Food&Drink News&Reviews
Thai, thai again What is it with Thai restaurants and punning titles? Andrea Pearson groans at the name of the latest Glasgow arrival, but not at the food on offer
restaurants
N ew Thai in Glasgow are like buses. You wait ages for one to come along then two turn up. So it is with Chaophraya arriving in Nelson Mandela Place in early summer, closely followed by Thairiffic in Sauchiehall Street.
And, just as with buses – you jump on the first one only to find a more suitable one pulling in behind – Thairiffic is perhaps a better option if you wish to be transported to Thailand. While Chaophraya is fun, huge, hectic and glittery, Thairiffic is trim, friendly and super tasty.
The latter is the creation of proprietor Ming Cho Lim, who has gathered a team of expert kitchen staff from London, Thailand and elsewhere to create authentic tastes of her homeland. Familiar dishes are executed perfectly – a tam kha gai soup offers a great balance of comforting, creamy coconut with lively lemongrass and chilli and the ‘rock and roll’ spring roll starter selection is also a cut above – crisp, delicate and clearly home-made. The main course options on the à la carte are many, from noodles and stir-fries to hefty curries and seafood specials. The thick massaman curry sauce, a favourite among Thai fans, envelopes tender beef in layers of peanutty flavour. The tenderness of the meat throughout the meal is striking – the key is that
32 THE LIST 18 Oct–15 Nov 2012
+ Tendersoft beef massaman curry
- Salt content a bit thairifying
superior cuts of pork and beef are delivered to the restaurant every other day and then expertly handled in the kitchen by the chef. Thairiffic staff are keen to encourage diners to experiment, moving away from curries and sampling more intriguing dishes. A ‘pla ma-maung’ is a Thai salad of mango, Chinese celery, chilli and delicately breaded sea bass, offering a suitably fiery alternative to curry for those looking to dodge the leaden effect of a rich sauce and a mound of rice.
And in the puds, there’s a deep-fried ice-cream option – perfect for Glasgow. So don’t be put off by the somewhat unusual name. It may be a bit naff but . . . a rose by any other name and all that. Just dive in with all senses.
THAIRIFFIC
303 Sauchiehall Street, City Centre, Glasgow,
G2 3HQ, 0141 332 3000, thairifficrestaurant.com Food served: Mon–Thu noon–2.30pm, 5–10.30pm;
Fri–Sun noon–11.30pm Ave. price two-course meal:
£9.90 (set lunch) / £23 (dinner)
SIDE DISHES NEWS TO NIBBLE ON
IF YOU’RE INTRIGUED to discover how experimental music and pig butchery coincide, check out Matthew Herbert’s intriguing One Pig show. It’s visiting seven venues in early November, including Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall, where chefs from the Gardener’s Cottage will be cooking onstage and doing a pop-up pork feast afterwards. See music (page 94) for more.
GLASGOW HAS RECENTLY seen a spurt of Asian openings, and its first Vietnamese restaurant, the Hanoi Bike Shop, has taken the place of Stravaigin 2 on Ruthven Lane, serving street food such as pho – rice noodle soup – and banh mi – crusty baguette sandwiches.
NEW EDINBURGH VENUES include neighbourhood bistros Three
Birds at 3–5 Viewforth and The Roamin’ Nose at 14 Eyre Place, as well as bars The Mash Tun on Easter Road and The Blackbird on Leven Street, near the King’s Theatre.
DEUCHARS RECOMMENDS
THE SITTING ROOM 124 Colinton Road, Edinburgh, EH14 1BY Nestled in the heart of Craiglockart, The Sitting Room extends a friendly welcome to all, offering great beers and home- cooked food all day, along with live sports, darts, curry and quiz nights. The pub is particularly proud of its local roots, like the Caledonian Brewery, whose memorabilia can be found on the pub’s walls. It’s the perfect place to relax with a pint of Deuchars and even make your second home.