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.

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