and review this venue.