Phetpailin Restaurant Reviewed

THERE are a number of restaurants in Manchester that serve simple Cantonese food. I’m thinking of places like Tai Wu, Happy Seasons and Tai Pan. 

It would be great to have more canteens, like Phet, serving affordable Thai food to chilli addicts or those brought up on the heat and zest of this delicious, versatile cuisine

While they may not wow, their low (ish) cost and simple settings encourage us to eat out more often and get into the habit of enjoying it; a trend which has yet to extend to Thai food. With menus comprised of salads, curries, rice and noodles, it’s a shame that few have taken up the ‘simple Thai for a reasonable price’ challenge. Phetpailin is the only casual Thai place I know. 

Seating around 60, this bring-your-own-bottle restaurant in Chinatown is accessed via a doorway next to ‘Long Legs’ gentlemen’s bar. Tucked away on the first floor, I’ve got a favourite seat by the fake reeds on the left of the dining room, looking out towards the fairy-light door. The décor is warm and florid - imagine the lanky blue-peoples’ tree houses in Avatar, and you’re close - and the menu is laden with seared beans, carrots, garlic and fresh coriander. Flavours like lemongrass and fish sauce are roused by king prawns and white fish, and the only real ‘fat’ comes from coconut milk. 

Having spent several months in Bangkok, I find the cooking authentically rough around the edges. Thai food is about wrapping your teeth around hunks of ginger, broken lemongrass stalks and bundles of bird-eye chilli. 

It’s all the more rewarding for the effort it takes to eat. Dishes to keep winter at bay include whole steamed sea bass (Pla Neung Ma Nao) served in a fish-shaped ceramic bowl, with a verge of coriander, parsley, small, red chillis and diced celery on top, lemony stock around the side (£16). 

For those who like it hot, the salads are a draw. I fell for a dish called ‘wing bean salad’ in Thailand (made from chilli, onion and runner beans with wing type things, native to the tropics). It’s not available at Phet (I’ve yet to find a winged bean in Manchester, to be honest) but, the salads are as spicy as this south Asian standard. Customers have noted in online forums that Phet’s salads are ‘too hot’, but give them a chance: the chilli-stacking leaves you giddy with endorphins and Phet’s king prawn salad (Gung Lui Suan, £9) hit the jackpot. 

Not everything is great. The hot and sour lemongrass soup with mushrooms (Tom Yam Hed, £4.50) was more bitter miso than anything worth shelling out for, while sweet and sour ‘tamarind duck’ (£9) had the bulk but not the pazazz of Phet classics like crispy fillet of tilapia topped with chilli and garlic sauce (Pla Rad Prik, £11) or the sirloin with tamarind sauce (Weeping Tiger Steak, £11.95), a great option if you fancy something meaty. 

On the side, we had two portions of rice: one sticky and one aromatic, slow cooked in coconut milk (both £3). For the sake of adventure, we also tried Phad Kee Mao (£7.50) instead of Phad Thai. Ideal as a main or side, thin, fried noodles with garlic, chillies, lime leaves, baby aubergines, bamboo shoot and basil leaves were served with similar flair to the standard flat-noodle Phad Thai. And there was another bonus in store. As mentioned, Phet is bring-your-own and in all my visits, they’ve yet to apply a corkage fee. It’s a right bargain. 

In Manchester city centre, you can tuck into other Thai-style places at Chaophraya, Royal Orchid or Koh Samui. Mid range spots include Tampopo, Wagamama and Try Thai. 

Aside from Phet, it would be great to have more canteens serving affordable Thai food to chilli addicts or those brought up on the heat and zest of this delicious, versatile cuisine. The plastic, leafy décor and carved seating does clang a bit, but it gives Phet a sense of occasion and welcoming air. 

Like Gordo’s favourite Cantonese, Happy Seasons, which is just around the corner, Phet is a delightful place to eat and the reasonable price tag makes it almost irresistible any night of the week.

You can follow Ruth Allan on Twitter here @ruthallan

Phetpailin, 46 George Street, Chinatown, City, M1 4HF. 0871 811 4575   

Rating 14.5/20

Food: 6.5/10
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 4/5