'A phoenix from the ashes': Hong Thai, Oldham Road, reviewed

Hong Thai has long been regarded by those in the know as one of the city’s most brilliant street food spots. Rarely championed by reviewers, it has for years run one of the busiest lunch trades in Manchester city centre from a teeny tiny unit inside the council-operated Arndale Market. 

Beloved by city workers of all stripes, many - myself included - would make the regular pilgrimage to the stall, quietly sequestered in the back of the market’s ‘new’ side, only to spend the majority of our breaks patiently waiting in line, buzzers in hand, inevitably jumping out of our skin when they finally went off. 

Such were the queues, these buzzers were needed - and I frequently sacrificed my break to this ritual, safe in the knowledge that the brown cardboard box full of food I would be presented with at the end would more than make up for time lost. I’d typically carry it back to the office with haste and eat it hunched over my laptop with a wooden fork in one hand, content with my spoils, the other tapping away at my keyboard. 

That is, until disaster struck in November last year and a devastating fire obliterated its owners’ livelihoods, forcing the stall’s permanent closure. 

So dramatic was this event that it not only forced the long-term shuttering of the Market’s most popular street food stall, but it also saw their entire half of the Arndale lie dormant for a couple of days whilst everything was sorted out. 

Thankfully all’s well that ends well, and eight months on the picture looks entirely different. Like a phoenix from the ashes, Hong Thai has reemerged to a backdrop of hopeful clamour - opening a brand new cafe on Oldham Road in May earlier this year. 

So, on a quiet midweek summer evening I popped in with a friend for an early tea to see how - if at all - things have changed since the team took on their first bricks and mortar site. After all, the running of a cafe is somewhat different to that of a frenetic street food stall. I was curious, how are they getting on? 

Arriving just before 5pm, as we made our way inside I was presented with a different picture entirely. There was just one table sat down eating, and the rest were empty. I was a little bit thrown. Where was the calamity? The noise? Still, we celebrated having our pick of the seating and promptly chose a table in the window - the best place for watching the world go by. Within minutes, we were surrounded. Clearly I needn’t have worried.

After a quick glance at the double-sided laminate A4 menu, it became clear that while the location has changed the offering has not. Granted, the friendly little counter you order at is no longer emblazoned with so many larger-than-life images of dishes that you feel bamboozled by choice. The buzzers are gone too, and there’s now table service for your meal. 

The aesthetics are definitely new, but I’m happy to report that the old faithfuls - the richly flavoured Thai curries, Hong Kong broths, punchy stir fries, homemade street bites and ‘all time favourites’ - all remain correct and present. 

Full of sentimentality for my brown cardboard container lunches, I ordered a longstanding favourite: minced chicken Pad Kra Pao (£10). A beautifully fragrant stir fry characterised by its use of holy basil, sharp little bird’s eye chillies and generous amounts of garlic, it’s a quintessential Hong Thai pick: quick to prepare, good bang for your buck, and packed full of flavour. 

The portion was also huge. Larger than ever before, I would venture to add. No longer confined to the dimensions of a box, it appears the chefs have gotten generous. Served with rice and topped with a fried egg, it’s a tasty, solid filler-upper - although I have to say on this occasion my egg didn’t really hit the spot. I still ate it, but I didn’t love it. I’m simply a girl that likes a runny egg, what can I say?  

Alongside it, we sample a handful of the homemade street bites - the absolute highlights - opting for a few Hong Kong favourites. The cuttlefish cakes (£4.50) are zesty and fresh, their plump, delicate bodies just salty enough to withstand being drenched in a slightly-syrupy lime juice dressing. There is some discussion over splitting the last one, which I win. But the star of the show really has to be the trio of Hong Kong beef buns (£4.50). Or, as they appear on the menu, ‘Pan fried Hong Kong Beef Bun Soft & Juicy’. 

Soft and juicy indeed. Gloriously fluffy, even, with that crispy pan bottom adding another layer of gusto. They are also scalding hot, and in my enthusiasm I burn my fingers. Twice. After a bit of restraint on my part, my patience is rewarded with a little mouthful of joy. That juicy minced beef is flavoured well with ginger and onion, and the buns come alive after a good dunking in the accompanying sauce - a mild and fruity curry dip that is thick with oil in the very best way.

We also ordered one of the ‘all time’ house favourites, the Lemongrass Chicken. I say we, but in truth my friend barely let me get a look in - claiming it all for himself. 

Like the Pad Kra Pao, it’s served with boiled rice but there’s also a little crunchy lettuce salad, all zingy with the heady aroma of lemongrass - just like the hot sauce-coated lime green chicken breast next to it. Again, the portions are more than generous, so much that Ben approvingly commented that it’s ‘as much as two portions’ - aka, the kind of sized meal he’d make at home for himself. From what I try it’s very tasty, but I definitely prefer mine (and it’s a good thing too, as I don’t get much choice on the matter).

We wash down our meal with two cans of Coke and, whilst he shovels down his chicken at record speed, I am ultimately defeated by the sheer volume of the stir fry in front of me. At first, I’m disappointed in myself: but then it hits me. I can ask for a takeaway box, and later that evening I can polish off the rest on my sofa - just like old times. 

Inevitably I do just that, and it’s perfect. Which leads me to one conclusion. Ultimately, the food is just as good as ever - but somehow it just tastes better out of a cardboard box.

It’s a joy to see such a long-celebrated local favourite back cooking up a storm again. I welcome the new plates, the lack of hand buzzers, the friendly table service and - yes - the comfort of open tables nearby to enjoy your food inside whilst it’s still completely piping hot. There's also no longer the need to run the gauntlet of Market Street. There's much that I'm happy with, and judging by how busy it is when we leave, I’m not the only one. 

As long as you don’t burn your fingers like I did, you’ll have a wonderful time.

Hong Thai, 140 Oldham Rd, Ancoats, M4 6BG

Hong Thai is on Confidential Guides