Thai House
3-5 Guildford Crescent, Cardiff. 029 2038 7404 / thaihouse.biz
Food *** Atmosphere ***
Considering that the booking for this restaurant was last minute, and that I arrived with only four out of the table of six that was booked, the waiting staff at Thai House were very really very nice. The last two arrived half an hour late (my fault, for various reasons), by which time our mains had arrived: I shared a pad thai and a gang ped bed yang, aka red curry with duck.
It’s quite easy to get pad thai wrong, so it was to my delight that this one was light, aromatic and fresh like it should be. The noodles weren’t stodgy and stuck together like you so often get (tip: don’t order pad thai for a takeaway – it doesn’t travel well), it was dense with flavour and a dish really worth savouring. The only (and major) drawback to it, was its portion size. However fabulous the food was, I have never seen such small portions. The red curry was the same – tiny. And contained grapes, curiously enough. It wasn’t terrible, but certainly wouldn’t be my first choice for ingredient in a Thai curry. With that said, the food, however sparse, was of superb quality.
The atmosphere in Thai House is mixed. It was full, which is always a good sign, and the waiting staff’s traditional Thai clothing added to the atmosphere visually, but the decor and layout was a tad cold, lacking the ‘cosy’ feel that makes a great dining experience that little bit extra special.
RUTH SEAVERS