Food review: Lunch at Chaophraya, Nelson Mandela Place, Glasgow

Mr C visits Chaophraya

On arrival at the venue, the first thing that strikes you is the building itself. Absolutely stunning outside, and you will discover the same is true inside as well. I also found out that Chaophraya is named after the main river in Bangkok / Thailand.

Settling down, I looked over the menu. After much deliberation, I plumped for Thai Fish Cakes (Tord Man Pla), as my starter. Food was served really quickly, and I soon had 3 fish cakes with sweet chilli sauce.

I’d eaten in more general Asian, and even Vietnamese restaurants before but this was my first visit to a fully Thai restaurant, so I didn’t know what to expect (but a few weeks later I visited Thaikun to learn about Thai cooking and attempt some of the recipes myself!). The cakes were more compact and dense than British fish cakes. The density actually gave the fish a meaty texture, which I enjoyed. The red curry paste gave the cakes a slight kick, not enough to overpower the taste though.

I didn’t have too long to wait for my main course either, Just enough time to let the starter settle.
For the main, I chose Salmon with Papaya Salad (Som Tum Pla Salmon).

The salmon was pan-fried to perfection, accompanied by cucumber, and papaya salad something which I had never tried before. The salad was excellent. Firstly my mouth was cleansed with the cool, fresh salad followed by an almighty kick from the chillies.

This one may be a bit overpowering for some, but it was perfect for me so I would definitely recommend this dish.

Overall

Thumbs up from me, Mr C on my first Thai restaurant experience. No dessert was scoffed on this visit, service was great and toilets were not inspected.

TL;DR
+ Fast service
+ Beautiful interior
+ Just the right level of heat
+ Couldn’t be better placed for public transport