Thai Restaurants in Manchester

Phetpailin opened in April 2006 bringing a traditional and authentic Thai dining experience to Manchester’s Chinatown. While the a la carte menu here is standard ‘Anglo-Thai’ cuisine, the specials board offers traditional Thai dishes prepared as they would be in Thailand. And the result is that a very healthy 60% of the clientele here are Thais, which is always a good sign for an ethnic restaurant. The décor is both traditional and minimalist with none of the clutter that can sometimes take over a restaurant. And it’s very much a relaxed vibe, with light background music making for a peaceful and calming dining experience. Phetpailin (literally, 'sapphire') is currently unlicensed and they operate a BYO policy on alcoholic drinks. There is also a takeaway service (10% off when you soend more than £10) and an outside catering service.

When someone says, "I fancy Thai tonight. Where is good?" we don’t say much. Instead we grab a notebook and a pencil and write down one word: Chaophraya.

Ok, so we can't pronounce it. We can, however, recommend it and we do whenever we get the chance. Chaophraya is rare because it is truly authentic. By this we don't mean that the head chef is Thai and they use Thai ingredients, though this is true; we mean that eating in Chaophraya reminds us just how many amazing cuisines there are in the world. The food in this restaurant makes us dream of travelling to Thailand. And that's before we've even reached the main course.

People who are comfortable with Thai food are likely to be blown away by the range of dishes on offer. We have, at different times, raved about the Gaeng Pa (a ridiculously good ‘Thai Jungle Curry' full of herbs and unusual flavours), the Chaophraya Basket (a two-person dish, consisting of juicy prawns, squid and red snapper served on skewers with mussels and Thai dipping sauce) and the Khoa Pad Cha Khaew Talae (fried rice flavoured with green tea and shellfish).

People who aren't so sure always seem to be well looked after too. We've seen the waiters make recommendations and describe almost every dish on the menu for their customers. We also like the idea of taking Thai virgins to Chaophraya and guiding them through one of the three-course banquet options.

Prices aren't too steep (averaging around £7 for a starter and £10 for a main course) and the service is among the best we've had in Manchester. We can't recommend this place highly enough - go, go, go.