BASED near the station, Salathai sits in a prime location in Bath and is a popular destination, judging by the food reviews on TripAdvisor.

My girlfriend had been to the Thai restaurant a few weeks previously and recommended it highly, and having never tried Thai food before I thought now was as good a time as any to give it a go.

We were shown to our reserved table by a smiling waitress and it was clear how popular the restaurant is, with almost all of the tables – more than 20 in total – already occupied.

With plenty to choose from on the menu and unsure of what would agree with me, I decided to play it safe and go for Satay Gai (chicken skewers with peanut sauce) and for my main Pad Siew (thick rice noodles with beef) as well as a Coke, all for £14.60.

Becky decided to go for Kanom Jeeb (steamed pork dumplings) for her starter, and Pad Siew as well, but with King prawns, along with a Cobra beer for £16.70.

Our starters came quickly, accompanied by a light salad of shredded onions and carrots and some complimentary prawn crackers.

My chicken skewers were tasty although a little awkward to eat, but the peanut sauce was nicer than I’d thought and went well with the prawn crackers.

Becky enjoyed her starter, saying it was light and went well with the sauce.

Almost as soon as we had finished our starters our main courses were brought to our table and, while I can’t fault the fast service, it perhaps arrived a little too quickly. As a result I wasn’t quite able to finish my main meal despite it being very nice, with a good flavour balance of vegetables, beansprouts, spring onion and coriander, which went well with the small pieces of beef amongst the noodles.

Becky enjoyed her meal and said it too was filling, with a good sauce and lots of vegetables. After a short rest we decided to share a dessert and went for Thai Pandan Pancakes; flaked coconut wrapped inside Thai pancakes, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I was a little put off by the unusual and surprising green colour of the pancakes but I was pleasantly surprised by how nice it was, especially the coconut, which I’m not normally a fan of.

All in all, my first trip to a Thai restaurant was a pleasant one, and the total bill came to £35.80.

Salathai Thai Restaurant
14-15 Pierrepont St, Avon, Bath BA1 1LA
01225 484663
http://www.salathai-bath.co.uk/

Gazette ratings:
Food: 7/10
Choice: 8/10
Décor: 8/10
Customer service: 8/10

Main course prices: From £5.95 to £13.95

Trip Advisor rating: 4/5