Thai Orchid - Birmingham
The Thai Orchid does not have a website
OK, so Birmingham is not Nottingham but with the new Bullring, Selfridges (where they have a veuve clicquot bar and where you can buy real chocolate-covered ants and scorpions) and the Millenium Point centre, you might find yourself out on the town in Britain's second city.
Lunch at Cafe Icon in the Icon Gallery, was excellent - really authentic Tapas served by real authentic spanish waitresses. I don't think I've ever tried caperberries before and it's always good to discover something new.
The evening began at a subterranean bar called "Red" where a hen party was in progress and the gorgeous bride-to-be was on a mission to snog every man in the place - in which task she succeeded very easily. I can't say that this bar had much else to reccommend it, other than that we were undercharged for our round of drinks.
The Thai Orchid on Bennetts Hill was teeming with diners and I would imagine that it was a miracle that we found a table for 5 without a reservation at 8pm on a Saturday night. I'm not sure how long this place has been going but it's great to see a business at this point in it's life, when everything has fallen in to place and it runs like a well-oiled machine. The staff are happy and ethusiastic - welcoming you with the beautiful, traditional wai greeting of the Thai people - the hands clasped in an attitude of prayer. The portions are generous, with unstinting use of fresh thai ingredients, lemongrass, galingale and snowpeas. I even wanted to take a photograph of our main dishes, warming over candle heaters like offerings in a temple. The sea-bass was huge and succulent and the squid and green-lipped mussels were amongst the best I have eaten. We went for a selection of set "banquets" which, priced around the £20 a head level, was more than reasonable for the quantity and quality.
They must have used a lot of salt and MSG because we were all extremely thirsty as the staff wai-ed us out onto the street, but we'll forgive them that.
Nottingham's Pretty Orchid restaurant used to be like this but success went to their heads and the temptation to squeeze more profit from it proved irresitable. They cut the portions, dropped the fresh spices, upped the prices, stopped serving specials and most of the Thai staff drifted away to work elsewhere. I expect they still do well financially, but I hope this never happens to the Thai Orchid in Birmingham.
OK, so Birmingham is not Nottingham but with the new Bullring, Selfridges (where they have a veuve clicquot bar and where you can buy real chocolate-covered ants and scorpions) and the Millenium Point centre, you might find yourself out on the town in Britain's second city.
Lunch at Cafe Icon in the Icon Gallery, was excellent - really authentic Tapas served by real authentic spanish waitresses. I don't think I've ever tried caperberries before and it's always good to discover something new.
The evening began at a subterranean bar called "Red" where a hen party was in progress and the gorgeous bride-to-be was on a mission to snog every man in the place - in which task she succeeded very easily. I can't say that this bar had much else to reccommend it, other than that we were undercharged for our round of drinks.
The Thai Orchid on Bennetts Hill was teeming with diners and I would imagine that it was a miracle that we found a table for 5 without a reservation at 8pm on a Saturday night. I'm not sure how long this place has been going but it's great to see a business at this point in it's life, when everything has fallen in to place and it runs like a well-oiled machine. The staff are happy and ethusiastic - welcoming you with the beautiful, traditional wai greeting of the Thai people - the hands clasped in an attitude of prayer. The portions are generous, with unstinting use of fresh thai ingredients, lemongrass, galingale and snowpeas. I even wanted to take a photograph of our main dishes, warming over candle heaters like offerings in a temple. The sea-bass was huge and succulent and the squid and green-lipped mussels were amongst the best I have eaten. We went for a selection of set "banquets" which, priced around the £20 a head level, was more than reasonable for the quantity and quality.
They must have used a lot of salt and MSG because we were all extremely thirsty as the staff wai-ed us out onto the street, but we'll forgive them that.
Nottingham's Pretty Orchid restaurant used to be like this but success went to their heads and the temptation to squeeze more profit from it proved irresitable. They cut the portions, dropped the fresh spices, upped the prices, stopped serving specials and most of the Thai staff drifted away to work elsewhere. I expect they still do well financially, but I hope this never happens to the Thai Orchid in Birmingham.
2 Comments:
can i ask when you last went to pretty orchid? it seems quite unfair to me that everywhere else you go to then judge them but you seem to be judging pretty orchid without going first.
I'm not sure when I last went. I would guess a couple of years ago. I used to be a regular (as in weekly) customer before they went downhill.
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