‘Onto a winner’: May’s Thai, Childwall, reviewed

I think it’s fair to say that footballers aren’t necessarily known for their taste. 

From Balotelli’s camouflage Bentley to the United players’ 2005 night out on a sea of bootcut jeans, I doubt you’ll see the likes of Wayne Rooney guest-editing GQ any time soon. 

But what about when it comes to food? 

May’s Thai in Childwall has been open for 18 months now and has already attracted arguably the holy trinity of Liverpool players of the past; Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Kenny Dalglish. 

Stewart Downing aside, it seems King Kenny knows quality when he sees it, so I made a trip to Childwall to see what all the fuss was about.

May’s Thai is found on one of those shopping parades that you see all across suburban England, the ones that do a fantastic job of flattening the character of the individual units. Fortunately May’s Thai is a handsome fitout both inside and out, and is a good example of getting it right first time, the room feeling both homely but nice enough to wear your best shirt.

I’d stopped for lunch, the perfect excuse to try the set menu; two courses for £15.95. I’m more and more of the mind that set menus are the true indication of a restaurant’s character; a good a la carte is a balance of giving the people what they want, but also what they don’t know they want, while a set menu seems to be about ensuring customers try what you know you do best. 

This was the case when I took my seat and settled down to look at the menu. I was pretty sure I knew what I was starting with, but the server said off the bat, “You’ve got to try the fishcakes”. You’re right, I do. Fishcakes it is. 

I’m really not a fan of the western take on fishcakes, all those breadcrumbs around a fat potato hockey puck, leeks spilling out like a crime scene. But the Thai take on them is one of my favourite starters for how much it's in opposition to all that bready excess. Minced chicken and fish with Thai herbs and spices, roughly formed and fried until it near-halves in size and firms up, ready to be plunged into a sweet chilli (or plum) sauce. 

These didn't disappoint, he was right to recommend and I was glad I took his word. They were well seasoned with enough room given to the herbs and spices that make these things more than just a patty, with notes of lemongrass and spring onions lifting a good quality mince. I’d arrived ravenous and would estimate it took me all of three minutes to finish the plate.

The mains section had all the hits, plenty of them tempting (massaman curry, Tom Yum and Tom Kha Gai soups, pad Thai) but when a restaurant shouts about a dish it deserves to be given a go.

I went for ‘May’s Famous Holy Basil Sauce’ with chicken and jasmine rice with a lovely round egg perched on top, in my book the ideal Thai main course.

I’ve wrangled with holy basil a lot when cooking for myself (which does happen, you know). Pad Kra Pao is a killer of a homemade dish; pork mince, fish sauce and holy basil doing things for the tastebuds that I think few cuisines can. But I never think of holy basil as the centrepiece. Therefore I had to give this dish a go.

Again, I see why they’ve put this at the top of the mains and given it a bit of fanfare; it’s a very good dish. The sauce sang with holy basil, it’s aniseed punch coming through loud and clear, accompanied by a very healthy dose of chilli and the gorgeous ballast of well cooked onions. 

It’s well-arranged to boot. Not that this is necessarily all-important but when you can ladel the sauce onto your plate and keep coming back for more it makes for a particularly pleasant way to enjoy the dish. I think I convinced myself about three times I was full up, only to go back in for another serving. Chilli does famously have an addictive quality, but I’d argue holy basil can hook you just as much.

With all that money and free time footballers can be something of a canary in the mineshaft for new restaurants. Look at coverage of the opening of a diamanté envelope and you can be sure to see at least a second-stringer papped head to toe in Represent. But we can’t all get it right all the time. 

In this instance, Jamie, Steven and King Kenny have struck if not gold, then something pretty close. 

May’s Thai, 4 Childwall Abbey Rd, Liverpool L16 0JN