MANCHESTER has a new Thai restaurant serving the kind of fresh soups, salads, rice plates and noodles that wouldn’t look out of place in the street food markets of Bangkok. It’s called My Thai and the owners have taken over a seemingly cursed unit on John Dalton Street.
Authentic without being hipster, it’s more convivial than Siam Smiles
The restaurant is part of a small chain with outlets in Leeds, York and Bradford and ran by a trio from Yorkshire and Thailand. It’s probably a good thing they don’t remember lacklustre former incumbents such as Jack Spratt and Splendid Kitchen. Yet My Thai isn’t exactly an upgrade. Rather, the owners have made the most of this simple space: a couple of hours among the mismatched posters and gaudy tablecloths, typical of Bangkok’s casual dining scene, feel as good as a holiday.
It’s not expensive, either. Mains are an affordable £7-8 and there’s a queue of Deliveroo guys waiting by the door, which suggests that even though it’s only been open for a month or so, it’s already ‘my Thai’ for many. Comforting dishes like red curry and chicken satay will appeal to those after Brit-Thai classics. A big draw, however, is the ‘foodies’ menu where searingly hot soups, veg and dried fish are the norm.
Morning Glory
You’ll find traditional Thai dishes here; simple, wilted morning glory (£8.50), spicy seafood and noodles in a bright pink soup (Yen Ta Fo, £8.50), and Bangkok pad thai (£8.50), served with typical condiments of chopped chillis in fish sauce and granulated white sugar.
There’s a blackboard of vegan specialities, while off-menu dishes include ingredients that British chefs tend to overlook. Chicken feet, for example, are a common sight on Saturday nights when the restaurant turns into a social hub for local members of the local Thai community.
One of the few things I remember from my time in Bangkok is that Thai food is often hot – and the spice level of dishes like Kra Pow Moo Sub (spicy pork mince with holy basil on rice, £7.50) peak at an authentic 11 out of 10, while the papaya salad (served with either salted crab and ‘stinky fish’ or peanut and dried shimp, £7.50) reaches a mind-bending 15. My mouth’s burning sensation is muted only slightly by the chewy, dried shrimp surfing waves of fresh lime. A bottle of Thai Singha lager offers little salvation.
Papaya salad
Chinese spiced porkKoew Teaw Tom Yum soup (£7.50), both pungent and the colour of blood, is served with ping-pong-style fish balls - and pork is another strength. We bicker over both the aforementioned spicy mince, and hunks of sweet Chinese five-spice roasted pork (Kow Moo Dang, £7.50). This comes with wilted basil and a sticky, ginger jam. Add a slick of fish sauce, a few bites from the other dishes on the table and the result is strangely balanced. This is thrilling food that’s great to share.
Our waitress wants to know if we like the tiny, embossed silver cups that everything (even wine) comes served in? We do. What about the mango juice? Not so sure. The wine and beer list is perfectly adequate, and the feast comes in under £70, with drinks.
I’d be surprised if My Thai doesn’t win Manchester over with it’s Thai menu. Authentic without being hipster, it’s more convivial than Siam Smiles (which has the atmosphere of the freezer section of a supermarket, while being half as warm), yet far from the Thai-by-numbers places like Thaikun. Each of My Thai's four northern outlets boast their own menus, designed by the local, typically Thai, co-owners. There's another one planned for Blackpool. Watch this one go.
My Thai, John Dalton St, Manchester M2 6WH. Tel: 0161 833 1016
Rating: 15/20
Food: 8/10 (morning glory 8, pad thai 9, spicy pork 8, papaya salad 8, tom yum soup 9, roasted pork 8)
Atmosphere: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Koew Teaw Tom Yum soup
Spicy pork mince
Pad Thai
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