Review | Chilli Banana, Didsbury

I UNDERSTAND the mechanics of a restaurant franchise. All menus and recipes need to be easily replicated, so that food looks and tastes identical whether you visit a branch in Carlisle or Cardiff. I see how this works with large fast food chains who buy their (sometimes pre-made and frozen) ingredients from a centralised location, but struggle with how this can be done successfully when dishes depend so much on the skill and slight of hand of one person.

May has indeed managed to impart enough wisdom to create a solid, transferable brand

My naive caution hasn’t posed a problem for May Wakefield, founding chef patron of Chilli Banana, whose restaurant beginnings were humble. Twenty years ago, May and her husband Steve were serving Thai dishes from an Alderley Edge pub, with the majority of their advertising budget going on an A-frame blackboard outside.

May’s recipes are older than two decades, having been collated from generations of family recipes. This means that without May on the premises, each franchisee must recreate her finely tuned balance of tastes; delicate undercurrents of sweetness tapered by fresh sour notes, elements of richness from coconut or a good base stock and grades of chilli from a light tap to a full on roundhouse kick to the mouth.

The proof is in the Pad King and now Chilli Banana has branches in Wilmslow, Bramhall, Macclesfield, Liverpool and Didsbury. But do they all manage to capture May’s magic?

The Didsbury branch has opened in a former newsagents on Lapwing Lane's Victorian parade

Si Krong Moo Tod (£6.95) spare ribs were good, if slightly jerky

The Didsbury branch opened in November on Lapwing Lane, transforming the former newsagents in the Victorian parade into a 70-cover restaurant. We popped in without booking, the day before New Year’s Eve, expecting it to be quiet. We thought going through the a la carte menu instead of opting for their lunchtime express menu might make us conspicuous, but the place was buzzing with a camouflage of groups and couples extending Christmas excess or getting a head start on New Year celebrations.

It’s a lovely looking venue, somewhere between comfortable and smart, like a pair of work pants with a hidden elasticated waist. Actually, that doesn’t quite capture its modern warmth. Let’s say it’s more like the restaurant equivalent of a soft cashmere throw in a fashionable colour from an upmarket department store and move on.

We munched on a basket of Kow Giap Gung, Thai prawn crackers (£2.75), whilst taking in the menu (there’s an equally detailed vegetarian menu at the back plus a gluten free menu.) No-one does nibbly starters quite as well as Thailand. Si Krong Moo Tod (£6.95), spare ribs marinated in garlic, ginger and coriander root were good, if slightly on the jerky side of dry - you’ll need to put your gnawing dentures in. Nua Det Deow (£7.45), strips of marinated steak with chilli and garlic dipping sauce were less chewy, but just as meaty and well marinated. Gung Hom Pa (£7.45, main image) were king prawns swaddled in tight blankets of spring roll pastry, pretty much canapé royalty.

Thai prawn crackers (£2.75)

A lovely looking venue

Nua Det Deow (£7.45) strips of marinated steak were meaty and well marinated

The star in the starters was Laab Gai (£6.95) a texturally sound salad of minced chicken, mint, red onion, roasted rice and a vibrant dressing packed with enough tear-inducing chilli and garlic to prevent me getting a winter cold for the next few years, despite only meriting a two chilli rating on the menu.

Portions are generous, so if you over order like we did, you’ll be taking your beef massaman curry (£11.95) home in a takeaway bag too. The thickly rich, intensely spiced curry, made with coconut milk, potatoes, shallots and peanuts had to be squirreled away for another day. However, we did manage to plough our way through a skillet of gorgeously comprehensive Pad Thai Gung (£11.95), fried noodles packed with king prawns, bean sprouts, bean curd, preserved radish, egg, peanut and more ingredients than this word count will allow for.  

I love the names of Thai dishes; Pad Krapow Gung (prawns stir-fried with chilli and holy basil £12.95) sounds like the contents of a speech bubble from a fight scene in a Marvel comic - pretty apt considering my chilli-loving husband only had eyes for three chilli rated dishes. A three tissue guide would work just as well.

Pad Thai Gung (£11.95): gorgeously comprehensive

Laab Gai (£6.95) is a 9 out of 10

Rice is not included, but there are numerous variations you can order. We soaked up the heat with kow, or steamed fragrant rice (£2.75), and kow neow (£3.25), sticky rice in two tightly wrapped banana leaf parcels. I would have ordered heow neow brown kow, but unfortunately it doesn’t exist because I made it up.

Prices are reasonable for the standard and amount of food served, but drinks are a little steep. Four bottles of Coke and a 250ml glass of Pinot Grigio Rosato (£6.50) came to a whopping £16.50. I would have liked to explore more of the wine list, but the usual curry-friendly suspects such as Reisling and Gruner Veltliner are only sold by the bottle.

Didsbury’s Chilli Banana is a welcome addition to the family Thais. May has indeed managed to impart enough wisdom to create a solid, transferable brand. Not only can a number of chefs replicate her wonderful recipes, thanks to her monthly masterclasses and her recipe books, so can we.

Chilli Banana, 105-107 Lapwing Lane, Didsbury, M20 6UR. Tel: 0161 434 4558