Old favourite doesn’t disappoint when GILL HARRIS and friends enjoy a midweek meal out

I’M STARVING, I thought, as I watched my buddies happily gabbling at each other in the pub.

Time to move things along.

“We’d better get going,” I said. “It’s a Tuesday night and it might be quiet and they might decide to shut early...”

That did the trick. Three concerned faces began necking their drinks and after a flurry of activity we were on our way to check out Old Town stalwart the Thai Orchid in Victoria Road.

My fears that so early in the week it might be a bit empty and the chef might be packing away his knives already were happily unfounded.

The restaurant was near to bursting and we sat down to a warm welcome amid the cheery buzz of happy diners.

However, I was still starving.

The menus arrived swiftly, drinks orders were fulfilled and we settled down to the serious business of choosing our meals.

“Shall we just get dishes to share?” asked one of our number.

“Nope. I’m starving,” I warned her.

But the length of the menu meant I was destined to remain starving for quite a while longer as I flipped and riffled through the pages, ummed and aahed and dithered between the enormous choice.

Which is why I’ve only given a mark of 9/10 for choice – there was almost too much!

After some debate, we settled on the Thai Orchid platter (£6.75 per person) to start with and it was a fine choice.

Chicken sesame toasts, sticky pieces of chicken in red wine, Thai fishcakes, satay chicken and vegetable spring rolls arrived with a selection of delectable dipping sauces.

It was delicious and gave us a generous helping each without ruining our appetites for the main event.

There was a pleasant lull between courses, allowing the perfect amount of time for another tipple and another dose of chatter.

The mains arrived in due course and looked – and smelled – magnificent.

One friend chose the sizzling black pepper beef (£9.50) served on a (surprise, surprise) sizzling hot plate with red onion, garlic, red and green pepper with chilli and cracked black pepper and a sticky, thick sauce.

It looked incredible and I was quite envious. “I’ve had it before,” she said. “It’s always good.”

My other pal went for duck with basil (£8.95), which was moist and aromatic, while the gentleman amongst us, who goes into a dead faint anywhere near spicy food, ordered the sweet and sour chicken and said it was spot on, with not a hint of heat, which suited him down to the ground.

My dithering ended with Gong Chu Chi Prawns (£12.95) – grilled jumbo prawns in an aromatic red curry sauce, with shredded lime leaves, kashia herb and topped with crispy basil leaves.

The butterflied prawns were sweet and tender and the sauce was exquisitely fragrant.

We shared flat noodles (which could have been a meal in its own right, crammed as it was with egg and vegetables) and steamed rice on the side, although I think one would have been enough as we, like the restaurant, were near to bursting by the time we’d finished.

The bill, which included two bottles of wine and a couple of beers, came to £116 and was worth every penny.

Plus, despite having been starving, I couldn’t quite finish all mine – so the next day, just as I was starting to feel peckish, I happily tucked into my rather tasty doggy bag.

If you haven’t been to the Thai Orchid for a while, or if you’ve never been, treat yourselves. It’s a pretty little restaurant with wonderful staff and deliciously authentic Thai food.

Thai Orchid
133-134 Victoria Rd, Swindon SN1 3BU
01793 480800
thai-orchid.co.uk
Parking: In nearby car park on Prospect Place
Disabled access: Yes
Adver ratings
Food: 10/10
Choice: 9/10
Décor: 10/10
Customer service: 10/10
Main course prices: £7.95-£16.95
TripAdvisor ratings: 4.5/5