][1]Chaophraya Thai restaurant launched in Glasgow’s Nelson Mandela Place last Thursday and very impressive it was too.
Set over four storeys of a revamped townhouse, the multiple bars and dining areas are festooned with brightly coloured elephants, Buddha statues and moody pics of old temples. It is said to be the largest Thai restaurant in Europe.
Most jaw-dropping of all are the private dining rooms and particularly the one in which the seating comprises massive wooden thrones which are ten feet high if they are an inch.
If the nibbles at the launch are any guide then the food will be fascinating. The standard a la carte reads like a greatest hits of Thai classics but the real surprise is the Thai-Scots crossover menu.
A Thai take on black pudding with scallops sounds unlikely but, when zipped up with lime, coriander, mango and chilli, it made for a mouth-watering combination of flavours: sweet shellfish and earthy black pudding bound up with fruity mango and chilli heat.
As well as a snake-toting belly dancer, entertainment included an exuberant ladyboy act that stripped along to Man I Feel Like a Woman Tonight.
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