Veteran Leeds Thai restaurant Chaophraya has undergone a bit of a makeover, overhauling the branding, menu, and “transforming its dining experience”.
this is a unique, irresistibly-orderable version of Thai food
Perhaps as a result of feeling a little overlooked following the recent casual-Thai boom in the city, the restaurant is relaxing its image of formal grandeur, starting with the menu.
The restaurant’s Senior Culinary Brigade (squad goals, etc) have spent the last six months travelling in Thailand to research the latest developments in Thai food, and the result is a menu that fuses culinary influence from a variety of specific Thai provinces.
From the milder yet robust flavours of Bangkok, to the citrus and fish sauce punchiness of Chiang Mai, a wide range of Thai cuisine has been blended with contemporary fine and casual dining influences be Chaophraya’s chefs. The research also saw the team start using native vegetables less often seen in the UK, like Thai eggplant, and wing bean.
Signature dishes include red curry-spiced chicken in a rice flour “taco” (Rudding Park Hotel’s Consultant Chef Stephanie was sat on the table next to ours, and would not stop singing their praises), a flashy chamber-aged sirloin cooked on a Himalayan salt block, and an outstanding soft shell crab tempura.
That dining experience that’s been transformed? They’ve relaxed it, and encourage guests to ditch the three course format in favour of sharing a selection of large and small dishes among the table. If this more casual, less fussy approach is what led to our yellow fish curry being served inside a whole sea-bass - split down the middle like a jacket potato - then I’m all the more for it.
Chaophraya - Yellow Fish Curry
Chaophraya - DIY CocktailFor all of its new found casual charm, the opulence hasn’t been sacrificed when it comes to the decor, fantastic service, or wine and cocktail selection - the latter of which now features a “theatre” selection of smoked, caged, and DIY cocktails.
The prices can reflect that it’s a higher-end take on the cuisine. Expect to pay £6 to £12.50 for starters, with mains in the mid-teens to low-twenties, but this isn’t your everyday five-quid Pad Thai spot: it’s a unique, irresistibly-orderable version of Thai food, and well worth checking out.
Chaophraya, 20A Blayds Court, Swinegate, LS1 4AG
Chaophraya - Soft Shell Crab Tempura
Chaophraya - Papaya Salad
